The Story ofMichinoku Gold

The hilly area standing to the east of Chuson-ji Temple, is said to be the final resting place of Minamoto Yoshitsune, considered one of the greatest heroes in Japanese history. In the second half of the twelfth century, Yoshitsune fled to Hiraizumi while being pursued by Shogun Minamoto Yoritomo. Yoritomo was Yoshitsune’s his elder brother and the founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, the first shogunate in Japanese history. Under the protection of Fujiwara Hidehira, the northern lord who ruled Hiraizumi at the time, he took up residence here at Takadachi. However, after Lord Hidehira’s death, Yoshitsune came under sudden attack from Lord Hidehira’s son, Yasuhira. It is said that, cornered after bitter fighting, he killed himself on the spot along with his wife and child.