Shishigatani Incident (1177)

Timeline

1. 1177Shishigatani · Heian-kyōRetired Emperor Go-Shirakawa directed courtiers such as Saikō and Fujiwara no Takafusa to contact remnants of the Minamoto clan including Minamoto no Yorimasa and Minamoto no Suehide, planning a surprise attack when Shigemori visited the Shishigatani villa to eliminate the Taira core in one stroke. The conspirators held secret meetings at Hōshō-ji and elsewhere to formulate the plan.
2. 1177Heian-kyō · KinaiThe plot was exposed when Tada Yukitsuna informed the Taira. Taira no Kiyomori ordered the arrest and execution of Saikō and others; Minamoto no Yorimasa resisted with his troops but was defeated and took his own life near Byōdō-in in Uji. After this battle the court's anti-Taira armed forces were nearly destroyed, and Go-Shirakawa was forced to compromise with the Taira.