Rise of Taira Power in the 1070s and the Foundation of Ise Taira

Timeline

1. c. 1070–1074Heian-kyō · KinkiTaira no Tadamasa (father of Taira no Kiyomori) took posts such as kōfuimi-bugyō in the early years of Emperor Shirakawa, leading Ise Taira retainers into Kyoto to take part in public security patrols; the Taira thereby joined the ranks of the court's direct military forces.
2. c. 1075–1078Seto Inland Sea coast · Chūgoku regionTaira no Tadamasa was ordered to campaign against pirates (wakō) and guard inland sea traffic; his military merits won court recognition. His son Taira no Kiyomori (born ca. 1138, still young in this period) later inherited his political capital. The 1070s were a crucial period for the Taira to accumulate military merit and connections.
3. 1079Heian-kyō · KinkiBy the late 1070s, the Ise Taira stood alongside the Minamoto as one of the court's most important samurai families. Tadamasa received governorships of several provinces and expanded his estates; the pattern of Taira ascendancy had taken shape, and Kiyomori's generation would bring it to its peak in the 12th century.