Battle of Kurikara

Timeline

1. 1183Hokuriku road (Echigo to Kaga) · HokurikuAfter establishing himself in Shinano and Echigo, Minamoto no Yoshinori advanced along the Hokuriku road. The Taira regime in Kyoto dispatched Taira no Koremori, Taira no Michitsune, and others with a so-called army of 100,000 northward, intending to stop Yoshinori at mountain passes and protect the road to the capital.
2. 1183Kurikara Pass · KagaYoshinori divided his forces to attack from front and rear; war tales emphasize a night assault driving oxen with torches bound to their horns to scatter the Taira camp. Whether the fire-ox detail is literary, the Taira ranks broke in the narrow pass with heavy casualties, and Koremori's army lost the ability to continue north.
3. 1183Kyoto · YamashiroWith the Hokuriku barrier lost, Yoshinori took Kaga and Echū in succession and approached the capital region. The Taira could no longer hold Kyoto and moved west to Fukuhara with Emperor Antoku and the imperial regalia, then on into the western sea. Yoshinori's entry into the capital began his brief rule and paved the way for Yoritomo's later dispatch of Noriyori and Yoshitsune westward.