Soga Monogatari (曽我物語) is a Japanese military chronicle-tale based on the vengeance incident, Revenge of Soga Brothers. The story is often known as The (illustrated) Tale of the Soga Brothers or The Revenge of the Soga Brothers. It is sometimes written as Soga Monogatari Zue (The Tale of the Soga brothers in pictures). It is regarded by some as the last of the gunki monogatari or great “war tales”. The brothers are Soga Sukenari and Soga Tokimune, Sukenari being the older of the two. When the boys were younger they were known as Ichimanmaru and Hakoomaru. In Japanese the Soga brothers are described as Soga kyodai. Their names are also written as Soga no Gorō and Soga no Jūrō. The name Soga is the name of their stepfather, which became their surname after their mother remarried. The name of their biological father was Kawazu-Saburō. Events take place in Japan in the 12th century. The general accepted version is that the father of the two boys was killed (the reasons differ, but it was probably an argument over land rights) when they were infants. As adults they became skilled fighters intent on avenging their father and retrieving his sword Tomokirimaru. In May 1193, the Soga brothers participated in shogun Minamoto Yoritomo’s grand hunting event Fuji no Makigari. On the last night of the event, the brothers took their revenge and killed their father Kudō Yūsuke. After the brothers killed ten other participants in a fierce battle, the elder brother Sukenari was shot by Yūsuke’s subordinate Nitta Tadatsune. The younger brother Tokimune killed all the samurai one by one who attempted to stop him, and broke into Yoritomo’s living quarters. However, Yoritomo’s close vassal Gosho no Gorōmaru, who was in Yoritomo’s bedchamber, took Tokimune down, thus ending the massacre and saving the shogun from a possible assassination attempt. The next day, Tokimune was brought in for questioning by Yoritomo about the motives of the incident, but was ultimately executed.
First Appearance Soga Monogatari (曽我物語, The (illustrated) Tale of the Soga Brothers, The Revenge of the Soga Brothers, sometimes Soga Monogatari Zue) based on the vengeance incident “Revenge of Soga Brothers”
First Publisher ○
Appearance List Literature: Soga Monogatari (曽我物語). Plays: Many Noh, kabuki and bunraku performances, including Sukeroku (The Flower of Edo, 18th century, kabuki). Prints: Many woodblock prints, netsuke and okimono. Film: 10 films before 1941.
Sample Read The Revenge of the Soga Brothers (Mie Gallery) [YT]
Description Soga Monogatari (曽我物語) is a Japanese military chronicle-tale based on the vengeance incident, Revenge of Soga Brothers. The story is often known as The (illustrated) Tale of the Soga Brothers or The Revenge of the Soga Brothers. It is sometimes written as Soga Monogatari Zue (The Tale of the Soga brothers in pictures). It is regarded by some as the last of the gunki monogatari or great “war tales”. The brothers are Soga Sukenari and Soga Tokimune, Sukenari being the older of the two. When the boys were younger they were known as Ichimanmaru and Hakoomaru. In Japanese the Soga brothers are described as Soga kyodai. Their names are also written as Soga no Gorō and Soga no Jūrō. The name Soga is the name of their stepfather, which became their surname after their mother remarried. The name of their biological father was Kawazu-Saburō. Events take place in Japan in the 12th century. The general accepted version is that the father of the two boys was killed (the reasons differ, but it was probably an argument over land rights) when they were infants. As adults they became skilled fighters intent on avenging their father and retrieving his sword Tomokirimaru. In May 1193, the Soga brothers participated in shogun Minamoto Yoritomo’s grand hunting event Fuji no Makigari. On the last night of the event, the brothers took their revenge and killed their father Kudō Yūsuke. After the brothers killed ten other participants in a fierce battle, the elder brother Sukenari was shot by Yūsuke’s subordinate Nitta Tadatsune. The younger brother Tokimune killed all the samurai one by one who attempted to stop him, and broke into Yoritomo’s living quarters. However, Yoritomo’s close vassal Gosho no Gorōmaru, who was in Yoritomo’s bedchamber, took Tokimune down, thus ending the massacre and saving the shogun from a possible assassination attempt. The next day, Tokimune was brought in for questioning by Yoritomo about the motives of the incident, but was ultimately executed.
