Genpei War

The Battle of Uji on June 27, 1180 was an early engagement of the Genpei War, pitting a Minamoto force of approximately 1,500 men under Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito against a Taira force recorded at 28,000 under Taira no Tomomori and Taira no Shigehira. The disparity in force sizes indicates the Minamoto side was severely outnumbered at this stage of the conflict, reflecting the relative weakness of the anti-Taira coalition in the war's opening phase.

The Battle of Dan-no-ura ended the Genpei War by destroying the Taira clan's remaining naval power. Fought in the Kanmon Straits off the southern tip of Honshū, it was the decisive engagement in a conflict that had begun in 1180. The Minamoto fleet under Minamoto no Yoshitsune defeated the Taira fleet despite the latter holding an initial tidal advantage in the morning hours. Emperor Antoku, the child emperor held by the Taira as a symbol of their legitimacy, perished in the battle along with other Taira nobles, extinguishing the clan's claim to imperial authority. The destruction of the Taira at Dan-no-ura left the Minamoto in unchallenged military dominance and set the conditions for the consolidation of warrior rule that would follow under the Minamoto.