“The Minamoto have arrived! There are so many!”
A year and a half passed since the Taira clan moved to Yashima. In that time, they built and guarded Emperor Antoku’s residence, but on that fateful day, none could hide their shock. The Minamoto clan was supposed to be stranded by a storm at Osaka Port. Despite that, the opposite shore was ablaze. How did they raise such a large army?
The Taira clan rushed to make their retreat. As they escorted the Emperor to the ships, they suddenly realized: the Minamoto troops that arrived at Yashima were fewer than they thought. By the time they pulled back to the palace, confident that they could win, it was already too late. The palace had been put to the torch.
***
That palace is said to have once stood here, where the Emperor Antoku Shrine now stands.
The Emperor was 6 years old back then. A mere child, but still officially the Emperor. If the Emperor’s place is in the capital, then perhaps it can be said that the Heian period, in which Kyoto was that capital, ended here, and the Yashima period began.
Why did the Taira clan choose Yashima? Theories differ, but in those days the tiny island of Yashima was separated from Shikoku by the sea, which made it a perfect location for a stronghold. The Taira clan would use Yashima’s geography to their advantage, positioning their army at the northern inlet in order to face the coming Minamoto clan. They believed the Minamoto clan would attack from the north. However, those expectations were defied when the Minamoto clan set the southern shore on fire. This fooled the Taira clan into believing a great army was coming, and sent them panicking.

They never realized this was planned by the Minamoto clan shogun, Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune.