Slain at the Fuji Hunt — A Vendetta 18 Years in the Making
Around 1176, Kudo Suketsune shot and killed his cousin Kawazu Sukeyasu with an arrow in a land dispute—the direct cause of the Soga vendetta. Trusted by Yoritomo, Suketsune accompanied him to the great Fuji hunt of May 1193. That night, the Soga Brothers launched a surprise raid on his camp. He was stabbed and killed by the elder brother Juro, the fulfillment of a vendetta the brothers had sought for 18 years since childhood. Though cast as the villain in the "Tale of the Soga," his loyalty to Yoritomo is considered genuine—sources say Yoritomo mourned his death deeply.