A warrior from Nasu in Shimotsuke Province (present-day Nasu County, Tochigi), born around 1169. Said to be the youngest of the eleven sons of Nasu Suketaka, his childhood name was Yoichi Munetsuna. He trained diligently in archery and earned a reputation as a master while still young. In 1185, he joined Yoshitsune's force at the Battle of Yashima in Sanuki Province. When fighting lulled, a Taira boat rowed forward with a fan mounted on a pole at its tip, challenging the Minamoto to shoot it. When Yoshitsune called for a volunteer, most warriors declined; only Yoichi stepped forward. The fan on the bobbing, wave-tossed boat was a considerable distance from shore. Yoichi rode his horse into the surf, drew his bow, and released a single arrow that struck the fan's pivot and sent it spinning high into the air before it fell into the waves. Warriors on both sides cried out in admiration. A side story holds that when a Taira elder began dancing in celebration, Yoichi shot him too—drawing a reprimand from Yoshitsune. This "fan target" episode is one of the most celebrated passages in the Tale of the Heike and is included in Japanese elementary school textbooks.