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The second shōgun of the Kamakura Shogunate (r. 1202–1203), born in Kamakura as the eldest son of Minamoto no Yoritomo. He trained in martial arts from childhood. After his father's death, he inherited leadership at age 18, but the shogunal authority was severely curtailed under a council of retainers dominated by his maternal grandparents Hōjō Tokimasa and Hōjō Masako. He had cultural interests—notably kemari football—but his headstrong, hot-tempered nature deepened his conflict with the Hōjō. In the Hiki Incident of 1203, his maternal clan, the Hiki, were destroyed by the Hōjō, and Yoriie was confined to Shuzenji in Izu. He was assassinated by Hōjō agents in 1204 at the age of 22. His younger brother Sanetomo became the third shōgun. His grave at Shuzenji Temple (Izu City, Shizuoka) is a site of remembrance for the tragic young shōgun.

Young, spirited, and fiercely independent, yet unable to exercise political power against the scheming Hōjō. Gifted in both the martial and cultural arts—including kemari—he lacked the diplomatic skill to consolidate support among those around him, making him a figure of tragedy.

Yoriie's downfall marked the effective hollowing out of shogunal power, initiating a system in which the Hōjō regents held real authority throughout the Kamakura period. Shuzenji, associated with his final days, inspired numerous literary and dramatic works, most famously Okamoto Kidō's play Shuzenji Monogatari.