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ERA
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ERA
Japan's Most Famous Speech: The Words That Moved the Samurai
In 1221, when the retired Emperor Gotoba declared war on the shogunate, Hojo Masako delivered Japan's most famous speech. 'Yoritomo's grace is higher than mountains and deeper than seas.' Her words forged an army of 190,000.
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In 1221 Hojo Masako stood before wavering samurai and delivered Japan’s most famous speech: ‘Yoritomo’s grace is higher than mountains and deeper than seas.’ 190,000 warriors united, crushed the court’s forces in a month, and exiled Gotoba to Oki Island.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu — built by Masako and Yoritomo, spiritual center of the shogunate
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Portrait of Minamoto no Yoritomo — Masako's husband, whose name rallied an army of 190,000 even after his death
Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
Jokyu War painting — the 1221 decisive confrontation won decisively by the shogunate after Masako's speech
Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
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Hojo Masako
Nun Shogun
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