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Yoritomo and Masako: A Love Story Forged at Izusan Shrine
Exiled to Izu at 14 after the Heiji Rebellion, Minamoto no Yoritomo spent nearly two decades as a prisoner before meeting Hojo Masako. Their secret meetings at Izusan Shrine culminated in the 1180 uprising that founded the Kamakura shogunate. This article traces their love story through primary historical sources.
武
Author
Taketoki
| Samurai History
Contents
MOKUJI
一
Exile as a Beginning: The Sky Young Yoritomo Saw Over Izu
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二
Izusan Shrine: The Sacred Meeting Place
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三
The Uprising and the Arc of a Marriage
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四
After Yoritomo: The Temple She Built for Him
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五
Frequently Asked Questions
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六
Conclusion: Walking the Trail from Izu to Kamakura
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Exile as a Beginning: The Sky Young Yoritomo Saw Over Izu
In 1159, the Heiji Rebellion ended in devastating defeat for the Minamoto clan under Yoshitomo. Yoshitomo’s third son, Yoritomo, was barely 13 years old (turning 14 shortly after). According to the “Heiji Monogatari,” his life was spared through the intercession of Ikeno-Zenni, the stepmother of Taira no Kiyomori. Rather than face execution, Yoritomo was exiled to Izu Province.
His place of exile was Hirugashima in Izu Province (present-day Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture). Hirugashima Park (Izunokuni City) now stands as a historic park with statues of Yoritomo and Masako, conveying something of the atmosphere of this former place of exile. Yoritomo remained here for approximately two decades, under constant surveillance as the heir to the Minamoto bloodline.
The Hojo Connection: From Wardens to Allies
Hojo Tokimasa, an established local warlord of Izu Province, was reportedly responsible for supervising the exiled Yoritomo. The Hojo clan maintained careful distance from both the Taira and Minamoto, preserving their influence through calculated neutrality. For Yoritomo, Tokimasa initially served as something close to a jailer, but over the years this relationship gradually transformed.
No surviving primary source specifies exactly when Yoritomo and Masako first met. The “Azuma Kagami” begins in earnest only from the period after Yoritomo’s uprising, leaving the detailed record of their exchanges during the exile years fragmentary. Yet the closeness of their bond by the time of the uprising is strongly suggested by the Izusan incident described below.
Masako’s Birth Well (Izunokuni City) and Hojo Clan Residence (Izunokuni) stand as historic sites that convey the environment in which Masako grew up, the Izu stronghold of the Hojo clan.
Izusan Shrine: The Sacred Meeting Place
Izusan as a Site of Ascetic Practice
The predecessor of Izusan Shrine (Atami City), known as Izusan Gongen, was long revered as a sacred site of Shugendo mountain asceticism. Also called Sotoyama, it served as the spiritual center of Izu Peninsula, attracting widespread devotion. Within the Izu Province of Yoritomo’s exile, this shrine held particular significance.
The “Azuma Kagami” records that after his uprising in the eighth month of Jisho 4 (1180), Yoritomo offered prayers for victory at this shrine. That Izusan held a meaning for Yoritomo beyond that of a simple local tutelary shrine is evident. According to tradition, Yoritomo and Masako held secret meetings in the precincts of this shrine.
Masako’s Refusal and Flight to Izusan
As the relationship between Yoritomo and Masako deepened, Hojo Tokimasa arranged for Masako to marry Yamaki Kanetaka, the deputy governor of Izu Province. This appears to have been a political calculation: an alliance with a representative of Taira authority would have strengthened the Hojo clan’s position.
Masako refused. According to the “Azuma Kagami,” rather than comply with her father’s command, Masako fled to Izusan Gongen and made her way to Yoritomo. This decision directly overturned the prevailing expectation for medieval women – to accept the marriages arranged by their fathers.
Masako’s action should not be reduced to a simple romantic elopement. Medieval marriage was a political contract between families, and her flight also carried the political meaning of refusing to place the Hojo clan under Taira patronage. Her choice of Yoritomo, a man of limited power as an exile, may equally reflect a political acuity that recognized his future potential.
The Uprising and the Arc of a Marriage
The Chronology of Yoritomo and Masako
Year
Event
1159
Heiji Rebellion. Yoritomo (age 14) exiled to Hirugashima, Izu Province
c. 1157
Hojo Masako born in Izu Province (birth year disputed)
c. 1179
Yoritomo and Masako marry; Masako flees to Izusan rather than marry Yamaki
1180
Prince Mochihito issues call to arms; Yoritomo raises revolt (8th month); Battle of Fujikawa (10th month)
Late 1180
Yoritomo enters Kamakura; Masako takes up residence there
1182
Masako gives birth to eldest son Yoriie
1185
Battle of Dan-no-Ura; fall of the Taira
1192
Yoritomo appointed Sei-i Taishogun (Shogun)
1199
Yoritomo dies suddenly after a fall from his horse (age 52)
1203
Masako takes the tonsure and becomes a Buddhist nun
1221
Jokyu War; Masako’s address rallies the eastern warriors
1225
Hojo Masako dies (age 69)
Masako’s Address at the Jokyu War
In 1221, Retired Emperor Go-Toba raised arms against the shogunate (the Jokyu War). At this crisis, the “Azuma Kagami” records that Masako addressed the assembled warrior lords: “Since the Shogun Yoritomo subjugated the enemies of the court and established the government of the east, your offices and stipends are a grace deeper than the ocean and higher than the mountains. If you have the will to repay that grace, raise your strength now.”
Whether this speech was delivered exactly as recorded cannot be verified. Yet the fact that Masako functioned as the spiritual pillar of the shogunate is demonstrated by how the institution operated in the years that followed.
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (Kamakura), the guardian shrine of the Minamoto that Yoritomo relocated to Kamakura, was devoted to by Masako throughout her life. It served as the spiritual anchor of Kamakura’s warrior order.
After Yoritomo: The Temple She Built for Him
The Founding of Jufukuji
After Yoritomo’s sudden death in 1199, Masako founded Jufukuji to pray for his spirit. Inviting the monk Eisai as its founding abbot, the temple was elevated to third place among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura. Located at the foot of Mount Genji where Yoritomo had established his shogunate, Jufukuji was a place where Masako inscribed her husband’s legacy and memory into the soil of Kamakura itself.
Masako’s own grave mound (a “yagura” rock-cut chamber) is preserved in the temple grounds to this day. In Karyaku 1 (1225), Masako died at the age of 69. For 26 years after her husband’s death, she had defended the shogunate system he had built.
Frequently Asked Questions
When exactly did Yoritomo and Masako marry?
No primary source records the precise date of their marriage. Scholars generally estimate the relationship was formalized sometime around Jisho 3 (1179) through Jisho 4 (1180), before the uprising, but it would be premature to state this with certainty.
Is the connection between Izusan Shrine and the couple historically verified?
Yoritomo’s devotion to Izusan Gongen is confirmed by multiple entries in the “Azuma Kagami,” including his prayers for victory at the time of the uprising and subsequent grants of shrine estates. The tradition that it served as a meeting place for Yoritomo and Masako is harder to confirm directly from primary sources, but is preserved in the shrine’s own history and transmitted traditions. That two people in their circumstances would have used religious pilgrimage as a cover for meetings is entirely plausible.
Why is Masako called the “Nun Shogun”?
The title “Ama Shogun” (Nun Shogun) is a later epithet, not a contemporary one. After Yoritomo’s death, Masako took Buddhist vows but continued to exercise substantial influence over shogunate affairs – most dramatically during the Jokyu War of 1221. It is important to note, however, that her power was exercised largely through her brother Hojo Yoshitoki rather than through direct administration.
Conclusion: Walking the Trail from Izu to Kamakura
The relationship between Yoritomo and Masako stands at the intersection of personal feeling and a pivotal moment in Japanese political history. What primary source research reveals is that Masako was not simply a shogun’s wife but an indispensable political actor in the formation and preservation of the shogunate system.
To trace the arc of their lives, these sites are essential:
•
Izusan Shrine (Atami City): The ancient shrine of mountain asceticism where tradition holds that Yoritomo and Masako held their secret meetings. The view of Sagami Bay from the precincts invites imagination of what the couple may have seen.
•
Hirugashima Park (Izunokuni City): The site of the 14-year-old Yoritomo’s exile, now marked by statues of the couple.
•
Hojo Clan Residence (Izunokuni) and Masako’s Birth Well (Izunokuni City): The Hojo home territory where Masako grew up.
•
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu (Kamakura): The spiritual heart of Yoritomo’s Kamakura, revered by Masako throughout her life.
•
Jufukuji (Kamakura): The Zen temple Masako built to pray for Yoritomo’s spirit, where her own grave chamber remains today.
Last updated: May 23, 2026
Portrait traditionally attributed to Minamoto no Yoritomo (Jingoji Temple) — the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate, whose life led from exile in Izu to ruler of the realm
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Portrait of Hojo Masako — the extraordinary woman who supported the shogunate as the "Nun Shogun" after Yoritomo's death and lived through the Kamakura period
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Izusan Shrine (Atami City) — the ancient shrine of mountain asceticism where Yoritomo and Masako are said to have held their secret meetings
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
The Romon gate of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu — the guardian shrine of the Minamoto clan that Yoritomo relocated to Kamakura, and which Masako devoted herself to throughout her life
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Jufukuji Temple (Kamakura City) — the Zen temple ranked third among the Five Great Zen Temples of Kamakura, founded by Hojo Masako to pray for the spirit of Yoritomo
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Hirugashima Park (Izunokuni City) — the site of exile where the 14-year-old Yoritomo was sent, now marked by statues of Yoritomo and Masako
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
── 了 ──
武
Author
Taketoki（たけとき）
Samurai History
Toku editorial team — samurai history. Insists on primary sources and castle-layout diagrams, walking battlefields from Yoritomo's Izu exile sites to the late-Edo battlegrounds.
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Visit Related Places
History truly comes alive when you visit in person. Choose your next destination from the related sites and pilgrimage courses below.
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1. Izusan Shrine
The sacred shrine where Yoritomo and Masako met in secret and prayed for victory before his uprising
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