On May 11, 1183, Kiso Yoshinaka's (1154–1184) Genji forces met the Taira army — reportedly some 100,000 strong — at Kurikara Pass (Tonamiyama). Yoshinaka employed the legendary 'fire-ox stratagem': driving hundreds of cattle with torches tied to their horns into the Taira ranks under cover of darkness, throwing the enemy into chaos and driving them into the ravine below, annihilating them. The Battle of Kurikara is remembered as Yoshinaka's greatest triumph, completely shattering Taira dominance over the Hokuriku Road. On this victory's foundation, Yoshinaka entered Kyoto in July of the same year and was hailed as the 'Morning Sun General.' Kurikarafudo-ji stands near this historic battlefield, and the spirit of the warrior who swept through Hokuriku still permeates its precincts.