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Events on Friday 20 June 1180 2
1104 – 1180Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180)Died 20 June 1180, aged 76Minamoto no Yorimasa, a court poet and warrior who had risen to the senior nobility, raised Prince Mochihito's revolt against Taira dominance in 1180. Defeated at the Battle of Uji, he took his own life at the Byodo-in temple, becoming one of the first notable casualties of the Genpei War. His death is traditionally cited as an early example of ritual seppuku by a samurai.
1180Battle of UjiOpening battle of Japan's Genpei WarForces of the Taira clan defeated Minamoto no Yorimasa and Prince Mochihito at the Uji River on 20 June 1180, in the first clash of the Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira clans. Yorimasa was wounded and committed suicide after the defeat, while Mochihito was killed fleeing the battle. The clash set off a civil war that would last five years and end Taira dominance over Japan.