GMPM-06
John Jenkins Designs
Not yet Released - expected in mid-October.
Minamoto was a noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility.
In the twilight of the Heian period, the Taira controlled the boy Emperor Antoku (the grandson of the powerful Kugyo Taira no Kiyomori) and had effectively dominated the Imperial capital of Heian. They were opposed by their rivals the Minamoto clan (the Genji), which culminated in the Genpei War (1180-1185AD).
The five year long war concluded with a decisive Taira defeat in the naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura, which resulted in the deaths of Antoku and Taira leaders. Following the war, the victorious Minamoto established Japan’s first Shogunate in Kamakura.