This page presents the list of all characters who appear in the story, with a brief description and the year of birth and death. The question mark (?) without the number means that the year of birth/death is unknown. If the question mark (?) is shown after the number, it means that the year of birth or death is unknown, but the estimation is made by Sretan Trajkov as the setting of the story. The important characters listed at the beginning of the book are mentioned here by their first name only in the description.
| Name | Birth-Death | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Awa-no-tsubone | 1170? – 1227 | Masako’s younger sister. She was born from the same mother as Masako’s, and she married to Zenjo Ano. She was the nanny of Senman (Sanetomo), the second son of Yoritomo and Masako. |
| Chizumaru | 1173? – 1175 | Yoritomo’s first son. He was born from Yae-hime, the daughter of Sukechika Ito, who got angry and killed the baby upon his return from Kyoto. |
| Chokei Hatakeyama | 1189? – 1213 | The youngest son of Shigetada Hatakeyama. He was killed due to the suspected rebellion against the Kamakura government during Sanetomo’s era. |
| Emperor Antoku | 1178 – 1185 | The 81st emperor of Japan. He was the first son of Emperor Takakura and Noriko Taira, the daughter of Kiyomori. |
| Emperor Chukyo | 1218 – 1234 | The 85th emperor of Japan. He was the son of Emperor Juntoku and Risshi Kujo, the daughter of Yoshitsune Kujo (who was the son of Kanezane). He was enthroned at the age of three just before the order to eliminate Yoshitoki was issued by Emperor Emeritus Gotoba. Actually, he was only at the imperial throne for eighty days was forced to retire before the enthronement ceremony was held and he got the imperial name. The name “Chukyo” was given to him in 1870 after the Meiji Revolution. |
| Emperor Gohorikawa | 1212 – 1234 | The 86th emperor of Japan. He was the son of Morisada-shinno, the second son of Emperor Takakura. He was enthroned after the war between the Kamakura government and the Imperial Palace. |
| Emperor Goshirakawa | 1127 – 1192 | The 77th emperor of Japan. He was the son of Emperor Toba. He was at the imperial throne from 1155 until 1158. Since his retirement, he controlled the Imperial Palace as the emperor emeritus until his death. |
| Emperor Gotoba | 1180 – 1239 | The 82nd emperor of Japan. He was the fourth son of Emperor Takakura. He issued the order to eliminate Yoshitoki in 1221. After the war, he was deported to the Oki Province. |
| Emperor Juntoku | 1197 – 1242 | The 84th emperor of Japan. He was the third son of Emperor Gotoba. He was actively involved in the plot against the Kamakura government, and was deported to the Sado Province. |
| Emperor Nijo | 1143 – 1165 | The 78th emperor of Japan. He was the first son of Emperor Goshirakawa. After the enthronement, the relationship between Emperor Nijo and Emperor Emeritus Goshirakawa deteriorated, which culminated into the armed conflict in 1159. Yoritomo’s father, Yoshitomo Minamoto, was killed, and Yoritomo was deported to the Izu Province, due to this conflict. |
| Emperor Takakura | 1161 – 1181 | The 80th emperor of Japan. He was the seventh son of Emperor Goshirakawa and Jishi Taira, the daughter of Tokinobu Taira and the sister of Tokiko Taira. |
| Emperor Tsuchimikado | 1195 – 1231 | The 83rd emperor of Japan. He was the first son of Emperor Gotoba and Ariko Minamoto, the stepdaughter of Michichika Tsuchimikado. |
| Hidehira Fujiwara | 1122 – 1187 | The leader of the Fujiwara clan who was dominant in the Mutsu Province. He was an enthusiastic supporter of Yoshitsune. |
| Hideyasu Fujiwara | 1170? – 1221 | A mononofu who led the army of Emperor Emeritus Gotoba in the war against the Kamakura government. He was the son of a younger brother of Yoshimori Wada. His father was later adopted by the Fujiwara family, which is why he had the family name of Fujiwara. |
| Hiki-no-ama | 1123? – ? | The nanny of Yoritomo. She was helping Yoritomo while he was in the Izu Province. After his uprising, her family (Hiki family) built a strong family network around his first son Yoriie and became highly influential in the Kamakura government. |
| Hiromoto Oe | 1148 – 1225 | The most trusted aide and political advisor for Yoritomo and Masako. Because he was adopted by the Nakahara family, he was using the family name of “Nakahara” until 1216, when he applied the family name change, but he is currently known as Hiromoto Oe. |
| Hirotsuna Fushimi | ? – ? | Yoritomo’s follower, who served Yoritomo in the Kamakura government until he was deported to the Totoumi Province. Except for his involvement in the Kame-no-mae affair, little is known about him. |
| Hirotsune Kazusa | 1120? – 1184 | A mononofu who was controlling a large area in the Kazusa Province. He helped Yoritomo during his uprising and became influential in the Kamakura government. |
| Ichiman | 1198 – 1203 | The first son of Yoriie and Wakasa-no-tsubone, the daughter of Yoshikazu Hiki. He was killed in the conflict between Tokimasa and the Hiki family. |
| Iga-no-kata | 1185? – ? | Yoshitoki’s third wife. She was accused of planning a secret plot against the Kamakura government and deported to the Izu Province. |
| Ike-no-zenni | 1104 – 1164 | She was the wife of Tadamori Taira, Kiyomori’s father. She and Tadamori had two sons, Iemori and Yorimori. Ike-no-zenni went into priesthood after the death of her husband, and begged Kiyomori to save Yoritomo’s life. |
| Kagemori Adachi | 1174? – 1248 | He was the son of Morinaga Adachi and Tango-no-naishi, who was the daughter of Hiki-no-ama. His wife was forced to move into the residence of Yoriie during his absence. Yoriie tried to kill him, but his life was saved thanks to Masako’s intervention. His sister married to Noriyori. |
| Kagetaka Kajiwara | 1165 – 1200 | The second son of Kagetoki Kajiwara. He got killed with his father after his father was ousted from the Kamakura government. |
| Kagetoki Kajiwara | 1140 – 1200 | A mononofu who saved Yoritomo’s life during the battle of Mt. Ishibashi. He became one of the most trusted aides for Yoritomo and was highly influential in the Kamakura government. He was ousted after he proposed Yoriie to punish Tomomitsu Yuki to death. He was killed soon after he was ousted. |
| Kakuen | ? – ? | A Buddhist monk at Izusan-gongen and the supporter of Yoritomo. |
| Kame-no-mae | ? – ? | The daughter of Taro Yoshihashi, who was a secret supporter of Yoritomo while he was in the Izu Province. Yoritomo had an affair with her while Masako’s first and second pregnancy, and she was ousted from Kamakura after the affair. |
| Kanetaka Yamaki | 1150? – 1180 | The first mononofu from the side of the Taira clan who was killed by the forces led by Yoritomo after his uprising. In some popular stories, he is described as a mononofu to whom Tokimasa tried to marry Masako, but it has been found from the sources that he was actually not in the Izu Province when Masako married Yoritomo. |
| Kanezane Kujo | 1149 – 1207 | A noble who became influential as an ally for Yoritomo after Yoritomo’s victory over the Taira clan. HIs grandson, Michiie Kujo, married the granddaughter of Yoritomo’s sister, who delivered Mitora. |
| Kenshi Fujiwara | 1155 – 1229 | The nanny of Emperor Gotoba, who tried to help Masako when she attempted to welcome the fourth shogun from the Imperial family. |
| Kiyomori Taira | 1118 – 1181 | The leader of the Taira clan, who killed Yoritomo’s father the armed conflict in 1159. |
| Koin | 1145 – 1216 | A Buddhist monk at Onjo-ji (Mitsui-dera) in Kyoto. He accepted Kogyo as his pupil. |
| Kogyo | 1200 – 1219 | Yoriie’s second son. His childhood name was “Zenzai”. There is a contradiction on his mother among important historical sources: one says that his mother was the same as Ichiman, while others say that his mother was the daughter of Shigenaga Kamo or the daughter of Yoshizumi Miura. He went into priesthood in 1211, went to Kyoto but come back to Kamakura in 1217. He killed Sanetomo in 1219. |
| Koremori Taira | 1159 – 1184 | The son of Shigemori Taira. He led the forces of the Taira clan organized by Kiyomori to crackdown Yoritomo’s uprising. |
| Maki-no-kata | 1156? – 1230? | The third wife of Tokimasa. She was the daughter of Munechika Maki, who was the younger brother of Ike-no-zenni. She had one son, Masamura Hojo, as well as several daughters. She was involved in the plot against Shigetada Hatakeyama and deported to the Izu Province in 1205. |
| Manju | See “Yoriie Minamoto” | |
| Masako Hojo | 1157 – 1225 | The main character of the story, who was the daughter of Tokimasa and the wife of Yoritomo. She later became the only female who was called “Shogun” in the history of Japan. |
| Masamura Hojo | 1205 – 1273 | The fifth son of Yoshitoki, born from Iga-no-kata. He became a central figure in the secret plot of Iga-no-kata, but he could stay in power even after his mother was deported to the Izu Province. He later became the shikken of the Kamakura government. |
| Masanori Hojo | 1189 – 1204 | The fourth son of Tokimasa, but the only son born from Maki-no-kata. He unexpectedly died from illness in Kyoto when he went there to pick up Nobuko Bohmon as the wife of Sanetomo. |
| Michichika Tsuchimikado | 1149 – 1202 | A noble who became influential in the Imperial Palace as the caretaker of the daughter of Emperor Emeritus Goshirakawa. He also had the family name of Minamoto and is known as Michichika Minamoto. His stepdaughter married to Emperor Gotoba. |
| Michiie Kujo | 1193 – 1252 | The grandson of Kanezane Kujo. His father was Yoshitsune Kujo, and the mother was the daughter of Yoshiyasu Ichijo. He married to the granddaughter of Yoritomo’s younger sister. His son, Mitora, became the fourth shogun of the Kamakura government. |
| Mitora | 1218 – 1256 | The third son of Michiie Kujo. He was requested to come to Kamakura as the fourth shogun. “Mitora” was his childhood name. He had a coming-of-age ceremony in 1225 and got the first name of Yoritsune. He is currently known as Yoritsune Fujiwara, although he is also known as Yoritsune Kujo. |
| Mitsumune Iga | 1178 – 1257 | The older brother of Iga-no-kata. Due to the involvement in the secret plot of Iga-no-kata, he was deported to the Shinano Province. After the death of Masako, a pardon was granted to him, and he was returned to the former position. |
| Mitsusue Iga | 1175? – 1221 | The older brother of Iga-no-kata. He was sent from the Kamakura government to Kyoto before the war started in 1221. He refused to take sides with Emperor Emeritus Gotoba, was attacked by the forces of the Imperial Palace and committed suicide. |
| Mongaku | 1139 – 1203 | A Buddhist monk, who helped Yoritomo to organize his uprising against Kiyomori. |
| Moriko Taira | 1156 – 1179 | The daughter of Kiyomori Taira. She married to an influential noble in Kyoto, Motozane Konoe. |
| Morinaga Adachi | 1135 – 1200 | A mononofu who was influential in the Kamakura government. He married to Tango-no-naishi, the daughter of Hiki-no-ama. His daughter married to Noriyori. |
| Morisada-shinno | 1179 – 1223 | He was the second son of Emperor Takakura. He went into priesthood after Emperor Juntoku was enthroned in 1210 but was asked to leave the priesthood and serve as the emperor emeritus after the war between the Kamakura government and the Imperial Palace. |
| Munechika Maki | 1126? – ? | He was the younger brother of Ike-no-zenni and the father of Maki-no-kata. He was punished by Yoritomo in the Kame-no-mae affair. |
| Munemori Taira | 1147 – 1185 | The third son of Kiyomori. He was captured by the forces of the Minamoto clan in the battle of Dan-no-ura and brought to Kamakura by Yoshitsune. He was punished to death after he was brought back to Kyoto by Yoshitsune. |
| Munetoki Hojo | 1156? – 1180 | The first son of Tokimasa. He got killed during the battle at Mt. Ishibashi. |
| Nobukiyo Bohmon | 1159 – 1216 | A noble in Kyoto. His sister was the wife of Emperor Takakura and the mother of Emperor Gotoba. His daughter Nobuko Bohmon married Sanetomo. Another daughter married Emperor Gotoba, who delivered Prince Yorihito. |
| Nobuko Bohmon | 1193 – 1274 | The daughter of Nobukiyo Bohmon. She married to Sanetomo. |
| Norishige Takakura | 1185 – 1221 | A noble who was involved in the plot of the Imperial Palace against the Kamakura government. His sister was the mother of Emperor Juntoku. |
| Noriyori Minamoto | 1150 – 1193 | One of the younger brothers of Yoritomo. He led the army against the Taira clan. He was later punished due to what he said during the assassination plot of the Soga brothers. |
| Oh-hime | 1178 – 1197 | The first daughter of Masako and Yoritomo. She became mentally ill after Yoshitaka Kiso was killed by Yoritomo. |
| Oto-hime | 1186 – 1199 | The second daughter of Masako and Yoritomo. She died from illness soon after Yoritomo died. |
| Prince Mochihito | 1151 – 1180 | The third son of Emperor Goshirakawa. He issued an order to eliminate Kiyomori, which led to Yoritomo’s uprising. |
| Prince Yorihito | 1201 – 1264 | The son of Emperor Gotoba. His mother was the daughter of Nobukiyo Bohmon but was raised by Kenshi Fujiwara. |
| Sanemasa Ichijo | 1196 – 1228 | A noble, who was the son of Yoshiyasu Ichijo. He married the daughter of Iga-no-kata and Yoshitoki. He was involved in the plot by Iga-no-kata and was deported to the Echizen Province. |
| Sanemori Saito | 1111 – 1183 | A mononofu who fought on the side of the Taira clan. He died in the battle against Yoshinaka Kiso. |
| Sanetomo Minamoto | 1192 – 1219 | The second son of Masako and Yoritomo. His childhood name was “Senman.” He became the third shogun of the Kamakura government, but he was later killed by Kogyo. |
| Senman | See “Sanetomo Minamoto” | |
| Shigehira Taira | 1157 – 1185. | The fifth son of Kiyomori. He was captured by the forces of the Minamoto clan in the battle at Fukuhara. After the interrogation at Kamakura, he was handed over to Buddhist monks in Kyoto, and he was killed by them as the punishment for his military attack against the Buddhist temples in Kyoto (Shigehira burned several important temples in Kyoto). |
| Shigemori Taira | 1138 – 1179 | The first son of Kiyomori. He died from illness in 1179. |
| Shigetada Hatakeyama | 1164 – 1205 | A mononofu who was influential in the Musashi Province and helped Yoritomo since his uprising. He was killed by Tokimasa in 1205 as a part of the secret plot planned by Maki-no-kata. |
| Shizuka-gozen | ? – ? | Yoshitsune’s lover. She performed a dance in front of Masako and Yoritomo after she was captured. |
| Shoju-hime | 1143? – ? | The daughter of Yoshishige Nitta. Yoritomo tried to seduce her during Masako’s pregnancy of Manju (Yoriie). |
| Sukechika Ito | 1126? – 1182 | A mononofu who was influential in the Izu Province. His daughter Yae-hime had an affair with Yoritomo and delivered a baby boy, and he killed the baby. Another daughter married Tokimasa, who was the mother of Masako, Yoshitoki and Awa-no-tsubone. |
| Sukenari Soga | 1172 – 1193 | The first son of Sukeyasu Kawazu, who was killed by Suketsune Kudo in 1176. He attacked Suketsune Kudo in 1993 with his younger brother, after which he got killed. |
| Suketsune Kudo | 1148? – 1193 | A mononofu in the Izu Province, who assassinated Sukeyasu Kawazu in 1176. According to one historical source, he shared the grandfather with Sukechika Ito. After Yoritomo’s uprising, he became one of the trusted aides for Yoritomo. He was assassinated by the Soga brothers during the hunting party in 1193. |
| Sukeyasu Kawazu | 1146 – 1176 | The son of Sukechika Ito. He was assassinated by Suketsune Kudo in 1176. |
| Tadakiyo Bohmon | 1176? – ? | The first son of Nobukiyo Bohmon. He married the daughter of Tokimasa and Maki-no-kata. |
| Tadanobu Bohmon | 1187 – ? | The second son of Nobukiyo Bohmon. He was involved in the plot of the Imperial Palace against the Kamakura government. He was supposed to be punished to death, but his sister Nobuko Bohmon asked to save his life. Later, he was allowed to return to Kyoto. |
| Tango-no-tsubone | 1151 – 1216 | The wife of Narifusa Taira, one of the aides for Emperor Emeritus Goshirakawa. After his death, she became a lover of Emperor Emeritus Goshirakawa and delivered a baby girl. Her real name was Eishi Takashina. |
| Teigyo | 1186 – 1231 | The son of Yoritomo, born from the mother with whom Yoritomo had an affair during Masako’s pregnancy of Oto-hime. His mother was the daughter of one samurai called Tokinaga Fujiwara. After Masako got to know about his birth, his parents sent him to Kyoto to avoid future problems. He became a famous monk and later became a master for Kogyo. Masako started to respect him in her last years and provided financial support for his religious activities. |
| Tohira Dohi | 1154? – 1237 | A mononofu who supported Yoritomo since his uprising. His daughter married to Yoshimura Miura and became the nanny of Kogyo. |
| Tokifusa Hojo | 1175 – 1240 | The third son of Tokimasa. His mother was the second wife of Tokimasa, the daughter of one mononofu, Tohmoto Adachi. |
| Tokiko Taira | 1126 – 1185 | The wife of Kiyomori. Her daughter was Noriko Taira, who married to Emperor Takakura and delivered a baby boy, who later became Emperor Antoku. |
| Tokimasa Hojo | 1138 – 1215 | Masako’s father, who was a mononofu in the Izu Province. |
| Tokimune Soga | 1173 – 1193 | The second son of Sukeyasu Kawazu, who was killed by Suketsune Kudo in 1176. He attacked Suketsune Kudo in 1993 with his older brother, after which he got killed. |
| Tomomasa Hiraga | 1170? – 1205 | A mononofu who became a follower of Yoritomo. His father was Yoshinobu Hiraga, who belonged to the Minamoto clan. His mother was the daughter of Hiki-no-ama. He married the daughter of Tokimasa and Maki-no-kata. He was involved in the secret plot by Maki-no-kata and was killed in Kyoto after Tokimasa went into priesthood. |
| Tomomitsu Yuki | 1168 – 1254 | A mononofu who was influential in the Kamakura government as one of the most trusted aides for Yoritomo. His first name took one Chinese letter “Tomo” from Yoritomo, who held a coming-of-age ceremony for Tomomitsu as his eboshi-parent. His comment led to the expulsion of Kagetoki Kajiwara from the Kamakura government. He remained influential in the Kamakura government until his death. |
| Tomomune Hiki | 1145? – ? | The son of Hiki-no-ama, the nanny of Yoritomo. His daughter married Yoshitoki. It is unknown whether he got killed in the conflict between Tokimasa and the Hiki family in 1203. |
| Tsunetane Chiba | 1118 – 1201 | A mononofu who had a large territory in the Shimosa Province and helped Yoritomo since his uprising. |
| Yae-hime | 1153? – ? | The daughter of Sukechika Ito. She had an affair with Yoritomo and delivered a baby boy, Chizumaru. |
| Yasutoki Hojo | 1183 – 1242 | The first son of Yoshitoki. He led the army in the war against the Imperial Palace in 1221. |
| Yoriie Minamoto | 1182 – 1204 | The first son of Masako and Yoritomo. His childhood name was “Manju.” He became the second shogun of the Kamakura government. |
| Yoritomo Minamoto | 1147 – 1199 | Masako’s husband. He became the first shogun of the Kamakura government. |
| Yoshihiro Shida | 1130? – 1184 | Yoritomo’s uncle. He is also known as Yoshihiro Minamoto. He started his uprising against Yoritomo to replace him as the leader of the Minamoto clan, but failed and fled to the place of Yoshinaka Kiso. |
| Yoshihisa Ohtawa | 1130? – ? | A mononofu in the Kamakura government. He was the brother of Yoshizumi Miura. |
| Yoshikane Ashikaga | 1154 – 1199 | A mononofu in the Minamoto clan. He married Tokiko Hojo, Masako’s younger sister from the same mother as Masako’s. |
| Yoshikazu Hiki | 1153? – 1203 | The nephew of Hiki-no-ama. Hiki-no-ama and her husband adopted him as the legitimate hair of the Hiki family. His daughter, Wakasa-no-tsubone, married Yoriie and delivered a baby boy, Ichiman. |
| Yoshimura Miura | 1162? – 1239 | The son of Yoshizumi Miura, the leader of the Miura clan who helped Yoritomo since his uprising. He married the daughter of Tohira Dohi, who became the nanny of Kogyo. |
| Yoshinaka Kiso | 1154 – 1184 | Yoritomo’s cousin. He is also known as Yoshinaka Minamoto. He defeated the army of the Taira clan and entered Kyoto after the Taira clan abandoned it. He later fought with the army led by Noriyori and Yoshitsune and got killed. |
| Yoshishige Nitta | 1114 – 1202 | A mononofu who belonged to the Minamoto clan. He is also known as Yoshishige Minamoto. |
| Yoshitaka Kiso | 1173 – 1184 | The son of Yoshinaka Kiso. He came to Kamakura with Yoritomo as a hostage after Yoshinaka Kiso and Yoritomo made an agreement. He is also known as Yoshitaka Minamoto or Yoshitaka Shimizu. |
| Yoshitoki Hojo | 1163 – 1224 | Masako’s younger brother, born from the same mother as Masako’s. |
| Yoshitsune Minamoto | 1159 – 1189 | Yoritomo’s younger brother. He led the army to destroy the Taira clan. He was accused as a criminal after the war against the Taira clan and committed suicide in the Mutsu Province. |
| Yoshiuji Ashikaga | 1189 – 1255 | The son of Yoshikane Ashikaga and Tokiko Hojo, Masako’s younger sister. |
| Yoshiyasu Ichijo | 1147 – 1197 | A noble in Kyoto. He married Yoritomo’s sister. |
| Yoshizumi Miura | 1127 – 1200 | The leader of the Miura clan, who helped Yoritomo since his uprising. |
| Yukiie Minamoto | 1141 – 1186 | Yoritomo’s uncle. He delivered an order of Prince Mochihito to Yoritomo. After Yoritomo’s success, he became hostile to Yoritomo and took sides with Yoshinaka Kiso. |
| Zenjo Ano | 1153 – 1203 | Yoritomo’s younger brother. He married Awa-no-tsubone, Masako’s younger sister, who became the nanny of Senman (Sanetomo). He was accused by Yoriie as a traitor and got killed. |
| Zenzai | See “Kogyo” |
Source: Made by Sretan Trajkov.