Shitodo Cave

This cave is where Minamoto no Yoritomo, who later became the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, is said to have hidden himself when he was defeated in the Battle of Ishibashiyama in 1180.

More than 20 stone statues of Buddha, known as “Dohi Sugiyama Kannon statues,” are enshrined in the cave, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Inside the cave, the murmuring of spring water, moss-covered rocks, and a cool, dark atmosphere even in summer provide an extraordinary experience.

This cave is reported as “the strict cave at the bottom of the valley unknown to man,” and is the place where Minamoto no Yoritomo and his seven companions hid when he was defeated.

While Minamoto no Yoritomo and his party were hiding in the cave, they were discovered by Kajiwara no Kagesetoki, a member of the Heike clan. However, there is an anecdote that Kajiwara no Kagetoki missed them out of mercy.

Today, the cave is located in the middle of the Shiroyama hiking trail. Why not take a short trip to this unexplored region and enjoy the extraordinary atmosphere?

Shitodo-no-grotto” in Manazuru Town

Shitodo Cave is the hiding place of Yoritomo, who was defeated by the Heike clan in the Battle of Ishibashi Mountain in 1180.

It is said that Yoritomo then escaped to Awa Province from Iwa Beach (present-day Iwa Beach). In 1181 (Jisho 5), a monk disciple of Senkobo Ryoshon discovered a statue of Sho Kannon, Yoritomo’s guardian deity, in the Shodome-no-Kutsu and delivered it to Yoritomo in Kamakura.

The Shitodo Cave in Manazuru-cho is said to have been 130 m deep in Yoritomo’s time, but due to wave erosion, it was only 3 m wide and 11 m deep by the end of the Edo period. During the Great Kanto Earthquake, the land was uplifted, resulting in its current height.

Also, during World War II, many stones were quarried from the Cape Manazuru lava, and the scale became what it is today. Stone from Manazuru was also used for the foundation stone of the Shinagawa Daiba, and a monument to the Shinagawa Daiba foundation stone remains at the site.

There are also three surnames in Manazuru: “Aoki,” “Gomi,” and “Mimori. These surnames were given to those who assisted Yoritomo when he hid himself in the Shitodo Cave, and each is associated with the nature of the assistance provided. Aoki” was given to the person who hid the entrance, “Gomi” to the person who arranged for food, and “Gomori” to the person who stood guard to protect Yoritomo.

Battle of Ishibashi Mountain

This battle took place between Minamoto no Yoritomo and the forces of the Taira clan in 1180, when Prince Inio, the elder brother of Emperor Takakura, and Minamoto no Yorimasa planned to raise an army to overthrow the Heike clan and issued a decree urging the Minamoto clans and large temples and shrines in various countries to rise in revolt.

Prince Yoritomo’s plan to raise an army was exposed and pursued due to lack of preparation, and Prince Yoritomo and Yorimasa were defeated in the Battle of Uji Byodoin and suppressed at an early date.

However, this triggered anti-Heike forces from various countries to join forces, starting the nationwide upheaval known as the Jishou/Juei Rebellion, also known as the Inin’o Rebellion or Minamoto no Yorimasa’s Raising of the Armies.

The Battle of Ishibashiyama was one of the battles that took place during the Jishou/Juei Rebellion, and is also called the Battle of Kobayakawa in “Yoshitsuneki.

In 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo set up camp on Ishibashi Mountain, and the Heike forces took position across the valley. However, Yoritomo was severely defeated and fled into the Hakone Mountains.

Minamoto no Yoritomo raised an army based on the decree of King Yinin and attacked and killed Yamaki Kanetaka in Izu Province.

On August 20, Minamoto no Yoritomo left Izu with a small force and advanced as far as Dohi Township in Sagami Province (present-day Yugawara Town, Kanagawa Prefecture). In response, Oba Kagechika, a member of the Heike clan, led a force of over 3,000 cavalry including Matano Kagehisa, Shibuya Shigekuni, Ebina Suezada, and Kumagai Naozane to intercept.

On the 23rd, Minamoto no Yoritomo led 300 cavalry to set up camp on Ishibashi Mountain and hoisted a banner with the decree of Prince Inio. On the other side of the valley, Kagechika Ohba’s army also formed a line.

Ito Sukechika, a wealthy Izu provincial governor, also led 300 cavalrymen to the rear of Ishibashi Mountain to block Yoritomo’s rear.

It rained heavily that day. The reinforcements of the Miura forces were thus stranded by the rising water of the Sako River and could not join up with Yoritomo’s army.

On the previous day, the Miura clan had marched to join Minamoto no Yoritomo, and on the way, they set fire to the mansion of Oba Kagechika’s faction. Seeing this, Oba Kagechika decided to settle the matter before the Miuras arrived and launched a night battle. In the darkness and rainstorm, Oba’s army attacked Minamoto no Yoritomo’s camp.

Yoritomo’s forces fought fiercely, but were outnumbered and outgunned, and suffered heavy losses, with Kudo Shigemitsu and Sanada Yoichi Yoshitada, son of Okazaki Yoshimi, among others, killed. Sanada Yoichi’s (Sanada Yoichi) strenuous battle is reported and a shrine called “Sanada Reisha” was built.

The Oniwa army pursued with great vigor, and Minamoto no Yoritomo and his party, guided by Iida Ieyoshi of the Oniwa army, narrowly escaped to Sugiyama in Dohi.

On the following day, the 24th, the Oba forces continued their pursuit, and the remnants of Yoritomo’s army put up a fierce resistance in the mountains. Minamoto no Yoritomo himself took up a bow and arrow and demonstrated his martial arts. The scattered warriors of Yoritomo’s army gathered to him in turn, and Minamoto no Yoritomo stood on a tree to please them.

Sanpei Dohi, finding it impossible to escape with so many men, advised them that this was his territory and that Minamoto no Yoritomo alone should risk his life to keep it hidden.

They parted and waited for an opportunity to be humiliated, shedding tears as they parted.

Hojo Tokimasa and his second son Yoshitoki headed for Kai Province, while his heir, Munetoki, went his separate way, but was surrounded by Ito Sukechika’s army on the way and died.

Oba’s army conducted a thorough search of the mountains. The Oba forces had a samurai named Kajiwara no Kagesetoki, who knew the hiding place of Minamoto no Yoritomo, but mercifully hid it.

Kajiwara no Kagesetoki guided Minamoto no Yoritomo and told him that there were no footprints on this mountain and that the mountain on the other side was suspicious, thus saving his life. After this incident, Kajiwara no Kagesutoki came to be highly valued by Minamoto no Yoritomo. As the site of this legend, the “Shidome no kutsu” (cave of Shidome) has been handed down in Sugiyama, Yugawara Town.

It is said that Minamoto no Yoritomo hid himself in several places before crossing to the Boso Peninsula.

The name “Shido-no-Kutsu” is said to have come from the fact that his pursuers saw a bird called “Shittoto” suddenly fly out of the cave, and thinking there was no one to be seen, they left.

When Minamoto no Yoritomo visited the Boso Peninsula, he tried to rest on a small hill in the Ebado district of Isumi City, and was so impressed that a local farmer offered him a bundle of straw as a seat cushion, giving him the family name “Hitowara.

After his defeat at the Battle of Ishibashiyama, Minamoto no Yoritomo fled by boat to Awa Province and tried to regain his fortunes.