Taira no Tadamori

Who was Taira no Tadamori?

Taira no Tadamori was a Taira clan samurai, father of Taira no Kiyomori, and member of the Kebiishi. Tadamori was also governor of the provinces of Harima, Ise, Bizen, and Tajima.

He consolidated the influence of the Taira clan at the Imperial Court, and is said to have been the first samurai to serve the Emperor directly, at Court.

As a servant of the Court, Tadamori waged campaigns, beginning in 1129, against pirates on the coasts of San'yōdō and Nankaidō. He also served his own clan in battling the warrior monks of Nara and of Mount Hiei.

Tadamori is also credited with the construction of the Rengeō-in, a major and now-famous temple in Kyoto, which includes the longest wooden building in the world, the Sanjūsangen-dō. Tadamori was granted the governorship of Tajima province as a reward for completing this project.