Kamakura: Fact & Legend

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Iso Mutsu. Kamakura: Fact & Legend

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Fact and Legend

Woodprint block by Hiroshige.

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But the agents of Kiyomori—determined to exterminate the whole brood of Yoshitomo, and foiled in their attempts to fathom her place of concealment—seized her mother as a hostage, threatening to inflict upon the unfortunate parent a cruel death, unless her daughter Tokiwa gave herself up. This ruse proved effective. When the fugitive—so beautiful and so forlorn—appeared before Kiyomori, her fascinations made such a strong appeal to the fierce old warrior that he vowed her life should be spared, as well as her three children, if she would consent to transfer her allegiance from her dead lord to himself and submit to the blandishments of her sworn enemy! Poor Tokiwa was brought to bay: she held out for a time, but such merciless pressure was brought to bear upon her, in the doom that threatened her defenseless family, that loyalty became impossible and submission was the only course.

Thus the fate was averted that menaced her mother and her little sons; but with a view to rendering their future careers as innocuous as possible, the latter were deposited in monasteries, vowed to celibacy, and educated for the priesthood.

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