Minamoto no Yoshikado (源義門)

MINAMOTO no Yoshikado (year of birth and death unknown), who lived during the late Heian Period, was the fourth son of MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo, the head of the Seiwa-Genji clan (the Minamoto clan originated from Emperor Seiwa).

Since only information remained was that he died young, his achievements were not known. Yoshikado was the immediate younger brother of MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, and according to "Keizu sanyo" (The Entire Compilation of Genealogical Tables in Edo Period), Yoshikado and Yoritomo were children of the same mother, a daughter of FUJIWARA no Suenori; however, it has not yet to be found a material of the same period which proves the information.

Judging from the fact that Yoshikado was appointed to a government post in the Department of the Imperial Household, it is thought that he was alive when the forces of Yoshitomo occupied the Imperial Palace temporarily during the Heiji War, installed to the government position at the time, and died when the Genji clan was defeated soon after the event (Source: "Seiwa-Genji no Zen Kakei" [The Whole Family Tree of Seiwa-Genji] by Takayuki OKUTOMI).

[Original Japanese]