Kiso Yoshimune (木曾基宗)
Yoshimune KISO (year of birth and death unknown) was a busho (Japanese military commander) of the Kamakura period. According to the Nishichikuma-gun shi (The Records of Nishichikuma-gun County), he was the first head of the Kiso family in the Kiso-dani Valley, Shinano Province.
The Japanese characters of his first name recorded in the genealogical table of the Oishi family, '基宗,' are said to have been a writing error for '義宗.'
However, it is only Nishichikuma-gun shi (The Records of Nishichikuma-gun County) that regarded Yoshimune as the first head of the Kiso family. It remains unclear as to who the real first head of the Kiso family was, as there are various speculations, including the tradition handed down within the Oishi family of Kanto Region. According to the 'Kiso keizu' (The Genealogical table of the Kiso family) of Kiso, Shinano Province, the third son of Yoshinaka, Yoshimoto, is said to have been the first head of the Kiso family.
There is a prevailing view that he was the fourth son of MINAMOTO no Yoshinaka and his mother was Tomoe Gozen, but the truth is unknown. It is said that Yoshimune was the father of Yoshishige and Tsuneyoshi KISO.
Personal History
Although his name appears in the "Kiso-ko" (A Study of the Kiso Family), "Nishichikuma-gun shi" (the Records of Nishi chikuma-gun County), "Kiso-dono Denki" (Biography of the Kiso Family), along with the historical record of the Kiso family, "Takatoki Shusei"(Collection of history of Takato) and "Kiso-fukushima choshi" (History of Kiso-fukushima city), he is often confused with Yoshimune as has been noted above.
According to the records, after his father, Yoshinaka, was killed by Tamehisa ISHIDA in Awazu, Omi Province, and also his older brother, MINAMOTO no Yoshitaka (Shimizu no Kanja), by the Hojo clan, his mother, Tomoe Gozen, is said to have given birth to Yoshimune in her home town of Shinano Province, and hid herself with the baby deep in the mountains in Kiso fukushima Town, Shinsyu.
Later on, she is said to have looked to one of her relatives, Iekuni NUMATA (also known as Iyo no kuni no kami [Governor of Iyo Province]), the head of the local ruling family of Numata, Kozuke Province and the Numata clan of FUJIWARA no Hidesato line, for help and lived under their protection.
During that time, Yoshimune is said to have been adopted by Iekuni and called himself 'Yoshimune NUMATA.'
It is also said that, although the Kiso family proclaimed themselves to be the descendants of Yoshinaka, they actually descended from the Numata clan of FUJIWARA no Hidesato line.
Later on, Iemura KISO, the sixth generation descendent of Yoshimune, came to play an active role as a busho (Japanese military commander) of Takauji ASHIKAGA and called himself 'the restorer of the Kiso family.'