Siege of Nara
Part of the Genpei War
The Tōdai-ji, which claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world, was even larger before it was destroyed in this battle and later rebuilt.
Date 1180 Location Nara, Japan Result Taira victory; much of city destroyed
Belligerents
Taira clan	warrior monks of various Nara temples
Commanders
Taira no Shigehira, Taira no Tomomori	Various
Casualties and losses
Unknown	3,500+ civilian and clergy casualties

The Siege of Nara was a battle of the Genpei War in which the former Japanese imperial capital of Nara was attacked, and much of it destroyed, by samurai of the Taira clan.

Following the 1180 Battle of the Uji, in which Minamoto no Yorimasa fought a small Taira army with the help of monks from the Mii-dera and other temples, the victorious Taira, angry at being opposed, decided to assault and burn the Miidera, before moving on to Nara. The Taira were opposed by warrior monks from nearly every major monastery and temple in Nara. Taira no Shigehira and Tomomori, both sons of Kiyomori, head of the clan, commanded the siege.

The monks dug ditches in the roads, and build many forms of improvised defenses. They fought primarily with bow & arrow, and naginata, while the Taira were on horseback, giving them a great advantage. Despite the monks' superior numbers, and their strategic defenses, their enemy succeeded in destroying nearly every temple in the city, including the Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji. Only the Enryaku-ji managed to repel the attackers and survive.

The 'Heike Monogatari' laments the destruction the Tōdai-ji's Daibutsu (Great Buddha statue):

In all, 3,500 people died in the burning of Nara.

References

• Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
• Turnbull, Stephen (2003). 'Japanese Warrior Monks AD 949-1603'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

Coordinates: 34°41′00″N 135°48′00″E / 34.683333°N 135.8°E / 34.683333; 135.8

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