End of the Former Nine Years War

September 17, 1062

The Japanese imperial general Minamoto no Yoriyoshi finally defeated the Abe clan of Mutsu after nine years of campaigning in the northern Honshu mountains. The war established the Minamoto as a premier warrior house and foreshadowed the rise of provincial samurai power that would eventually overthrow Heian court government. Yoriyoshi's son Yoshiie became the most celebrated warrior in Japan, a model for the samurai ideal.