Shimokōbe Yukihira

The birth date of Shimokōbe Yukihira, a samurai^[1] of the late Heian^[2] and early Kamakura periods,^[1] is unknown.^[1] He was the administrator (ja) Shimokōbe Manor [ja] in Katsushika District [ja], Shimōsa Province^[1] (modern Ibaraki Prefecture,^[3] specifically the area corresponding to Koga City and its environs^[4]) and was the son of Shimokōbe Yukiyoshi [ja]^[4] and the elder brother of Shimokōbe Masayoshi [ja].^[3] His clan were descendants of Fujiwara no Hidesato.^[5]

He was initially a vassal of the Taira clan,^[6] but when Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa had their call to arms, it was Yukihira who brought the word to his lord Minamoto no Yoritomo,^[4] and he joined Yoritomo when he called his banners.^[2] It was during Yoritomo's retreat to Awa Province following the Battle of Ishibashiyama that Yukihira added his forces to Yoritomo's.^[6] He was a trusted retainer of Yoritomo, and in Yōwa 1 (1181) was selected as one of his personal bodyguards (寝所近辺祗候衆).^[5] He was a prominent gokenin.^[5]

He fought valiantly in the Jishō-Juei War,^[1] including the defeat of Shida Yoshihiro (ja),^[6] and the invasion of Ōshū [ja].^[7] He reputedly had tremendous martial skill,^[3] particularly with the bow,^[4] demonstrating his skill frequently in yabusame, yumi-hajime (弓始) and deer-hunting.^[4] He later taught archery to Minamoto no Yoriie.^[1]

In Kenkyū 6 (1195) he was accepted as a member of Yoritomo's household (ja),^[1] but his activities in the Hatakeyama Shigetada incident (ja) and later are uncertain.^[5] The date of his death is unknown.^[2]