Minamoto no Yorimasa was a warrior and poet of the late Heian period. He was famous as a master archer and left many waka poems. In 1180 he raised an army with Prince Mochihito to overthrow the Taira clan, and took his own life after defeat at the Battle of Uji.
The Tale of the Heike tells how, when Emperor Konoe suffered nightmares night after night, Yorimasa shot down with his bow the nue, a monster hidden in a black cloud above the palace. For this he is said to have received the famous sword Shishio from the emperor.
