Takezaki Suenaga (竹崎 季長, 1246–1314) was a Gokenin samurai of Higo Province during the time of the Kamakura Shogunate. He is most famous for having fought during both Mongol Invasions of Japan, crucially at the battles of Bu'nei and Kōan. In order to record the deeds of both himself and his compatriots, Suenaga comissioned the Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba (蒙古襲来絵詞, Illustrated Account of the Mongol Invasion), a set of illustrated handscrolls (emakimono) detailing the events of the invasions and containing praises to both the gods and his military commanders as thanks for the Japanese victories.
A member of the minor Takezaki samurai clan, Suenaga could apparently afford five retainers when on campaign, however, by the time of the first Japanese invasion, he apparently was involved in a territorial dispute with another samurai which placed his finances at risk. Other than that, very little about his early life is known. During the battle of Bu'nei, Suenaga chose to disregard the command of his superior, Shoni Kagesuke stating "Waiting for the general will cause us to be late to battle. Of all the warriors of the clan, I Suenaga will be the first to fight from Higo."[1] Fighting at the battle of Torikai-Gata, Suenaga slew many Mongol warriors before reinforcements under Shiraishi Michiyasu arrived and defeated the Mongols. Although not a decisive victory, the Yuan army was exhausted and realised that the Japanese would not surrender easily, so withdrew to Korea. Suenaga sold his horse and saddle to pay for a trip to Kamakura where he reported his deeds, saying “Other than advancing and having my deeds known, I have nothing else to live for,”[1][2].
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Conlan, Thomas D., trans. "In Little need of Divine Intervention", Ithaca, NY: Cornell East Asia Program, 2001
- ↑ Access Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba at http://digital.princeton.edu/annotatedscrolls/index.php