Kawada no Jiro (河田次郎)
KAWADA no Jiro (year of birth unknown-October 17, 1189) was samurai (warrior) who lived during the Heian and Kamakura periods. He was roto (retainer) of FUJIWARA no Yasuhira of the Oshu-Fujiwara clan. He was also called YASUDA no Jiro. His imina (personal name) was Moritsugu.
In 1189, when his master FUJIWARA no Yasuhira was routed in the Oshu-seibatsu (Kamakura bakufu's military campaign against the Fujiwara of northern Japan) by MINAMOTO no Yoritomo, Kawada no Jiro, who was a feudal lord of Nienosaki, Hinai-gun (present-day Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture), betrayed his master and killed Yasuhira in the predawn hours of October 21. On the twenty-fourth, Kawada held Yasuhira's head and called on for support of Yoritomo, who had proceeded to Shiwa-cho (in present-day Iwate Prefecture). After examining the head, Yoritomo followed the case of MiNAMOTO no Yoriyoshi who made the head of Sadato ABE to be nailed down.
Later Kawada was reproached by Yoritomo for killing the master, and was executed by decapitation. Yoritomo's father, MINAMOTO no Yoshitomo, had been betrayed by Tadamune OSADA under similar circumstances; it was said that Yoritomo was in a position which made him unable to forgive Kawada no Jiro.