Ki no Narimori (紀成盛)
KI no Narimori (year of birth and death unknown) was an influential warrior in the western part of Hoki Province (Nishi Hoki) from the end of the Heian period to the Kamakura period.
His name was recorded in documents in various ways; 'Kairoku MURAO,' 'Narimori KAIROKU,' 'Kairoku NARIMORI' and 'Kairoku Narimori MURAO.'
A person called Narikuni KAIROKU is considered his son.
Carrer
KI no Narimori was from the Ki clan, who were originally officials of the central government and after they came to Hoki Province as Hoki no kami, they settled there and became the local lords. The Ki clan made the eastern part of Aimi County their home ground and became influential. According to "Daisenji engi (tales of the origin of Daisen-ji Temple)," the clan stepped in the conflict of Daisen-ji Temple in 1144 and by that time, the Ki clan had become so influential that they and the Ogamo clan of Higashi Hoki could divide Hoki Province into two.
The first appearance
Narimori first appeared in the inscription of the iron Zushi (a cupboard-like case with double doors in which an image of Buddha, a sutra, or some other revered object is kept at a temple) of Daisen-ji Temple, dedicated in August, 1173. According to the inscription, Narimori reestablished the holy shrine of the temple which had been burnt to ashes in July, 1171 because it was difficult for the temple to reestablish it.
The Genpei War and the Domestic Conflicts in Hoki Province
As mentioned above, there were the two powers: the Ki clan and the Ogamo clan in Hoki Province in the end of the Heian period and both of them wanted to be more influential, which led to conflicts and battles. The Genpei War, held around the capital at that time in order to rule the country, affected rural areas. The Nishi Hoki warriors, including Narimori, who had first supported the Taira clan but changed their policy to support the Minamoto clan while the Ogamo clan supported the Taira clan; that reflected the nation-wide confrontation and fueled the long-lasting conflicts between the Ki (Murao) and Ogamo clans. According to 'Kikki (a diary of Tunefusa YOSHIDA),' Narimori defeated Motoyasu OGAMO in a large-scale battle inｖolving warriors in neighboring provinces in August, 1182, and in 1184, Narimori set up self-professed 'IN no Miko (a retired emperor's child)' as their head and ruled the half of Hoki Province and some parts of Mimasaka Province for a while (the article of February 2, 1184 of "Gyokuyo [Diary of Kanezane KUJO]"). According to 'the genealogy of the Ogamo clan,' Motoyasu OGAMO had left his territory leading his army by Munemori TAIRA's request, and on hearing the news, Motoyasu quickly came back to Hoki Province to fight against the Narimori's army.
Narimori after the domestic conflicts
Nothing was recorded about Narimori after the conflicts in Hoki Province ended. It is thought that Narimori supporting the Minamoto clan was defeated and killed by Motoyasu supporting the Taira clan, although the Minamoto clan defeated the Taira clan in the captal. The Shin clan, who appeared later in the period of the Northern and Southern Courts (Japan), called themselves the descendants of the Ki clan and called Narimori their ancestor.