Minamoto no Kanetsuna (源兼綱)
MINAMOTO no Kanetsuna (year of birth unknown - June 27, 1180) was a busho (Japanese military commander) who lived at the end of the Heian Period. He was the son of MINAMOTO no Yoriyuki, who was the second son of MINAMOTO no Nakamasa, but, as his father committed suicide at a young age, he was adopted by his uncle, MINAMOTO no Yorimasa. His siblings including Muneyori, Masamitsu, Nakatoki, MINAMOTO no Masatsuna, Mitsukata and Gishumonin Tango. MINAMOTO no Kanetaka (Tobakaja) was his child. His official rank and posts were Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), Chugu-shojo (Junior Secretary in the Office of the Consort's Household) and Saemon-no-jo (third-ranked officer of the Left Division of Outer Palace Guards). He worked as a kebiishi (a police and judicial chief) and his popular name was Gendayuhogan.
In June, 1180, Prince Mochihito ordered Kanetsuna's adoptive father, Yorimasa, to raise an army to defeat the Taira family. At first, the Taira did not know that the key plotter of the turmoil was Yorimasa, and made the foolish move of including Kanetsuna in the kebiishi assembled to arrest Prince Mochihito. Kanetsuna immediately reported the Taira's plan to Yorimasa. Upon receiving this information, Yorimasa urgently transferred Prince Mochihito to Onjo-ji Temple (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture) and the incident escalated rapidly.
In the Battle of Uji Byodo-in, they were outnumbered and defeated and Kanetsuna died bravely in Uji Byodo-in Temple (Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture) guarding Yorimasa.
Kanetsuna's descendants ended up in Okochi, Nukata District in Mikawa Province (Aza Okochi, Ohira-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture; near the Okazaki Interchange of the Tokyo-Nagoya Expressway) and founded the Okochi Clan, from which Nobutsuna MATSUDAIRA, who was known as Matsudaira Izu no Kami, was descended.