In 1156, during the Hōgen Rebellion, Taira no Kiyomori and Minamoto no Yoshitomo fought together on the side of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, defeating the faction of the retired Emperor Sutoku led by Fujiwara no Yorinaga. After the victory, Go-Shirakawa s advisor Shinzei (Fujiwara no Michinori) gained political dominance, provoking opposition from rival court factions. Go-Shirakawa abdicated in favor of Emperor Nijō but continued to rule as a retired emperor, further complicating the power struggle. In December 1160, Fujiwara no Nobuyori, supported by Minamoto no Yoshitomo, overthrew Shinzei, seized the imperial palace, and captured both Emperor Nijō and the retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa. However, Taira no Kiyomori quickly returned to Kyoto, reorganized his forces as the official imperial army, and confronted the rebels. To avoid damage to the Imperial Palace, Kiyomori lured the enemy to Rokuhara, where the decisive battle was fought. Rokuhara Kessen: Kiyomori vs. Yoshitomo is a two-player wargame depicting the climax of the Heiji Rebellion, the Battle of Rokuhara, with one player commanding the Minamoto forces and the other the Taira (Heike) faction.

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