Tametomo was the son of
Minamoto no Tameyoshi, and brother to
Yukiie and
Yoshitomo. According to the
Baishōron, a 14th-century military chronicle, records at
Hakozaki Shrine included a letter of endowment from Tametomo (referred to as Chinzei Hachirō Tametomo) granting an endowment to the shrine. This document was discovered by
Ashikaga Takauji when he sought a model for the letter of endowment for his own land donation to the shrine. He is known in the epic chronicles as a powerful archer and it is said that he once sunk an entire
Taira ship with a single arrow by puncturing its hull below the waterline. It is also added in many legends that his left arm was about 4 inches longer than his right, enabling a longer draw of the arrow, and more powerful shots. He fought in the
Siege of Shirakawa-den, along with his father, against the forces of
Taira no Kiyomori and
Minamoto no Yoshitomo, his brother. The palace was set aflame, and Tametomo was forced to flee. After the
Hōgen Rebellion, the Taira cut the sinews of Tametomo's left arm, limiting the use of his bow, and then he was banished to the island of
Ōshima in the
Izu Islands. Tametomo eventually killed himself by slicing his abdomen, in an act known as
seppuku. He is quite possibly the first warrior to commit
seppuku in the chronicles. == In art ==