Yoshifumi was born in
Kyoto, the fifth son of
Taira no Takamochi (Prince Takamochi). He was the great-great-grandson of
Emperor Kanmu. Yoshifumi is said to have been a brave warlord with a gentle appearance. He was also known as Muraoka Gorō, which derives from Muraoka, though it is disputed whether this refers to Muraoka in Kamakura,
Sagami Province (present-day
Fujisawa,
Kanagawa Prefecture) or
Ōsato,
Musashi Province (present-day
Kumagaya,
Saitama Prefecture). When his father Takamochi was sent to the east in 898, the sons of his official wife,
Taira no Kunika,
Taira no Yoshikane, and
Taira no Yoshimochi, followed him, but as the son of his concubine, Yoshifumi, did not. In 923, at the age of 36, Yoshifumi received an imperial edict from
Emperor Daigo to "quench the bandits in Sagami Province" and went to the
east region to defeat them. In 940, the death of
Taira no Masakado was reported to the capital in
Geki Nikki, indicating that Yoshifumi had joined the side of
Fujiwara no Hidesato and
Taira no Sadamori. There is no mention of Yoshifumi in
Shōmonki, and his detailed movements during the
Jōhei Tengyō War are unknown. However, it is speculated that he may have been in Muraoka in Musashi Province or in Sagami Province and fought on Masakado's side.
Taira no Shigemori, who opposed Masakado, was called "a mortal enemy" by his son Tadayori, and it is therefore assumed that Yoshifumi was a close associate of Masakado. However, there is a theory that identifies a "Taira no Yoshi", who is said to have first reported about the death of Masakado, as Taira no Yoshifumi and that he had in fact been on the opposing side of Masakado. Furthermore, according to
Genpei Tōjōroku, he was adopted by Masakado, his nephew, and became his heir. In
Konjaku Monogatari, Yoshifumi is seen fighting against
Minamoto no Atsuru. == Genealogy ==