Minamoto no Tametomo, a samurai general of Heian period, who punishes two gods of smallpox. Minamoto no Tametomo (1139 - April 23, 1170) was a samurai who fought in the Hogen Rebellion of 1156. Tametomo 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. Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names variola or variola vera. The disease was originally known in English as the "pox" or "red plague"; the term "smallpox" was first used in Britain in the 15th century to distinguish variola from the "great pox" (syphilis). The last naturally occurring case of smallpox (Variola minor) was diagnosed on October 26, 1977.