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Taira no Masakado thread
HERO Taira no Masakado of the Heian period was the first samurai- he was the first to lead a self-governing party. He was from an elite family which was descended from emperor Kanmu and owned land in the Kanto region- later hero Oda Nobunaga would claim descent from the Taira
Once Masakado's father died his relatives tried to steal his land for their own. He went on the offensive first, killing his uncle Kunika. Another one of his uncles attacked him along with Minamoto clan warriors, however Masakado was a mighty warrior, and defeated them.
He eventually conquered the eight provinces of Eastern Japan and declared himself the new emperor. Apparently he treated the peasants of conquered domains more fairly than their former masters. The central government feared him and sent an army against him.
- It was said that at the height of his power Masakado was able to strike down geese in flight with a mere glance. -
A coalition of Imperial troops and Masakado's own relatives, and the legendary archer Fujiwara no Hidesato (Tawara Toda) who was once his ally was sent to kill him and end his rebellion. Masakado fought valiantly for 59 days though greatly outnumbered.
- Allegedly Masakado was a nigh invincible warrior, seven feet tall with an iron body and two pupils in the left eye. He could conjure six identical images of himself to fight alongside him. He had a weak point (similar to Achilles and Siegfried) below his ear. -
Tawara Toda found out the secret of Masakado's weak point from one of his concubines found the shadow of the real Masakado, and shot him with an arrow. This also caused the shadow clones to disappear.
Tawara Toda was rewarded by the emperor and is now known for legendary feats.
Tawara Toda was rewarded by the emperor and is now known for legendary feats.
Masakado was beheaded, and his head was taken to Kyoto. The emperor was pleased to see his head but did not want to keep it. The head was displayed for several months in the market, but did not decompose.
The head had a fierce expression and a glowing aura and called out nightly to be reattached to the body to fight again. Eventually the head flew to Shibasaki, a fishing village that would eventually become Edo (Tokyo.) The villagers honored Masakado with a proper burial.
Taira no Masakado's spirit was still not appeased, and he caused a plague strike Edo. He was placated when they built a shrine to him known as Kanda Myoujin, and revered him as a guardian god.
Whenever his shrine was neglected there were natural disasters, most notably the Great Kanto Earthquake (this is the subject of the Teito Monogatari anime, maybe you watch it.) The shrine is currently located in Tokyo's financial district, and Masakado is content, for now.
- Note the FROG statues surrounding the grave. -
The descendants of Masakado are the Soma clan, there is a festival that continues to this day known as Soma Nomaoi which focuses on horsemanship as a demonstration of martial prowess, hope and samurai spirit
Addendum: There is something interesting regarding Masakado when considering the Japanese-Jewish Common Ancestor Theory (JJCAT) which may or may not be true. (I will not delve further into this topic at this time.) The Imperial family being descended from a lost Jewish tribe,
Masakado would be the one who rebelled against the ZOG of his time, purifying the land and restoring national pride. Even if the theory is not true, he still fought against a government that was hostile to his people and national roots.
Kazuma Kaneko of Shin Megami Tensei may hold this view, judging by this infamous interview quote (below). In SMT III: Nocturne the hero is bestowed the ultimate power by Masakado himself- dressed with red kabuki facepaint which symbolizes heroism.
I think Taira no Masakado's spirit may have inspired the likes of Yukio Mishima. His spirit lives on, remember samurai spirit!
