Typhoon legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Typhoon legends - taifū, taifuu 台風 伝説 Taifun Legenden
kainan 海難 shipwrecked

Today, August 25, 2015, typhoon 15, GONI（コーニー）is blowing over Kyushu and close to my home.
A good time to check about typhoon legends . . .
Today, September 20, 2016, typhoon 16, MALAKAS（マラカス）is blowing South of Shikoku and close to my home.
Today, October 22, 2017, typhoon 21, LAN（ラン）is blowing close to my home, heading for Tokyo

Since a typhoon does bring a lot of rain, it is also associated with the Dragon Deity, ryuu　龍　- 竜 Ryu.


Hiroshige

In Japan, typhoon is a season word for mid-autumn, mostly September when most of them hit the islands.
. taifuu　台風　typhoon, Taifun .
- Introduction -


風神 Fujin and Raijin 雷神 God of Thunder


. The Wind God, Fuujin 風神 Fujin、Fuuten 風天 Futen .
- Introduction -

. Fûjin 風神伝説　Legends about the God of Wind .
Kamaitachi 鎌鼬（かまいたち） "sickle weasel" biting cold wind Yokai
風神としての天狗 Tengu as God of the Wind
Tengu Kaze, Tengukaze 天狗風 Tengu Wind, a sudden gust

. Raijin 雷神と伝説 Legends about the God of Thunder .


. funadama, funatama 船玉 / 船霊 / 船魂 guardian deity of a boat .


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Isewan typhoon 伊勢湾台風 Typhoon in the Isewan Bay - 1959
Typhoon Vera was an exceptionally intense tropical cyclone that struck Japan in September 1959,
becoming the strongest and deadliest typhoon on record to make landfall on the country.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


CLICK for more photos !

............................................................................ Saitama 埼玉県
大滝村 Otaki

At the time of the Isewan Typhoon, a strange light (kitsunebi 狐火) could be seen like playing hide and seek.

............................................................................ Shiga 滋賀県
水口町 Minakuchi

Behind Shrine 八坂神社 Yasaka Jinja is the Ryuu-ga-mori 竜ヶ森 Dragon Forest.



There stood a huge sugi 杉 cedar tree which 6 people could hardly cover with their arms around it. A dragon lived in this tree. The tree was hit twice by lighting, and at the second time, the Dragon went back to heaven.
This special tree broke down during the Isewan Typhoon.
Nearby is a Ryuu-ga-ido 竜ヶ井戸 "Dragon Well" which is used for amagoi 雨乞い rain prayers.

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Mie 三重県 - 志摩市 Ise Shima 大王町 Daio

. yonaki matsu よなき松 / 夜泣き松 "Pine crying at night" .


............................................................................ Yamanashi 山梨県
北都留郡 Kitatsuru

The Juunitenjin no hokora 十二天神の祠 small Shrine for the 12 Protector Deities had been moved during the construction of a dam. During the Isewan Typhoon the Shrine has been blown away and the gable amulet (munafuda 棟札) was lost. The villagers held a meeting about what to do now. At that night, 青柳光平 Aoyaki Mitsuhei had a dream about a serpent with one head and 12 bodies was winding around a human skull. The next day all went out looking and found the gable amulet. Now they could erect a new Shrine.

. Jûni Ten, Juni Ten 十二天 Happoo Ten　八方天 12 protector deities .


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :


.................................................................. Aichi 愛知県 ....................................................................
犬山市 Inuyama 寺内町 Jinai

. goshiki ryuujin 五色龍神 Ryujin, Dragon God of five colors .
and the 老松 Old Pine.

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南知多町 Minamichita

. ha no kamisama 歯の神様 Deity of Teeth. .




.................................................................. Ehime 愛媛県 ....................................................................
松山市 Matsuyama

kainan yoke 海難よけ peventing accidents at sea
During a typhoon or any other situation of danger at sea, it is best to show the white flag of 播州池田の観音様の白旗 the Kannon from Harima Ikeda.
But this flag helps only once.
An amulet from 金刀比羅様 Konpira in Shikoku is also helpful.

- HP of the temple 白旗観音寺 Shirahata Kannon Temple
兵庫県加古川市尾上町池田３９９ / 399 Onoechō Ikeda, Kakogawa-shi, Hyōgo
- reference source : ikeikekannon.com... -



CLICK for more amulets !



.................................................................. Fukuoka 福岡県 ...............................................................
苅田町　Kanda

Okage matsuri おかげ祭 O-Kage Festival of Greatfulness
In 1806 on the 12th day of the 2nd lunar month a strong typhoon hit the village. But the area around the shrine 白庭神社 Shiraniwa Jinja showed almost no damage. The villagers thought this must have been the benevolence of the Deity and arranged a festival to pray for prevention of further damage to the village.





.................................................................. Gifu 岐阜県 ...............................................................

. Shipwrecked help from amulet of Fudo Myo-O .




.................................................................. Iwate 岩手県 ....................................................................

nihyaku tooka 二百十日の風祭り wind festival on the 210th day.
It is the 210th day after the beginning of spring, as a seasonal festival it is
nihyaku tooka 二百十日.
On this day farmers do not work to avoid a typhoon coming up, and instead enjoy a "wind festival".

. The lunar calendar festivals - August .


.................................................................. Kagawa 香川県 ...............................................................
直島町 Naoshima island

dondoro san ドンドロサン thunder (in the local dialect)
"一つドンドロ大風のもと" one Dondoro is the beginning of a great wind, Typhoon.




.................................................................. Kagoshima 鹿児島県 .....................................................

yookai 妖怪 Yokai monsters
In 1952, during the time of ルース台風 Typhoon Nr. 15, Rusu, a young nurse in white robes and a young doctor in white robes, both without legs, where seen leaving the clinic.
Someone heard a knock at the door and a voice calling "Is the wife at home?" but when she looked outside, there was nobody to be seen. The door closed all by itself with a loud noise later there was a telephone call from the clinic.

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大島郡　Oshima district

amuro アムロ（天女）Heavenly Maiden
A man had tilled his fields and sown a lot of millet 稷. When it had grown quite a bit the sea turned wild and a great wind begun to blow. He thought a typhoon was coming and wanted to harvest the green crop in the time left before the storm hit. Suddenly Amuro, a Heavenly Maiden, showed up and asked why he was going to cut the green millet.
When he told her about his worry about a coming typhoon, she answered "This is just a regular seasonal wind and not a typhoon!"
He wanted to see some proof of her words, so Amuro made him promise not to tell anyone and then gave him the evidence.
On his way home the man met a friend and told him everything. To punish him for breaking his promise, the gods made him blind from that day on.

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曽於郡 Soo district

rokubu no motte ita awa 六部の持っていた粟 Rokubu pilgrim carrying foxtail millet
In the Edo period, a Rokubu pilgrim and his daughter tried to pass 上村の番所 the barrier at Uemura. But they were not allowed to pass and jumped from ダグリの岩 the boulder of Daguri into the see to kill themselves. To our day this spot is called 六部瀬 "Rokubu-Se", Rokubu Shallows. The Rokubu had carried some foxtail millet, which soon begun to grow near the boulder.
The villagers of 下村 Shimomura built a grave for the Rokubu. The place of the barrier is still to be seen.
During a typhoon, the sound of a pilgrim's bell can be heard at the grave of the Rokubu. People say this is 六部うらみの歌 the song of the grudge of the Rokubu.

. rokubu 六部 Rokubu pilgrims .




.................................................................. Kumamoto 熊本県 ..............................................................
玉名郡 Tamana district 南ノ関町 Nankan

hi no tama 火の玉 ball of fire
Once the old pine in the army graveyard broke down during a typhoon.
Since a few days before that event, the villagers saw a 赤い火の玉 strange red ball of fire above the tree. They thought it must have been the spirit (セー(精霊) -タマシ(霊)) of the tree.




.................................................................. Mie 三重県 ....................................................................
鈴鹿市 Suzuka

Once upon a time,
when many typhoons haunted the region, people decided to built a dam and bury a human being in it as offering (人柱 hitobashira ).
They stared the work and the first girl who brought food to the people should be offered. Thus the daughter of the village elder, お竜 O-Ryu, was buried alive. Since that time, the river bank never broke. And the pond was called 竜が池 "O-Ryu's pond".
If someone walks past below the dam and called "Hey, O-Ryu", there would be a strange voice answering: "Yes!".


source : bunka.pref.mie.lg.jp/minwa/hokusei/suzuka


. Hitobashira 人柱 human pillar .




.................................................................. Miyagi 宮城県 ....................................................................

- wind and harvest -
When the tookibi トウキビ, tomorokoshi トウモロコシ corn grows fast, there will be flooding.
When its roots grow long, there will be storm and flooding in this year.
When the 西瓜 watermelons grow well, there will be many typhoons in this year.



............................................................... Miyazaki 宮崎県 ....................................................................

tengu 天狗 Tengu
On a hill above 清武川 the river Kiyotake there was a huge pine tree, usually called the 天狗松 "Tengu Pine".
It often lost branches when a thunderbolt struck it, but finally it fell down during a typhoon.

. Tengumatsu 天狗松 Tengu Matsu pine tree .

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椎葉村 Shiibamura

yamaonago, yama onago 山オナゴ "the mountain girl"
One day when a typhoon approached, a young schoolgirl had her umbrella blown away and begun to chase it. But she fell into the river and drowned. The old women of the villge say this was the malicious deed of the Mountain Girl.




.................................................................. Nagano 長野県 ....................................................................
上伊那郡 Kamiina district 南箕輪村 Minamiminowa

matsu no ki 松の木 pine tree
Once upon a time
there was a huge pine tree and from its trunk there grew two こぶ huge bumps.
The farmers tried to cut down one of them, but from the cut white mild begun to flow. Since then the villagers let the tree grow and venerated it as a shinboku 神木 sacred tree.
During the typhoon in 1934 it fell down.




.................................................................. Nara 奈良県 ...............................................................
月ヶ瀬村 Tsukigase

ume no ki 梅の木 plum tree
Once upon a time, a plum tree fell down during a typhoon.
The farmer tried to bind another tree to it to keep it up, but after that he caught a cold and high fever. That night a woman like a beautiful princess (named お香さん O-Ko san) gave him 薬の玉 a ball of medicine. When he drunk it, he felt healed next morning.




.................................................................. Niigata 新潟県 ...............................................................
佐渡郡 Sado district 赤伯村 Akadomari

kooshin 庚申 Koshin
Once during a typhoon, a ship was driven out to sea and eventually only one man of the crew, who believed in Koshin, was washed ashore at an unknown beach. He almost died of hunger but eventually was saved and came home to his family.

. Koshin Cult 庚申信仰 - Introduction .




.................................................................. Okinawa 沖縄県 ....................................................................

kame to sen 亀，鱣 (hamo 鱧 pike conger eel)
Once a man named 蔡譲 was on his way to China, when a typhoon came and he fell over board.
Suddenly one 亀 turtle and two 鱣 sea snakes came and helped him.
It became custom in his family never to eat the meat of a turtle or pike conger eel after that.

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国頭郡 Kunigami district 今帰仁村 Nakijin

During a typhoon, fishermen were drifting, lost off the coast. Suddenly there was a shinka 神火 "divine light" and showed them the mountains and way to the harbour. So all came home safely to 仲宗根港 Nakasone Port.

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八重山郡 Yaeyama district

A fishing boat got a hole in the bottom and was about to get shipwrecked, when suddenly some takasegai 高瀬貝 trocas shells clung to the bottom and closed the hole. The fishermen could reach the beach safely.



This trochus shell family: Trochidae is used for shell-button production.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !




.................................................................. Osaka 大阪府 ....................................................................

. Tanuki no Kuro San 狸のクロサン Kuro-san, the Tanuki .



.................................................................. Shizuoka 静岡県 ...............................................................
修善寺町 Shuzenji

yuurei 幽霊 Yurei ghosts
After the huge typhoon named 狩野川台風 Kanogawa Typhoon in September of 1958 along the Izu peninsula someone said he had seen a ghost at 熊坂 Kumasaka. He had seen an old woman carrying a furoshki packet on her back, leaning on a bamboo walking stick. He wanted to talk to her, but she only mumbled an answer in a very weak voice. After he walked past her and turned back to take another look, she was gone.
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A taxi driver tells of a young woman who had hired his taxi for a drive to Kumasaka. When they arrived there, the woman was gone, but the seat was all wet. The taxi driver was so afraid, he fell ill for three days.
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Another man was walking along Kanogawa in the evening, when he met his friend and they talked for a while. Later he learned that this friend had died in the flooding in the morning of that day.

Typhoon Ida, also known as the Kanogawa Typhoon (狩野川台風 Kanogawa Taifū), was the third deadliest typhoon in Japan
- source : wikipedia -




.................................................................. Tokyo 東京都 ...............................................................
新島村 Niijima island

hebi 蛇 snake
The fishermen had trown out a woman on the boat to stay on the island to prevent their shipwreck. But they never came back to get the woman home.
The woman died in anger and pain and her long hair turned into a serpent.


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yokai database 妖怪データベース
台風 31 entries (ok)
海難 kainan - 22 entries (04)
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

雷神 48 entries (00) extra
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. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .


- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -


. tsunjikaze つんじかぜ wind calm at Edo castle .

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #typhoonlegends #typhoon #taifun -
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nakodo matchmaker

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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nakoodo, nakōdo 仲人 Nakodo, legends about matchmakers for marriage



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A nakōdo (仲人 matchmaker) serves the role of a go-between for families in the miai process. A nakōdo is not necessary for all miai. The nakōdo can be a family member, friend, or matchmaking company.
Professional organizations have begun to provide go-between services for inquiring candidates. These professional nakōdo are known as puro (pro) nakōdo.
The nakōdo is expected to play a variety of roles throughout the miai process. The first is the bridging role, hashikake (橋架け), in which the nakōdo introduces potential candidates and families to each other. The second role is as a liaison for the families to avoid direct confrontation and differences in opinions between them by serving as an intermediary for working out the details of the marriage.

miai (見合い, "matchmaking", lit. "looking at one another")
or omiai (お見合い) is a Japanese traditional custom
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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nakoodo isha　仲人医者　doctors as matchmakers for marriage
keian　慶庵 / 桂庵 Keian matchmaker
Named after the famous matchmacer-doctor Yamato Keian 大和慶庵 (around 1653).

A Nakodo go-between was necessary for a regular marriage in Edo.
Some doctors with a bad medical reputation could fall back on this kind of "business". Once the marriage was fixed, he would get quite a bit of "thank-you money".

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Yokai - Monsters having a miai meeting -



Look at the full scroll of the Monsters having a Miai and Wedding
Bakemono Konrei 化物婚礼
- source : Toyo Daigaku -


In the Yokai world, animals like fox, tanuki, serpent or Kappa are also Nakodo.


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.................................................................. Fukushima 福島県 ....................................................................
会津若松市 Aizu Wakamatsu

tori no tobu yoo na oto 鳥の飛ぶような音 sound of a bird flying off

In the family of a matchmaker the wife had died and for about one month every day from the Tokonoma alcove the sound of a large bird flying off was to be heared.
When the husband looked, there was nobody.


.................................................................. Gifu 岐阜県 ....................................................................
和良村 Waramura

kitsune 狐 Fox
The bride of the house had already been on her way when the Nakodo came to pick her up. In fact it was a fox who had shapeshifted as the bride and walked at the top of the group.



.................................................................. Ishikawa 石川県 ....................................................................
河内村 Kawachimura

mujina むじな Tanuki badger
Once a Nakodo went to pick up the bride at her home. But out of the bushes there came a badger, with leaves on his head like the headgear of a bride. The Nakodo pretended not to suspect fraud, went close to the "bride" and hit the "Tanuki bride" with his long umbrella, until the Tanuki was dead.
Then the Nakodo carried the Tanuki to his home and postponed the wedding.



.................................................................. Miyagi 宮城県 ....................................................................
栗駒 Kurikoma - 馬橋坂 Umahashisaka

Umahashisaka no Mansukegitsune 馬橋坂の万助狐 Mansuke Kitsune the Fox
Mansuke is the most well-known fox in this region.
At the time of the cultivation of the 桧沢岳 Hisawadake region there was a man named Sato who had lost his wife and was working all alone.
One evening a Nakodo came and offered to find a new wife for him. The deal was fixed in a few days, the relatives invited for the wedding celebration. When all were drunk the bride, the Nakodo and the visitors suddenly showed her real form and all disappeared, including the feast in front of his eyes.

The bride of Mansuke was お花 O-Hana from Mount 花館山. People walking the path between the two mountains often got tricked by the fox couple.


A fox on a tea pot


Umahashisaka no Manjuuroo 馬橋坂の万寿郎狐 Manjuro the Fox

A legend of another fox called Manjuro tells of 宗作爺 Grandfather Sosaku. Once he went to some relatives to help putting new reeds on the roof. He got some rice cakes 月形餅や撒餅 for his help and was on his way home. When he passed the school the children came to him and asked to see the contents of his packet and wanted some to eat. He felt quite elated and wanted to share them with the children. When he tried to open the packes it suddenly disappeared and all the children were gone . . . Manjuro had played a trick on him!



.................................................................. Nagano 長野県 ....................................................................
山ノ内町 Yamanouchi

kitsune 狐 Fox
A samurai was asked to expell a fox from the village.
But the fox asked him instead:
"I was asked to be the Nakodo and bring the bride to the home of the groom. On the way she suddenly asked to take a bath and I don't know what to do. Can you do it in my place?"
When he tried to help the fox and went to the bath he suddenly found himself sitting in a puddle of mud instead . . .






.................................................................. Niigata 新潟県 ....................................................................
松之山町 Matsunoyama

hebi 蛇 serpent
The serpent wanted the princess of the pond 蒲生池 / 蒲生の池 Kamo-no-ike as his bride. But the Nakodo was refused. In his anger he killed all the members of the family.
He borrowed the famous serpent-cutting sword 蛇切丸 and fought with the enemy.

This is a famous sword jagirimaru 蛇切丸 with more legends in other regions of Japan.
- reference -

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.................................................................. Kappa legends 河童 ...............................................................

. Welcome to the Kappapedia ! .


Once a Kappa from the bridge 宮川橋 Miyagawakyo became a bride. The Nakodo was from 二の橋 Ninohashi.
The "Kappa" in this tale is in fact a prostitute from a tea stall. Ninohashi was famous for the Aimaiya, Aimai-Ya 曖昧屋 , a kind of tea stall, eatery or lodging, keeping aimai women 曖昧女(おんな) prostitutes.

Aimai chaya 曖昧茶屋, Aimai yado 曖昧宿.

aimai 曖昧 is a normal word of the Japanese language, it means ambiguous, not clearly defined, obscure, vague . . . (you can google for more).


. chaya　茶屋　tea shop, tea stall business in Edo .
fuuzoku, fûzoku　風俗 Fuzoku, entertainment and sex business




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今さら意味を聞けない日本語1000
explaining a lot of "aimai" words with ambiguous meanings.
一言居士、かなぼうひき、ゆめゆめ、烏の行水、あまつさえ、まめまめしい、度し難い、益体も無い……大人なら使ってみたい曖昧で間違いやすい言葉の数々。
(available at amazon com.)

yokai database 妖怪データベース　 - source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

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. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .

. minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends .
- Introduction -

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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. Join the friends on Facebook ! .

- #nakodo #nakodolegends -
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Taira no Masakado

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. Legends - Heian Period (794 to 1185) - Introduction .
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Taira no Masakado 平将門 / 平將門
(? – 940) - 延喜3年（903年）? - 天慶3年2月14日（940年3月25日）

A lot has been written about this hero of old !

Shoomonki, Shōmonki 将門記 Shomonki - The Records of Masakado, Masakado Chronicle


CLICK for more photos !

He was a kokushi 国司 governor of Shimosa.
(for kokushi, see below)

He revolted against the government in Kyoto because of the ruthless attitude of the Kokushi in the Kanto region, squeezing the poor farmers to ever more taxes.
After a great earthquake and the eruption of Mount Fuji the farmers of Kanto were in even more distress and many left the region.
So Masakado stepped in to help them.

He also invented the curved Japanese sword, more suited to kill the enemy while riding a horse.
He had enough metal mines in his region.
In a dream he saw a messenger from Michizane, asking him to stand up and fight.

. Sugawara Michizane　菅原道真 (845 - 903) .

Masakado was (most probably) the only one in Japanese history who proclaimed himself as
New Emperor, Shinoo, Shin-Oo　新皇 in the Eastern Region in 939.

939年(天慶2)11月21日に常陸国府を制圧した将門は，12月19日に上野の国司を追放して国庁に入り，弟や従者を伊豆と関東諸国の受領（ずりよう）に任じたが，このとき - a messenger of Hachiman Daibosatsu 八幡大菩薩の使と口ばしる昌伎 (kamunagi) から位記を授けられ〈新皇〉と称するようになる。同書はこれ以後の将門を新皇と記すが，一方で京都の朱雀天皇を〈本皇〉〈本天皇〉としているので，新皇とはもともとの天皇に対する新しい天皇の意味であろう。

新皇将門 / 平新皇
- source : wikipedia -

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He also had a lot of kagemusha 影武者 doubles (probably 7) to protect his own whereabouts.

During the final battle, the wind was on his side in the beginning, the first Southern Wind of the Season, Haru Ichiban　春一番. He almost won the battle, but then the wind turned and one arrow of his enemy hit him in the head (the eye) . . . that was the End!.


Tawara Tōda 俵藤太 "Rice-bag Tōda" - Tawara Toda cut off the head of Masakado
Fujiwara no Hidesato alias Tawara Tota (Toda)
. Fujiwara no Hidesato 藤原秀郷 .
Hidesato became friendly with 桔梗の前 Kikyo, the mistress of Masakado and asked her to tell him to distinguish between the many kagemusha doubles. She told him and then and became a huge serpent at 菅沼 Sugenuma.
To kill the "real" Masakado, Hidesato had to aim his arrow at the one that cast a shadow.
.
On his way to Kyoto to deliver the head with the helmet, he encountered many strange things and eventually burried the box with the helmet. This place is now called Koosan 甲山 Kosan, "Mount Helmet".



. Masakado's Rebellion 平将門の乱 - Heian History .
A detailed account !

. Kanda Myojin Shrine 神田明神 . - Tokyo
The three deities enshrined are Daikokuten, Ebisu, and Taira no Masakado.


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- quote -
平将門 Taira no Masakado

APPEARANCE:
Taira no Masakado was a samurai of the Heian period, a powerful warrior, and a great leader. He was born either in the late 800s or early 900s CE and was killed in 940. After his death, his spirit is said to have returned as a vengeful ghost and brought destruction across the country. Along with Emperor Sutoku and Sugawara no Michizane, he is one of the Nihon San Dai Onryō — Three Great Onryō of Japan.
Though Taira no Masakado’s birth date is unknown,
he is believed to have been born sometime around when Sugawara no Michizane died. A Meiji period biography of Taira no Masakado suggests that he may have been Sugawara no Michizane’s reincarnation; his revolt against the emperor may actually have been a continuation of Michizane’s curse.

ORIGIN:
Taira no Masakado was born into the Kanmu Heishi, the clan of Taira descended from Emperor Kanmu. It was an elite family. Masakado had a privileged childhood in the capital, after which he settled down in Shimosa Province in Eastern Japan, northeast of modern day Tokyo. His troubles only began after his father died. Inheritance laws at this time were not firmly established, and his uncles tried to steal most of his father’s land. They claimed their royal lineage gave them the right to do so.
In 935 CE,
the dispute with his family members broke into outright battle. Masakado was ambushed by one of his uncles and a number of Minamoto warriors. But Masakado was a powerful warrior. He quickly defeated them, and then took his revenge by burning their lands, ravaging the countryside, and slaughtering thousands. This brought him into conflict with other relatives by blood and by marriage, who brought their dispute to the emperor.
Taira no Masakado
was summoned to court to answer charges of the relatives of the dead Minamoto warriors. Masakado was not only brave, he was also smart. He had taken great pains to remain within the law and proved that he had good reason for his killings. After only a few months, he was fully pardoned when the court offered a general amnesty in commemoration of Emperor Suzaku’s coming of age.
Taira no Masakado
returned to his home, but soon found himself under attack. This time, it was his father-in-law and his relatives. Again, Masakado quickly defeated them. To avoid stirring up more political trouble, Masakado received a warrant to apprehend his attackers. Now, with legal sanction for his military action, he stormed into their lands on a quest for revenge.
In 938 CE, Taira no Masakado received another court summons for questioning about a quarrel with one of the cousins who had attacked him. This time, Masakado ignored the summons. He raised a large force and invaded Hitachi Province. He conquered eight provinces: Shimotsuke, Kozuke, Musashi, Kazusa, Awa, Sagami, Izu, and Shimosa. The whole time, he maintained his innocence, insisting that his campaign was legal under the terms of his warrant.
The government was seen as ineffectual and the nobles as abusive by the peasants of the time. Taira no Masakado, on the other hand, treated the peasants of his conquered domains much better than their former masters did. His insurrection was seen as a salvation by many peasants. They welcomed him gladly. The court feared that Taira no Masakado was preparing to overthrow the government and declare himself the new Emperor of Japan. He was condemned as a rebel and a traitor.
A number of warriors — including Masakado’s ally Fujiwara no Hidesato and some his own relatives— were commissioned by the government to take his head. They caught up with Masakado’s army in Shimosa province on the fourteenth day of the second month of 940 CE. They attacked during a night ambush and quickly defeated the rebels. Masakado’s men were outnumbered ten to one. Masakado was beheaded, betrayed by his friends and family. The head was brought back to Kyoto to be displayed in the east market as a message to would-be rebels.



LEGENDS:
Strangely, Taira no Masakado’s head did not decompose. Many months after it was first displayed in the east market, it still looked as fresh as the day it was severed. The eyes had grown fiercer, and the mouth twisted up into a hideous grimace. Night after night the head would call out,
“Where is my murdered body!? Come here! Reattach my head and let me fight once again!”
「斬られた体を呼び戻し、再び一緒になって進軍するぞ」
And then things got really strange.
One night the head began to glow.
It flew off into the sky, across the country, towards Shimosa. The head eventually grew tired and landed to rest in a fishing village called Shibazaki (which would one day grow into the city of Edo). The villagers who found the head cleaned it and buried it. A shrine was erected over the grave and named Kubizuka—the mound of the head. Masakado was honored and worshipped by the peasants as a true warrior, a symbol of justice who stood in heroic defiance of a corrupt and lazy nobility. He was seen as an underdog who was repeatedly betrayed and eventually murdered by those he should have been able to trust. Despite his deification and popularity among the lower classes, his ghost was not appeased. A few years after his head was buried, the ghost of a samurai began to be seen in the neighborhood of his shrine.
In the early 1300s,
a great plague struck Edo. Many people died. The plague was attributed to Taira no Masakado’s anger. In order to appease him, his spirit was moved from his small shrine to the larger and more prestigious Kanda Shrine. He was designated one of the main gods, and his spirit was placated—for a while. In 1874, Emperor Meiji visited the Kanda Shrine. It was viewed as inappropriate for an enemy of the imperial family like Masakado to be honored when the emperor was visiting, and so his deity status was revoked. His shrine was moved to a smaller building outside of the main shrine.
Taira no Masakado’s anger returned in 1928.
After the Great Kanto Earthquake 関東大震災 destroyed much of the city, the site of his Kubizuka was chosen as the temporary location for the Ministry of Finance 大蔵省本庁. Shortly afterwards, the Minister of Finance became sick and died. Over a dozen other employees died, and even more became sick or were injured in falls and accidents in the building. Rumors about the curse ran began to spread. The Ministry of Finance building was demolished and a memorial service for Masakado was held at the Kanda Shrine.
Throughout the 20th century,
a number of other accidents, fires, sicknesses, and mysterious sightings were attributed to the curse of Taira no Masakado. Each time, purification rituals were performed. Finally, in 1984, in response to public pressure, his deity status was reinstated. Today, great pains are taken not to anger his ghost. For example, it is common practice for television stations to visit the grave of his head, still located in what is now Otemachi, Tokyo 東京都千代田区大手町. They pay their respects to him before his character appears on any show. The Kubizuka is maintained by an organization of local businesses and volunteers who have taken on the responsibility of upkeeping of his grave.
- source : yokai.com -


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. goryoo, onryoo 御霊、怨霊 vengeful spirits .
- Introduction -

Sudo, Sudoo Tenno 崇道天皇 (? - 785) and his son,
Iyo Shinno 伊予親王.
his mother, Fujiwara Fujin, 藤原婦人
Fujiwara Hirotsugu, 藤原広嗣
Tachibana Hayanari, 橘逸勢
Bunya no Miyata Maro　文室宮田麻呂
Kibi no Makibi 吉備真備
Sugawara Michizane　菅原道真

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. Nine Stars Crest 九曜紋 ... Kuyoo Mon / kushitsu 九執 .

Masakaso was a grest believer in the star constellations and brought the belief of Myoken and the nine constellations to many parts of Japan.


Taira no Masakado (平将門)
(?–March 25, 940)
was a member of the Kammu Taira clan of Japan. He was the son of Taira no Yoshimochi, Chinjufu Shogun. His childhood name was Sōma Kojirō. Taira no Masakado was a powerful landowner in the Kantō region.
He is regarded as the first bushi because he was the first to lead a self-governing party.

The Taira Masakado Insurrection of 939-940 - known in Japanese as Jōhei - Tengyō no ran,

In 939, during the Heian period of Japanese history, he rebelled by attacking the outpost of the central government in Hitachi Province, capturing the governor. In December of that year he conquered Shimotsuke and Kōzuke Provinces, and claimed the title of Shinnō (New Emperor). Masakado killed his uncle Kunika who was part Taira. The central government in Kyoto responded by putting a bounty on his head, and fifty-nine days later his cousin Sadamori, whose father Masakado had attacked and killed, and Fujiwara no Hidesato, killed him at the Battle of Kojima (Shimōsa Province) in 940 and took his head to the capital.

His tomb (which contains only a monument to his head) is near exit C5 of Tokyo's Ōtemachi subway station.

When Masakado was preparing for his revolt, a vast swarm of butterflies appeared in Kyoto, considered a portent of the upcoming battle.

Over the centuries, Masakado became a hero and even a demigod to the locals who were impressed by his stand against the central government, while at the same time feeling the need to appease his malevolent spirit. The fortunes of Edo and Tokyo seemed to wax and wane correspondingly with the respect paid to the shrine built to him at the kubizuka — neglect would be followed by natural disasters and other misfortunes. Hence, to this day, the shrine is well maintained, occupying some of the most expensive land in the world in Tokyo’s financial district near the Imperial Palace.

Other shrines which he is deity of include Kanda Shrine (神田明神 Kanda-myōjin) (located in Kanda), and Tsukudo Jinja (which has multiple locations.)

Taira no Masakado's legacy in folklore does not stop with Masakado himself; his daughter, Takiyasha-hime (Princess Takiyasha), also features in Japanese myths.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !




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Masakado no kabuto 将門の兜 the helmet of Masakado

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- quote -
Taira no Masakado, Yin Yang and Tokyo
When Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty (1603-1868), seized power in 1600 he started building the city of Edo, now known as Tokyo, copying the ancient city of Kyoto and based on the Chinese philosophy of Yin Yang.

Ieyasu first moved the front gate of his palace (now known as the imperial palace) close to Taira no Masakado's "Kubizuka" (resting place of his cut-off head) located in today's financial district of Otemachi. Taira no Masakado, a warlord from the middle Heian period and the grandson of Taira no Takamochi who founded the Heike family, was killed by Fujiwara no Hidesato in 940 and became one of the most feared "Onryo" (ghost) in history. Because it was believed that ghosts turn into guardian gods if enshrined with deep respect, Ieyasu decided to use Masakado's ghost to protect his city.

Ieyasu also used other sites related to Masakado. He moved the Kanda Myojin Shrine which worships Masakado to its current location which lies towards the northeast direction of the imperial palace. According Yin Yang philosophy, northeast is an ominous direction know as "Kimon" (Demon's gate) from which plague flows in. Ieyasu tried to block this direction by using Masakado's power.



Other sites such as the Kabuto Shrine (enshrines Masakado's "kabuto" or warrior helmet), the Yoroi Shrine (enshrines Masakado's "Yoroi" or armor) and the Tsukudo Shrine (enshrines the bucket in which Masakado's cut-off head was once placed) were all placed in the important locations of the city of Edo.

In addition, the Zojo-ji Temple was moved to its current location, again, based on Yin Yang philosophy. The current location of the Zojo-ji Temple was close to the Tokaido route (one of the five main routes of the Edo period) which lead to Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji is the most sacred place of Yin Yang philosophy and the location of the Zojo-ji Temple was considered to be where energy from Mt. Fuji was flowing into the city of Edo.
- source : discover-tokyo.blogspot.jp-

In fact, the shrines in Edo relating to Masakado are arranged in the form of Hokuto 北斗 the Big Dipper, the Pole Star. Tokugawa Ieyasu thus made sure the Heavens would help protect his town.



1. Torigoe shrine　鳥越神社
2. Kabuto shrine　兜神社
3. Masakado no Kubi-zuka　将門の首塚
4. Kanda shrine　神田明神
5. Tsukudo shrine　筑土八幡神社 - 津久戸明神 Tsukudo Myojin
6. Mizuinari shrine　水稲荷神社
7. Yoroi shrine 鎧神社　

- source : quest-for-japan.com -


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The famous head mound of Masakado in Tokyo
Shoomonzuka 将門塚（しょうもんづか) Shomonzuka (Shomon is another reading of Masakado)

- quote -
The body of Taira Masakado, first buried in what is now Marunouchi, was stolen by his friend and buried somewhere near the shrine Kanda Myojin. His head was severed by Fujiwara no Hidesato and had been buried in variousl places in Edo, carrying its curse with it ... Masakado has a shrouded Force, best left alone...

For one thing, you don't want to mess with Taira no Masakado.
A warrior whose exploits are recorded in the historical work "Taiheiki," Masakado led a rebellion against the throne. After being killed in battle in 940, his severed head was sent to Kyoto as a war trophy and hung from a tree for all to see. But what they saw, so the story goes, was the face continuing to grimace and roll its eyes . . . before the head flew back to eastern Japan under its own power.

Masakado's kubizuka (the mound beneath which tradition says his head still rests) is located in the grounds of a powerful samurai's residence in Edo (present-day Tokyo). When the new Meiji government's finance ministry took over the property in 1869, a small stone monument bearing the legend "Taira Masakado" and the prayer "Namu Amida Butsu (Save us, merciful Buddha)" was erected there.

- - - - - Read the full story - HERE ! - - - - -




WIKIPEDIA : Taira no Masakado



. kubizuka 首塚 head mounds .
- Introduction -

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男ぶり将門公の更衣
otokoburi Masakado koo no koromogae

what a man !
Masakado changes
his robes

. 川崎展宏 Kawasaki Tenko .
Born 1927 in Hiroshima


. koromogae 更衣 changing of the robes .
- - kigo for summer - -

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将門の首を洗ふや新松子
角川春樹


ありやなしや将門の首男郎花
逸見真三


将門の走り抜けたる雁渡し
太田土男


将門が顔して神田祭衆
愛澤豊嗣

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CLICK for more books about Masakado !

平将門 - 竜崎攻

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- - - - - More Legends - - - - -

The souls of the defeated warrior Taira no Masayori 平将頼 (? - 940)
was left on the battlefield and cursed the place for more than 480 years.
Then a pupil of Saint Ippen named 真数坊 Shinsubo build a hermitage and prayed for his soul.
He also made the brother of Masayori, Masakado, into a deity to appease him.
So the bad one who cursed the Kanto region for so long was in fact not Masakado, but his brother Masayori.

Masayori became 下野守 Shimotsuke no Kami regent of the Shimotsuke region after Masakado declared himself as the "New Emperor". He was also called "Ason" 朝臣, another title bestowed by the New Emperor.
After the death of Masakado he was also killed in Sagami (Kanto region). - source : wikipedia -

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. 八幡大菩薩 Hachiman Daibosatsu and Masakado .

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.................................................................. Tokyo 東京都　 ....................................................................

In 1928 the newspaper 報知新聞 Hochi Shinbun published an article about
the "Curse of Masakado" 将門のたゝり, which led to a lavish ritual to appease his soul.

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When Mitsui Bussan tried to build an office 三井物産ビル, they wanted to buy the land with the Kubizuka of Masakado. But they were afraid of the curse of Masakado 将門の祟り and bought a different plot.

They also offered a gamagaeru ガマガエル toad to Kanda Myojin shrine.

In aonther office building, many workers became ill with high fever all of a sudden after moving to their new seats near the windows. Checking for the reason they found the seats had turned their backside toward the Kubizuka.
So all the desks and seats at the window side were changed to face the Kubizuka . . . and the workers were well again.

Mitsui Bussan and the 若王子信行 Wakaoji Nobuyuki (1933 - 1989) kidnapping in the Philippines:
. Edo - Kanda 神田 Kanda district　 .

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When the American army アメリカ軍 after the war tried to clear some land for a camp in Chiyoda, the driver of the bulldozer and a few other workers died in mysterious circumstances. Investigating they found it was too close to the land of the Kubizuka.

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One 旗本家 Hatamoto samurai family from Yotsuya once got the kabuto 兜 helmet of Masakado by some of his descendants in exchange for money. On the first night in the new home, the house begun to scream and squeek and shake, so next morning they gave it back to its owner.


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渋谷区 Shibuya

At the temple 荘厳寺 Shogon-Ji there is a statue of 不動明王 Fudo Myo-O. 藤原秀郷 Fujiwara Hidesato came here to pray for victory and to partake of the power of this statue.

. Hatagaya Fudo 　幡ヶ谷不動 Shogon-Ji .


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奥多摩 Okutama

Masakado Jinja 将門神社 Shrine for Masakado
Masakado no Miya 将門宮



The shrine was built by his son, Taira no Yoshikado 平良門, to pray for his soul.
Further up the mountain there is

Masakadoyama Fudo-Son 将門山不動尊



将軍太郎良門 Shôguntarô Taira Yoshikado
- reference - Taira Yoshikado -


.................................................................. Chichibu 秩父 Saitama 埼玉県 ...................

Joomine Jinja 城峯神社 shrine Jomine Jinja



Masakado is venerated here as the Deity in Residence.
Masakado fled to this region in the Chichibu mountains when he was fighting with Fujiwara no Hidesato.
Legend knows he built a castle at 城峯山 Jominesan and hid there. But Hidesato found him and his retainers and they had to flee again.
To appease his soul, the villagers built this shrine.

At 皆野町 Minano in the temple compound of 日野明徳寺 Myotoku-Ji, there is a stone marker on a natural boulder. This is said to be the grave of the favorite horse of Masakado.


.................................................................. Chiba 千葉県　 ....................................................................
成田市 Narita

. Narita Fudo 成田不動尊 Chiba .

- quote -
Narita San 成田山　Shinshō-ji 新勝寺 "New victory temple"　
The temple was established in 940 to commemorate the victory of the forces dispatched from the Heian capital to suppress a revolt by the powerful Kantō region samurai, Taira no Masakado.

The Shingon priest 寛朝大僧　Kanchō accompanied the force, bringing with him an image of Fudō myōō from the Gomadō (Fire Offering Hall) of Takao-san Jingo-ji in Kyōtō. Shingon founder 弘法大師 Kōbō Daishi himself was said to have carved the image and used it in Goma sacred fire rituals that helped stop a rebellion during his era. The rebellion in 940 also came to an end just as Kanchō completed a three-week Goma ritual with the same image.


source :　naritasan.or.jp

According to legend, the image of the Unmovable Wisdom King became too heavy after the victory to move back to its home base, so a new temple on Narita-san, named Shinshō-ji (New Victory Temple), was built to enshrine it on the spot.
The temple maintains that the original image is enshrined in the Main Hall, where it is displayed on special occasions, but art historians date the current image to no earlier than the 13th century.
- source : wikipedia -



.................................................................. Gifu 岐阜県 　 ....................................................................
不破郡 Fuwa district - 矢通村 Yadori "Shot by an Arrow"

Mikubi Jinja 御頭神社 "Honorable Head Shrine"
On his way from Kyoto back to Kanto, Masakado's head flew over Gifu and someone shot an arrow at it.
To appease Masakado, this shrine was erected.



Now people come here to be healed from diseases of the head, like headache and stroke.
People buy amulets for prevention or offer a hat when they got healed.

- More photos are here:
- source : gifu-net.com/kutikomi-t -


.................................................................. Kyoto 京都府　 ....................................................................

There is a 銀杏 Gingko tree in the town where the head of Masakado got hooked up on his flight to Kanto.
This kind of legend is also known in other regions on his way.



.................................................................. Nara 奈良県　 ....................................................................

During the Rebellion of Masakado, the statue of the Nio at the gate (Shitsu Kongoo Shin 執金剛神) of the Hokke-Do hall at Todai-Ji 東大寺法華堂 suddenly disappeared.
After the rebellion it returned to its cabinet, but one of the feathers behind its head was missing. Now people knew that this deity had become a bee 蜂 and helped the army 征討軍.
The statue is therefore also called 蜂神 "Bee Deity".
But it a "Hidden Statue" and not shown to the public.


source :　wikipedia


. Masakado's Rebellion 平将門の乱 - Heian History .



.................................................................. Shiga 滋賀県 　 ....................................................................
愛知郡 Aichi district

There is a mound called "Shogunzuka" 将軍塚 which is said to be for Masakado.
(Other souces say it is an old Kofun.

Another famous Shogunzuka is in Kyoto.



.................................................................. Yamanashi 山梨県 ................................................................
大月市 Otsuki

Gorinzuka 五輪塚 "Mound of five rings"


source :　kyukaidou-tougemichi

Near the pass 松姫峠 Matsuhimetoge.
Legend knows that special mementos of Masakado are burried here. In former times people prepared new straw sandals every year at the O-Bon festival for the ancestors to come here and clean the place. But then a white serpent appeared and claimed it as a sacred spot. People did not enter after that.

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北都留郡 Kitatsuru district

nakane no kin なかねの金 nakane gold
The ancestors of the 川久保 Kawakubo family once found some nakane no kin near the old hunting ground (kariba カリバ). Legend knows it was lost there by Masakado and cursed, so they should bring it back to its place. Since that time, people come here to bring ritual offerings on the 17th day of the 11th lunar month, the day of kariba カリバの日.

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- - - 平将門はなぜ殺されたのか？

- Reference in Japanese 歴史鑑定 BS TBS -

Shoomonki 将門記 Shomonki - The Records of Masakado
- reference -

- Reference in English -

yokai database 妖怪データベース
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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Masakado in our times - food and restaurants


CLICK for more photos !

Masakaso Senbei 将門煎餅

Masakaso Soba, Masakado Ramen . . .

. Senbei 煎餅 rice crackers .

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- quote -
Kokushi 国司, also read Kuni no tsukasa
were officials in Classical Japan sent from the central government to oversee a province from around the 8th century, after the enactment of the Ritsuryō system. Kokushi held considerable power and responsibility according to the Ritsuryō, including tax collection, etc. The highest level for a Kokushi was Kami (守). So, for instance, the chief kokushi (governor) of Kai would have the title of Kai no Kami (甲斐守). In some cases, the Kami himself was living directly in the province he was charged with, delegating his powers to lower ranking officials. The highest official effectively in charge of the province was called Zuryō (受領).

Kokushi lost their power during the Kamakura Shogunate and furthermore during the Muromachi Shogunate to the Shugo. In subsequent generations, especially in the Edo period, a kokushi title remained as an honorific title.

Ritsuryō (律令) Ritsuryo
is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). Kyaku (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, Shiki (式) are enactments.

Ritsuryō defines both a criminal code (律 Ritsu) and an administrative code (令 Ryō).
During the late Asuka period (late 6th century – 710) and Nara period (710 – 794), the imperial court, trying to replicate China's rigorous political system from the Tang Dynasty, created and enforced some collections of Ritsuryō. Over the course of centuries, the ritsuryō state produced more and more information which was carefully archived; however, with the passage of time in the Heian period, ritsuryō institutions evolved into a political and cultural system without feedback.

The ritsuryō system also established a central administrative government, with the Emperor at its head.

In 645, the Taika reforms were the first signs of implementation of the system.

Registration of the citizens (戸籍 koseki), updated every 6 years, and a yearly tax book (計帳 keichō) were established. Based on the keichō, a tax system was established called (租庸調 So-yō-chō). Tax was levied on rice crops but also on several local products (e.g. cotton, salt, tissue) sent to the capital.

The system also established local corvée at a provincial level by orders of the kokushi (国司), a corvée at the Capital (although the corvée at the capital could be replaced by goods sent) and military service.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


- quote -
... the total numbers of court ranks appearing in Shoku Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, Continued)
112 ranks appearing in Shoku Nihongi in each of the forty maki.
- The Shoku Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan, Continued) is the official court history of eighth-century Japan. Presented to the court of Emperor Kanmu in two recensions, 794 and 797, it comprises the annals of the Japanese imperial court from 697 to 791. This voluminous chronicle, five volumes in the standard edition, contains an enormous amount of information on the imperial institution, economic and demographic history, and also a great amount of detail on the system of court ranks instituted in the Taihō Ritsuryō, promulgated in 701 and 702. ...
- source : Ross Bender - 2017 -


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. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 (1763 - 1828) - Introduction .

梅さくや平親王の御月夜
ume saku ya heishinoo no on tsukiyo

plums are blossoming -
this moonlit night
of Prince Taira

Hei Shinoo 平親王 is another tame for Taira no Masakado.
In 1810, Issa has been to the temple 西林寺 Sairin-Ji in memory of Masakado at least 9 times.



この句は文化７年（１８１０）１２月２３日一茶が西林寺を尋ねた時に詠んだもの ...
- reference source : t-aterui.jp/hitachi -


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uma koma horse legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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uma 馬 koma 駒伝説　horse legends

. uma 馬 koma 駒　the horse in Japanese culture .
- Introduction -


Hachiman koma 八幡駒 Hachiman horse, Aomori

. koma 駒 Horse Toys and Amulets from Japan .


. hakuba 白馬と伝説 Legends about a white horse .

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ema　絵馬 votive tablets
Many legends tell of a painted horse that walks off to feed and cause trouble at night.
. painted by 狩野元信 Kano Motonobu .
. painted by 雪舟等楊 Sesshu Toyo .
at the temple 龍蔵寺 Ryuzo-Ji, Yamaguchi
. Shrine 桙衛神社 Hokutsuki Jinja . - Fukushima

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ryuuma 竜馬 dragon-horse
. carved by 左甚五郎 Hidari Jingoro .


. yabusame 流鏑馬 archery on horseback .


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

. Yama no Kami 山の神 God of the Mountain .
hakuba 白馬 riding on a white horse


. Komagatachoo 駒形町 Komagata district in Tokyo .
Komagata doo 駒形堂 Komagata Do Temple Hall



.................................................................. Akita 秋田県 ............................................................
鹿角市 Kakunodate

Obosuna san オボスナさん，O-Koma san オコマさん
kinma 木馬（きんま) "wooden horse"

火事があると、オボスナさんのオコマさん（白い木馬である）が働くという。耳が少しかけているのは、火事の時にあまりにも働いたせいであるという。



.................................................................. Ehime 愛媛県 ............................................................

. Mizu no kami 馬と水の神 Mizunokami Deity of Water .

川で首切り馬が出て人をとった。毎年旧盆１２日の夜にお念仏を唱えるとそういうことがなくなった。

山王様を祀っている祠の近くは昼なお暗く、おそろしく、ふすまという魔物が住んでいて、人に災いをなした。





.................................................................. Fukushima 福島県 ............................................................

The bones of a horse charred all black are good at lowering fever. They are eaten in case of paratyphus.

...........................................................
三春町 Miharu

. kinma 木馬（きんま) "wooden horse" .
the legend of their origin - 延鎮上人 Saint Enchin



. Miharu koma 三春駒 wooden horses from Miharu .

. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro 坂上田村麻呂 (758 - 811) .
conquering the Emishi (蝦夷征伐 Emishi Seibatsu) in Tohoku.





.................................................................. Kagawa 香川県 ............................................................

. 鬼がうすの山 / 鬼ヶ臼山 Onigausuyama .
and the footprints of a baby




.................................................................. Kochi 高知県 ............................................................
大正町

tanuki 狸 badger and kinma 木馬 "wooden horse"
炭焼きをしていると夜更けに木馬を挽く音やカスガイを打ち抜き炭木を落とすような音がする。朝になって見ると何事もない。狸のいたずらだという。




.................................................................. Kumamoto 熊本県 ............................................................
球磨郡 Kuma

yama no mono ヤマンモン "Man of the mountain" (Kappa)
and kawanhito, kawa n hito カワンヒト "Man of the river" (Kappa) 河童
kinma 木馬 "wooden horse"

The hunters of the forests in Kuma know that the "Man of the mountain" makes his wooden horses trample down with a loud noise to reach the river. So the hunters try to never built their huts in his way. For a new hut they first put a post on the place of a new hut and wait till next morning. If the post is still standing, nobody passed down that way.
Sometimes the Kappa (in his version of "Man of the mountain" comes out and challenges the hunters for a sumo wrestling bout.


Kappa along the 球磨川 Kuma river, watching the fish being grilled.

. Kappa Legends from Kyushu 　河童伝説　- 九州 .




.................................................................. Miyagi 宮城県 ............................................................
.......................................................................
大崎市 Osaki city 古川宮沢 Furukawamiyazawa

. The swamp 化女沼 Kejonuma .





.................................................................. Nagano 長野県 ............................................................
.......................................................................
小県郡 Chiisagata district 長和町 Nagawa

Komagata-iwa 駒形岩 Komagata Rock
Rock with the imprint of a horse



- reference source : Legend of the Iwa Komagata -
A young brother and sister came riding a horse along the mountain road of 滝の沢 Takinozawa. It was very thick fog and first the brother, then the sister fell down into the ravine. The villagers then saw something like a white horse

昔，滝の沢の山道を，まだ小さい兄妹が馬でやってきた。霧の深い日で一寸先も見えず，まず兄が，次いで妹が谷底に転落した。谷は高さ数十メートルもあり，落ちればまず助からない。しかし，しばらくして村の者が白い馬に抱かれるように気を失っている妹を見つけた。妹には怪我一つなかった。妹は駒形（馬の形）が岩に刻まれていたと聞き，信心深い兄が身代わりになって命を助けてくれたのだと言った。兄妹は名のある土豪だったが父が防人に召されている間に手代に家や土地を奪われ，父を探す旅をしていたのだという。丁度この時武人が通りがかり，騒ぎを知って女にあった。武人は父であった。父はその後村人と協力し村のために尽くした。村の発展は駒形岩のおかげだと，今も駒形神社で祭りが行われている。




.................................................................. Tokushima 徳島県 ............................................................
那賀郡 Naka district

. kubikire uma 首切れ馬 horse with the head cut off . *




.................................................................. Tokyo 東京 ............................................................
箱崎町 Hakozakicho

. the grave of 松五郎 Matsugoro .



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yokai database 妖怪データベース  - source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -
uma 馬 1275 entries (00)
koma 駒 87 entires (00)
05 kinma 木馬 (kiuma, ki-uma, kiba) (wooden horse) ()
07 駿馬 shunma (00)

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. hakuba 白馬と伝説 Legends about a white horse .


. Legends about Kobo Daishi Kukai - 弘法大師　空海 - 伝説 .

. Japanese Legends - 伝説　民話　昔話 – ABC-List .

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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Heike Ochudo Legends

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. Japanese legends and tales 伝説　民話 昔話 - Introduction .
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Heike Ochudo densetsu　平家落人伝説 legends about Heike Ochudo

. Heike densetsu　平家伝説 legends about the Heike clan .
- Introduction -

Heike no ochuudo 平家の落人 Ochudo, the defeated soldiers of the Heike
They are said to live in many parts of Japan, often in remote rural mountain regions.
They founded small communities, 平家の里 Heike no Sato.


source :　shurakumachinami.natsu.gs

A map of the spread of the Heike families. 平家落人行動図. Most of them have their own 落人伝説.



Even in my valley in the center of Okayama prefecture, this is a Ochudo community with many family names like
Akihira, Hiraoka, Hiranuma, Shigehira, Ujihira and so on.

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Heike Ochudo Matsuri - Yunishigawa - Samurai Festival

- reference : heike ochudo festival -

- reference : 平家落人　祭り -

日光市 - 平家大祭

平家落人伝説由来の地「椎葉村」 Shiiba village, Miyazaki, Kyushu


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- - - - - ABC List of the prefectures :

.................................................................. Ehime 愛媛県 ....................................................................
城辺町 Johen

A villager had hidden some Ochudo families, but was betrayed and officials came to check. In the following fight, the Ochudo were killed. Before they all died, one of them uttered
この家は庭に植物を絶やさねば食うに困らなくなる.
"If you plant fruit and vegetables in your garden, you will always have enough to eat!"
And so it happened.

At temple 海禅寺 Kaizen-Ji in Uwajima someone begun to dig at the roots of a tree sacred to the Heike,
a Shii oak tree 椎の木. His face became swollen and his extremities limp. This was a curse of the Ochudo.
愛媛県宇和島市蒋淵1679, Temple Kaizen-Ji


source :　yugami189/diary

. shii 椎 the Shii-oak, Pasania .
Often planted as a sacred 神木 shinboku in a shrine or temple.


平家屋敷跡　－ 方城町 Hojomachi Fukuoka, with a Shii tree.
- source : senri.warbirds.jp -




.................................................................. Gifu 岐阜県 .................................................................

. Heike Jizo at 上宝村 Kamitakaramura 双六 Sugoroku village .




.................................................................. Kagawa 香川県 ....................................................................
Takamatsu, 東植田町 Higashiueta

Along the upper region of the river 春日川 Kasukagawa in the hamlet 神村 Kamimura there is a small sanctuary of かまとこ地蔵 Kamatoko Jizo.


- source : sanukimesatobuttestyle -

The defeated soldiers of the Heike had fled to here and hidden in a kiln for charcoal that had not been fired yet. The Genji in hot pursuit found out about it and closed the kiln firmly with a lid of earth to kill them all.
Since then strange and mysterious demonic things happened in the village and to appease the souls of the Heike, the small sanctuary for Jizo was built.




.................................................................. Kochi .................................................................

. 小松玉姫 Princess Komatsu Tama .




.................................................................. Kumamoto　熊本県 .................................................................




. Kappa Legends from Kyushu .

It tells about the defeated soldiers of the Heike, coming here and becoming Kappa.
平家の落人の霊魂は河童となり.

Yatsushiro 八代市 - Goka no Sho, Gokanosho 五家荘 "Five Villages
southern Kumamoto Prefecture
八代市泉町
椎原 Shiibaru、仁田尾 Nitao、樅木 Momiki、葉木 Hagi、久連子 Kureko　

source :　shurakumachinami.natsu.gs


- quote -
Gokanosho - Secret Hiding Ground of the Heike
Johannes Schonherr
The roads leading up here are indeed very narrow, very steep and very curvy. The mountains reach up to 1700 meters and the roads lead over passes as high as 1100 meters. In the winter, the whole area is accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicles and older locals will tell you about that one winter when Gokanosho depended for a whole month on helicopter supplies because the snow was too deep for any ground transport to reach the area.
The villages
are tiny and scattered over a wide area but most of them will have a minshuku (inn) where visitors can stay. In fact, in many cases, the inn will be the only large building in the village, usually also housing a small store and having a post box in front. Often the inn and the tool sheds attached to it are the village.
In the ancient times
before there were things like paved roads these steep mountains were impossible to conquer by any sizable army. This has made them an ideal hiding place - and in this case the final hiding place for a once very powerful clan closely associated to the royal court in Kyoto.
- snip -
Heike Legacy
In Japanese legends, Noh plays, songs, ghost stories and novels, however, the tragic fate of the Heike has left an enduring legacy. The best experience perhaps of this legacy in Gokanosho is the kagura at Heike no Sato (Heike Village), a performance space built in the design of a shrine.
Kagura
are traditionally raunchy farmers' dances re-enacting ancient tales of the Shinto gods. Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture, not far from Gokanosho, is most famous for this type of kagura.
At Heike no Sato,
however, the performances are of a rather somber type. The kagura is usually held in early to mid-November, the time when Gokanosho is in the midst of its intensely colorful autumn foliage. Burning torches light the nightly colors on the way to the open-air stage.
After the customary kagura dance designed to "clear the space for the gods," all further action is celebrating the sad fate of the Heike. Dances to songs bemoaning the Heike are performed by people from the village who may or may not be able to trace their ancestors right back to the old warriors of 800 years ago.
- - - - - Check out the photos and more links :
- source : japanvisitor.com -


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- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -
02 平家落人 (02)
25 平家の落人 (01)

- reference : Heike Ochudo -

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. minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends .
- Introduction -

- Yookai 妖怪 Yokai Monsters of Japan -
- Introduction -

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