Showdown! The Demon King of the Heian Period, Taira no Masakado vs. Buddha no Jozo

Hello. The time for the announcement has come. This is a shocking announcement from HHK (Heian Broadcasting Association). First, here.

Taira no Masakado, a rough warrior from the Banto region, rebelled.

Taira no Madakado was the son of Taira no Yoshimasa (or Yoshimochi), Chinjufu Shogun and the third son of King Takamochi, who was the fourth imperial descendant of 50th emperor of Japan, Kammu Emperor, and was given the family title of Hei.

Since King Takamochi descended and settled in the Kanto region as a provincial governor, the Kammu Hei clan has been growing in power in various parts of the Kanto region. Masakado was a warrior who managed his name (land) as a so-called Fumyo (fumyo = one who bears the name [land] = manager of the land), but what exactly happened to him?

On the ground, a live feed is connected to the Fujiwara Nagamichi spokesperson.
Mr. Fujiwara.

Yes, this is Iwai township, Shimousa Sashima County reporting live from here.

Mr. Fujiwara, quickly, the rebellion of the Taira no Masakado against the state. What exactly lies behind this?

Yes. The background to the Shogun’s rebellion, which may have originated from a problem with the national government over tax payments.

The problem over the taxes.
Mr. Fujiwara, what is the problem like specifically?

Whatever the reason, the state cannot allow that to happen. The Imperial Court sent 4000 soldiers, including Fujiwara Hidesato and Taira Sadamori, who were defending the eastern provinces, to the region to hunt down Masakado, and the battle is now under way.

Mr. Fujiwara, how is the war situation now?

Yes. The current war situation is not a good one. The battle began at 3 pm on 14 February (940), when the attacking forces discovered Masakado in hiding and immediately launched an all-out assault. However, Masakado himself is in charge of the campaign and is attacking with a tailwind, which has led to more than half of the 4,000 being wiped out.

I am also continuing to report on the situation while evacuating o a safer place, but I am still worried about what is going to happen.

That is all from the field. I will keep you informed as soon as there are any further developments.

adsense2

No – I cannot hide my surprise that Taira no Masakado rebelled against the state and called himself the ‘new emperor’. Meanwhile, this is a live broadcast of prayers being held at Enryaku-ji’s Shuryo Gonin to subdue Masakado.

Spokesperson Yoshitake Shikibu on the scene, can you hear me?

Yes. Prayers to subdue Masakado are being held at Enryaku-ji’s Shurankyoin temple. The prayer is said to be by Jozo, a Tendai monk known for his strong spiritual power to revive the dead and destroy demons. He once performed a miracle when his father, Kiyoyuki Miyoshi, died, praying on the ‘Tuchimikado Bridge’ (today’s Ichijo-gomen Brdige) and bringing Kiyoyiki back to the present world for a brief time. For this reason, there are high expectations for its competence this time as well.

What will really happen?

Masakado, a rough warrior of the Bando. It is unforgivable to disobey the state and call oneself the ‘new emperor’. Be prepared for the worst.

The head of Masakdo, it will surely be hung in Kyoto.

An arrow of the god of spiritual power, please pierce the demon king of the Heian period, Taira Masakado, who rages in the land of the Bando.

Yaaaah!

Ha! Ladies and gentlemen! Did you see it? Now, now, something like an arrow was shot towards the heavens at a tremendous speed. Oh, where will that arrow really go?

That’s all from here for now.

Thank you, Yoshitaka Shikibu, spokesperson.
Ah, here’s a breaking story. We have a breaking story!

What on earth has happened?

Mr. Fujiwara, on the site.

Yes. To my surprise, just now, the wind suddenly changed direction and the horses of the Masakado’s army got stuck, and it appears that the positions were reversed in an instant.
Then, an arrow flew out of nowhere and hit Masakado in the forehead, killing him without a moment’s hesitation.

K.O.
Zetmate!

These are some of the shocking news from the field.

Later, Masakado’s head was brought back by Fujiwara Hidesato and others, and was exposed in the capital’s Higashi no ichi, as predicted by Jozo.

*Zetmate.
A coined word (by the author) that combines zetumei, meaning death, and checkmate, meaning a last-ditch move that cannot be escaped in any way.

References

Kyoto Makai Chizu – A Journey of Kyoto’s Backstory
Romance Traced with Maps and Photos (Bessatu Takarajima 2356, 2015).
Tatuhiko Shimomukai, The Growth of the Samurai and Insei: Japanese History 07 (Kodansha 2009).
Naohiro Asao, Shunichi Uno and Taku Tanaka (eds.), Kadokawa Dictionary of Japanese History, pp. “Taira no Masakado” and “Taira no Masakado no Ran” (1997, Kadokawa Shoten).

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Author

じゅうべい(Jubei)
Hello everyone. I am Jubei, an earthling whose energy does not stop today. What I like is playing (manga, movies, music (J-Rock, etc.) and visiting cafes). Thank you for your understanding.