Taira no Masakado- Japanese SpiritSpirit"Shinnō"

The Rebellion and Death

Taira no Masakado was a warrior of the Taira clan who rose to power in the Kantō region during the early tenth century. Disputes with kinsmen over land in the eastern provinces escalated into open conflict with the imperial court. In 939, Masakado seized the provincial government offices of Shimōsa, Kōzuke, and other eastern provinces and declared himself Shinnō, the "New Emperor." The Shōmonki records how he claimed to have received this title through a divine oracle from Hachiman.

His rebellion was short-lived. In the second month of 940, forces led by Fujiwara no Hidesato and Taira no Sadamori cornered Masakado in Shimōsa Province. He was struck by an arrow and killed in battle. His head was severed and sent to Kyoto for public display.

The Flying Head

After being displayed at the prison gate in Kyoto, the head reportedly continued to show signs of life. Its complexion stayed vivid, its eyes open, glaring at passersby. According to accounts preserved in the Kojidan and other medieval collections, the head eventually rose into the air and flew eastward, returning to the Kantō region where Masakado had held power.

It came to earth in the area that would later become Edo, and eventually Tokyo. A burial mound, the kubizuka, was raised where it landed, in what is now the Ōtemachi district at the heart of Tokyo's financial center.

The Kubizuka

Throughout the centuries, attempts to disturb or build upon the grave mound were followed by misfortune. After the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 destroyed much of Tokyo, the Ministry of Finance built temporary offices on the kubizuka site. Officials involved in the project suffered a series of unexplained deaths and illnesses, and the buildings were removed. After the Pacific War, occupation authorities planned to clear the site. Accidents and illness among workers led to the plans being abandoned.

The kubizuka remains today as a small stone monument surrounded by the glass towers of Ōtemachi, meticulously maintained with fresh flowers and offerings by workers from nearby offices who prefer to honor Masakado's spirit rather than test it.

From Onryō to God

Kanda Shrine in Tokyo enshrines Masakado as a principal deity alongside Ōkuninushi and Sukunabikona. The rebel who defied the emperor is now venerated as a protector against disaster. Sugawara no Michizane's ghost had walked the same path from vengeful spirit to city guardian a century earlier. In both cases, the spirit too dangerous to ignore became, once properly honored, a protector of the city that had feared him.