Kokuo Shrine, the final resting place of Taira no Masakado
On February 14, 940, the third year of Tenkei (940), the army of Taira Masakado, who was now based in Ishii-go, Sarushima-gun, Shimousa Province (present-day Iwai, Bando City, Ibaraki Prefecture) as the new emperor, faced off against the allied forces of Fujiwara no Hidesato and Taira no Sadamori, who had been ordered by the Imperial Court to defeat Masakado, in this place where they faced off against the combined forces of 3,000 enemy troops.
Masakado's 400 elite soldiers initially had the wind at their backs and overwhelmed the enemy with their 3,000 troops.
However, the wind suddenly turned and Masakado was put at a disadvantage. As he retreated to his camp in the northern mountains, he was hit by a stray arrow and killed in battle.
According to local legend, after his head was taken, Masakado's body was placed on horseback and brought to this place (near Ishii Camp), which would later become Kokuo Shrine.
Time passed, and 32 years after Masakado's death, a nun came to visit Ishii-go.
This was Nyozo-ni, Masakado's third daughter, who had taken refuge at Enichi-ji Temple in Oshu.
Nyozo-ni, who was living a secluded life in Oshu, one day had a nightmare and hurried back to Shimousa to ask the villagers where her father had died.
The villagers had kept their mouths shut, remembering the fierce hunt for the remnants of the clan, but when they discovered that the nun was related to Masakado, they guided her to the place where Masakado died - the current Kokuo Shrine.
It is said that Nyozo-ni found a mysterious tree in the nearby forest and, with a single stroke of the sword and three bows, solemnly carved an image of her father's spirit into it.
Then in the spring, on February 14th, the 33rd anniversary of her father's death, she built a shrine and enshrined it with the title "Kokuo Daimyojin."
This shrine, which was offered in prayer for peace throughout the country and national safety, is the current Kokuo Shrine, and has been a source of deep faith for over a thousand years since.
#Kokuo Shrine #Ibaraki Prefecture #Bandō City, Ibaraki Prefecture #Taira Masakado #Least attractive prefecture