Tokyo is built on the head of a decapitated god

Edo Castle was the seed that sprouted in Tokyo. Once a quiet village in eastern Japan, the city later grew around fortifications, making Edo Castle (now the Tokyo Imperial Palace) and its surrounding lands the undisputed spiritual center of the Japanese capital. This is a problem because technically the entire region “belongs” to the spirit of the samurai warlord and rebel Taira Shomon (平正门, died in 940 AD).

This is because his head is buried just a stone’s throw away from the future ruins of Edo Castle, even before the Edo period, and more importantly, was granted divinity at the main gate and was known as “the angriest soul in all Japan” “Before”. Many cities have skeletons hidden in closets, but Tokyo may be the only place in the world where the decapitated head of an angry god is hidden in its basement.

From head to just a head

Taira Masamon was born into a noble samurai family in modern Ibaraki Prefecture in the early 10th century. As a descendant of Emperor Sekimu, Masakado traveled to Kyoto in his youth to seek a palace title befitting his bloodline, but was rejected for unknown reasons.

Angry at the humiliation at court, or over a dispute over a woman or some land (depending on the source), Zhengmon returned to the east and started quarreling with anyone who looked at him funny. He proved to be very good at this, overcoming ambushes and superior forces on the battlefield with strategy and bravery. He also likes to burn the properties of his defeated enemies so that everyone knows that Taira Masato is angry and will become a problem for everyone else.

Things temporarily calmed down after the emperor’s intervention, but in 939 a tax dispute left Masato in trouble, and he eventually overthrew the local governor, burned several buildings to maintain his brand, and seized the province of Hitachi of control. He then moved on, conquering Shimono and Ozawa, and taking full control of Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma prefectures in the 10th century.

I feel like this is a good start, Zhengmen crowns himself Shino (New Emperor) and proposed to Kyoto to divide Japan. The old emperor would keep the lands in the west, while Masato would conquer the rest of eastern Japan, and everyone would live happily ever after. Kyoto refused and placed a bounty on the rebels. Two months later, Ping Jiangmen died at the hands of his cousin.

Take me to Tokyo on the Wings of Fury

Masato’s decapitated head is on display in Kyoto as a warning to anyone thinking of rebelling against the central government. It wasn’t entirely a success, as Masato reportedly remained full of fighting spirit even in death. Months passed, but instead of rotting away, the head laughed maniacally and even started shouting how much it wanted its body back so it could burn more stuff. The real history ends here and the legend of Heishemon begins.

Eventually tiring of the shouting, the head flew into the sky and began flying home, presumably fueled by white-hot rage. However, on the way, it was shot by a monk and crashed in Shibasaki Village. Locals picked up the head and buried it in a tomb at Kanda Myojin Shrine, located at the entrance to what would become Edo Castle.

The main entrance rests there, although not entirely peacefully. Though worshiped by the lower classes for standing up to the arrogant nobles, the ghost of Jeongmon has been reportedly seen wandering around his tomb for centuries. Later, the expansion of Edo Castle forced Kanda Shrine to move, leaving the mound at the main entrance behind. He didn’t take it well. Stories abounded of the ghosts and deadly plagues these disembodied samurai unleashed on Edo, until his soul was officially enshrined at the relocated Kanda Myojin – who began to worship him as a god – with a statue on his head. A memorial grave was built over the mound. However, this is just the beginning of Tokyo Gods of Fury.

Tomb of Zhengmen

Tokyo’s Paranormal Barometer

In 1874, Emperor Meiji was planning to visit Kanda Shrine, but everyone thought it was inappropriate for him to go to a shrine dedicated to a man who rebelled against the imperial court. So, because they apparently had never read the horror stories, the shrine removed the deity from the main entrance and moved his monument outside the main building. This time, the main entrance real He’s not taking it well—but he’s also biding his time. When the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of the city in 1923, some actually blamed the angry spirit of the fledgling Tairamasamon. After a temporary Treasury headquarters was built on his grave, rumors began to circulate about sick employees and unexplained accidents in the building. In five years, 14 ministers actually died, including the finance minister himself.

You could dismiss it as a coincidence, but the government took it seriously and demolished the provincial government building, restored the tomb at the main entrance, and held a resting ceremony. After World War II, the U.S. Army reportedly tried to build a parking lot at the site, but changed its mind after a bizarre bulldozer accident resulted in fatalities — or so the legend goes. The fact is that by the 1940s, almost all accidents in that area of ​​Tokyo were blamed on Masato, and the emotions of the beheaded souls were said to be tied to the fate of the city itself.

In 1984, after decades of public protest, the rebel samurai regained godlike status. He also received an expansion to his legend, which now identifies his daughter as a powerful witch who could control frogs, which is why the tomb at the main entrance is occasionally decorated with frog statues left by prayers.

Do people really believe this?

Sometimes it’s fun to take on the role of a fictional character and act as if your city’s weird urban legends are real. But to be honest, many Tokyoites believe in the legend of Heimamon Very Seriously. Multinational companies based around the main tomb are responsible for ensuring that the tomb is free of any disturbance, forming the Heiseimon Memorial Committee, and one local bank actually encourages its employees to pray at the site at least once a month. In the late 1990s, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank even opened an account in the name of “Tairamasamon” for the people who took care of the resting place of the angry samurai, despite the land value of the account millions of dollarsmay never be developed out of fear of what might happen.

This belief remains strong. In 2020, renovation work began on the site, and the main entrance statue was temporarily moved to Kanda Shrine on November 22. That day coincided with an earthquake in Ibaraki Prefecture, and people online immediately connected the two because the headless corpse at the main entrance was at Kanda Shrine. Buried in a temple in Ibaraki Prefecture. coincide? It’s possible, since it’s not certain whether Masato’s head is in Tokyo. When the Treasury built an office on the tomb, they first excavated it, but no skull was found. But it’s also possible that they missed it, or that it moved due to the movement of the Earth, or that it was secretly moved in the past. Probably was However, there was one time. it possible Still there.

But in the end, it doesn’t matter, because the belief in Hei Shomon’s magical head gives the myth its power. Plus, it’s an interesting story, so why ruin it with annoying details like facts? This Halloween season, let’s choose to believe that there really is a decapitated head of an angry god beneath Tokyo: life will be a little more exciting that way.

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