What would you do if your little family fight snowballed into a rebellion that killed thousands?
We’re in the Heian Period.
Taira no Masakado (平将門) was born into the strongest branch of the Taira clan, the
branch that descended from Emperor Kanmu, the Michelle Branch (they’re Everywhere
in government).
Historian Karl Friday calls him the first samurai, because he raised and led warbands
bound to him like samurai would for centuries to come.
He wasn’t literally the first, the warrior class arose in Japan gradually so it’s arbitrary
to decide who was the first, but Masakado was a very early samurai leader.
Whatever you wanna call him, be nice, because he became a legend.
The Taira clan’s claim to fame was that they were warriors.
If one night you suddenly had a craving for war, you’d call up a Taira and they’d
prepare a nice army for you.
They had an arch nemesis warrior clan though, the Minamoto.
These two were the McDonald’s and Burger King of war in the Heian Period.
They both get the job done, but prepare for a lot of bloodshed.
In his early years, Taira no Masakado pursued a career in the capital, but he had a hard
time climbing the government ladder.
He decided to leave the capital and drag himself home to Shimosa Province and live a sorry
life of owning a bunch of land and people and being super powerful in the province.
His family bred and raised cattle and horses.
Raising horses was a lucrative gig.
You see, government officials liked to give each other horses as gifts.
Horses were like POP figures, the default gift when you can’t think of a gift.
Except people liked getting horses, and no one likes getting a POP figure.
So with all the nobles hanging around buying horses, the Masakado household was rich in
money and influence.
Horses had another benefit.
A warrior class was rising in Japan, a warrior class of elite horse archers.
If Masakado needed horse archers for his army, he already had the horses.
He just needed to go get the archers from the archer ranch next door.
Masakado was living as a rich bachelor landowner until he decided to get married to his cousin.
Ew, I know.
Why would you leave that sweet bachelor lifestyle?
Case in point, this was when all his trouble started.
His father-in-law was his uncle, Taira no Yoshikane (平義兼).
Masakado pissed off Uncle Yoshikane by refusing to go live in his uncle’s home.
Let me explain.
Back then, it was expected for nobles to go live with the wife’s family, so that would
be the home of Uncle Yoshikane in this case.
But Masakado said “No, thanks” and the couple moved in together, in his home.
The two men did not get along and as time went on, they and their allies split into
two sides.
One day in the year 935, the household feud erupted into the battlefield.
Now you may be saying, “Oh c’mon, that’s ridiculous.
All that because one man wouldn’t live in his father-in-law’s house?”
Well it was a power thing.
Living in Uncle Yoshikane’s house meant he’d be living under his father-in-law’s
influence.
His father-in-law’s family would also take care of his kids and mold their smooth minds
into people who would benefit the family.
It was a big insult to Uncle Yoshikane that Masakado refused.
So you’re right, it *is* ridiculous.
The years of fighting afterwards, which we’ll call Masakado’s Rebellion, was a different
type of war than Japan was used to.
Prior major wars were against outsiders, for land or alongside foreign allies.
The Japanese state raised large armies for these expeditions.
Masakado’s Rebellion started out as a fight not between Japan and a foreign enemy, but
between two Japanese men for influence within the Taira family.
The two sides fought for their guy, their military leader, instead of for the state.
As strong military men popped up all over Japan, this type of war would become common.
Yeah, hundreds of years of carnage and suffering followed, but at least it supplied content
for half of the anime industry.
The other half involves tentacles.
In 935, Masakado led an army into Hitachi Province, right into an ambush by Uncle Yoshikane’s
allies.
Masakado turned out to be a boss and the Masakado Train just rolled over the allied forces,
killing some important figures.
He wasn’t done though, he was so mad that he burned down 500 houses belonging to the
allies, which was unnecessary but okay, I just want you to be happy.
After this defeat Uncle Yoshikane entered the fight, his brother was one of those that
Masakado killed after all.
Uncle Yoshikane raised an army that included Taira no Sadamori (平貞盛), whose father
died in the fighting.
Sadamori was Masakado’s cousin.
Yeah they were all related.
Masakado was in a foreign province, tired, and outnumbered, and now he had to defend
against another army.
He liked those odds.
Masakado kicked that army’s ass like he was a corporate lobbyist and they were the
middle class, and surrounded them.
Now he had two choices.
Kill his uncle, or let him go.
Remember this was a civil war within the Taira clan.
They were all related, and his uncle was a big shot in the family.
Killing his uncle may cause the rest of the Taira clan to shun him or even attack him.
So he let his uncle go.
That turned out to be a bad idea.
Not able to defeat Masakado on the battlefield, the other side snitched to daddy.
They sent a letter to the Emperor and the court complaining that Masakado killed Taira
clan members.
This seems unfair, since Masakado had only defended himself.
Masakado was summoned to the capital.
Luckily he had a powerful friend, the regent, the most powerful man in court, and the man
that he had served under when he was still working in the capital.
The court pardoned Masakado of all crimes.
Now this should have stopped the attacks against Masakado.
Unfortunately, the official pardon was like a degree from the University of Phoenix.
Useless.
When he came back from the capital, his enemies continued with the attacks.
Masakado lived a life of fighting for his survival.
This stage of the war went on for a while.
Here are some interesting events that happened.
In one battle, Uncle Yoshikane placed a statue of the Taira ancestor, Prince Takamochi, in
front of his troops to dissuade Masakado from attacking.
Apparently it worked because Masakado retreated.
They kidnapped Masakado’s wife one time, but her younger brothers freed her and she
returned to her husband.
At one point, Masakado crushed Uncle Yoshikane so hard he lost the ability to raise a decent
army.
Uncle Yoshikane resorted to treachery.
He convinced one of Masakado’s men to switch sides and point him to the weaknesses in Masakado’s
camp.
Luckily, another of Masakado’s men figured out something was off and warned his warlord.
Always warn your warlord.
Masakado was ready for Uncle Yoshikane’s force.
"With flaming eyes, clenched teeth, he advances and charges.
His enemies throw away their shields and flee, scattering like the clouds.
Masakado mounts his horse and pursues them like the wind."
Uncle Yoshikane fled, and later got sick and died.
What’s interesting was that the court was totally aware of the war that was happening.
Masakado and his enemies, particularly Cousin Taira no Sadamori, kept appealing to the central
government.
Both sides wanted things to at least appear legal.
Masakado actually waited to get an arrest warrant approved by the court before he seriously
went after his uncle and cousin, but once he did, the Masakado Train just plowed over
them.
Cousin Sadamori had to hide in the mountains for months evading Masakado’s wrath.
But the anti-Masakado side was so relentless in their anti-Masakado propaganda that the
court again summoned him to the capital.
Rumors that he was planning to commit treason spread around town.
He was furious that the court would listen to people who had an arrest warrant on their
heads, and believing he had done nothing wrong, Masakado refused the government order to appear
in the capital.
Well it seems like this is the beginning of Masakado’s distrust of the central government,
and perhaps they were right to question his loyalties.
Masakado would make moves to create his own state within Japan and declare himself the
new emperor.
Alright, time for today’s quiz.
What is the name of the yokai that is just an invisible wall you can’t pass through?
Let me know in the comments and I’ll randomly choose a winner tomorrow.
Winner gets one of these thingies.
The last winner was Alana Dyer.
Good luck!
Hey check out this video here, it may be the next Taira no Masakado video, or it may be
a random video.
See ya there!
Alright, much love guys, and spread the knowledge!