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was the eldest regent of the
On May 12, 1179, a great whirlwind swept through the imperial capital, Kyoto. Many people died along with many buildings destroyed by the tornado. Only a few days after the incident, he fell ill and died at the age of 42, possible due from poisonous smoke that came from the tornado.
was the eldest regent of the Taira
The was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period of Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto, the Fujiwara, and the Tachibana. The clan is divided into four major groups, named ...
clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori
was a military leader and '' kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan.
Early life
Kiyomori was born in Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira ...
. He supported his father in the Heiji Rebellion. He died two years before his father. His son, Taira no Koremori, became a monk in 1184 during Genpei War
The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...
period, and drowned himself. Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
claimed to have descended from him through his grandson, Taira no Chikazane.
Life
Shigemori was caught between his father Kiyomori and Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and suffered mentally. His words are well known in Japan. He was Kiyomori's favourite son, but as he had died ("some said of grief at his father's stubborn and misguided treatment of his opponents") his brother,Taira no Munemori
was heir to Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira clan's chief commanders in the Genpei War.
As his father Taira no Kiyomori laid on his deathbed, Kiyomori declared, among his last wishes, that all affairs of the clan be placed in Munemor ...
was left in charge of the affairs of state. Sansom, G. (1958). A History of Japan to 1334. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, p.287.
Portrayal in ''The Tale of the Heike''
Taira no Shigemori appeared in ''The Tale of the Heike
is an epic account compiled prior to 1330 of the struggle between the Taira clan and Minamoto clan for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War (1180–1185).
It has been translated into English at least five times. ...
,'' one of the traditional classics in medieval Japan.
Death
On May 12, 1179, a great whirlwind swept through the imperial capital, Kyoto. Many people died along with many buildings destroyed by the tornado. Only a few days after the incident, he fell ill and died at the age of 42, possible due from poisonous smoke that came from the tornado.
Lanterns
Shigemori built a temple forty-eight bays long, inspired by the forty-eight great vows of the BuddhaAmida
Amida can mean :
Places and jurisdictions
* Amida (Mesopotamia), now Diyarbakır, an ancient city in Asian Turkey; it is (nominal) seat of:
** The Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Amida
** The Latin titular Metropolitan see of Amida of the Ro ...
, and in each bay he hung a lantern. He then became known as the "Lantern Minister".
Gold to China
In 1173, Shigemori made an agreement with a ship captain name Miao Dian inKyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
. He gave 500 tael
Tael ( ),"Tael" entry
at the
at the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
, 1000 to the monks of Mount Yuwang, and 2000 to purchase paddy fields for the monastery, so that the monks may offer prayers for him in his future lives. Miao Dian received the gold, crossed the ocean, and took it to the land of the Song dynasty
The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
.
Children
Taira no Koremori 1158-1184References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taira no, Shigemori 1138 births 1179 deaths Taira clan People of the Heian period Buddhist clergy of the Heian period Deified Japanese men