A Beautiful History Lesson From Ancient Japan.
In 12th Century Japan, A Samurai Clan of Warriors called the Haikei existed. The Nominal leader of the Clan, the Emporer of Japan, was a 7 year old boy called Antoku, his guardian, his grandmother, the Lady Neihi.
The Haikei were engaged in a long and bloody war with another Samurai clan, the Genji. Each ascerted a superior, ancestoral claim to the imperial thrown. Their decisive encounter occured at Feno Kura in the Japanese inland sea on April 24th 1185 AD.
The Haikei were badly outnumbered and outmanoevered, with their cause clearly lost the remaining Haikei warriors threw themselves into the sea and drowned. The emporer's grandmother resolved that Antoku would never be captured by the enemy. What happened next is related in "The Tale of the Haikei".
The young emporer asked the lady, "where are you to take me?" She turned to the young sovereign, with tears streaming down her cheeks and comforted him. Blinded with tears the young child sovereign put his hands together and first turned to the God of the East, Isai, the turned to the God of the West to recite the Nembutstu a prayer to the Anida Buddha. The Lady Nihi took him in her arms and with the words "In the depths of the oceans is our capital" and sank with him at last beneath the waves.
The destruction of the Haikei battle fleets at Dano Hura marked the end of the clan's 30 year rule. The heiki all but vanished from historuy. Only 43 Heiki survived, these former ladies in waiting to the imperial court were were reduced to selling flowers and themselves to fisherman near the scene of the battle. These women and their offspring by the fisher folk established a festival to commemorate the battle. To this day, every year on the 24th of April, their descendants proceed to the Okama shrine which contains the moseleum to the drowned emporoer Antuku. There they perform a ceremony of rememberance to the life and death of the Haikei warriors.
A tale I discovered today and a tale which shows that even after nearly 1000 years, heritage and rememberance come together. I hope you enjoyed the little history lesson.
Shemyaza
In 12th Century Japan, A Samurai Clan of Warriors called the Haikei existed. The Nominal leader of the Clan, the Emporer of Japan, was a 7 year old boy called Antoku, his guardian, his grandmother, the Lady Neihi.
The Haikei were engaged in a long and bloody war with another Samurai clan, the Genji. Each ascerted a superior, ancestoral claim to the imperial thrown. Their decisive encounter occured at Feno Kura in the Japanese inland sea on April 24th 1185 AD.
The Haikei were badly outnumbered and outmanoevered, with their cause clearly lost the remaining Haikei warriors threw themselves into the sea and drowned. The emporer's grandmother resolved that Antoku would never be captured by the enemy. What happened next is related in "The Tale of the Haikei".
The young emporer asked the lady, "where are you to take me?" She turned to the young sovereign, with tears streaming down her cheeks and comforted him. Blinded with tears the young child sovereign put his hands together and first turned to the God of the East, Isai, the turned to the God of the West to recite the Nembutstu a prayer to the Anida Buddha. The Lady Nihi took him in her arms and with the words "In the depths of the oceans is our capital" and sank with him at last beneath the waves.
The destruction of the Haikei battle fleets at Dano Hura marked the end of the clan's 30 year rule. The heiki all but vanished from historuy. Only 43 Heiki survived, these former ladies in waiting to the imperial court were were reduced to selling flowers and themselves to fisherman near the scene of the battle. These women and their offspring by the fisher folk established a festival to commemorate the battle. To this day, every year on the 24th of April, their descendants proceed to the Okama shrine which contains the moseleum to the drowned emporoer Antuku. There they perform a ceremony of rememberance to the life and death of the Haikei warriors.
A tale I discovered today and a tale which shows that even after nearly 1000 years, heritage and rememberance come together. I hope you enjoyed the little history lesson.
Shemyaza
aesirr:
Indeed man, very interesting.