The Ancient Japanese Good-Family Clans and Piracy (1-3) ——Otenmon Conspiracy (3)——

Can you tell who conspired with whom against who? Hardly can I. In Riho Oki and Okagami Uragaki’s story, pecking order No.3 and No.4 tried to oust No.2, maybe to get promoted, but failed. Maybe, it was pecking No.2 who tried to….. We have a few more clues: Fujiwara Yoshifusa, pecking order No.1, had been seriously ill from the end of the year 864 to September 865. Fujiwara Mototsune, Yoshifusa’s adopted son, was yet to be in his thirties. Who would be Fujiwara Clan’s leader if Yoshifusa were to die? At the end of the year 864, there was also a whistle-blowing that Minamoto Makoto was planning to revolt with his younger brothers, Toru and Tsutomu. Tomo Yoshio attacked Minamoto Clan counting on the letter. Who on earth composed the letter? At the time of Otenmon Incident, Oyake Taketori was working for Bicchu Province. He had been a low-ranked officer in Wu Hyoe Fu, a kind of the office of the guards. Minamoto Tsutomu supervised the office of the guards before he was later promoted to be the vice-governor in Bicchu Province in January, 866. What a coincidence! In the spring of the year 866, Tomo Yoshio surrounded Minamoto Makoto’s mansion house, claiming that he was just sending messengers. On August the 3rd, 866, as you already know, Oyake Taketori notified that Tomo Yoshio and his son, Nakatsune, had set fire to Oten-mon Gate. On the 29th, Oyake Taketori’s daughter was murdered by Ikue Tsuneyama. Even if we can’t tell who conspired with whom against who, we can learn a lesson through those incidents. Blood will have blood. (to be continued)