First Memorial Service Attended by Descendants of Old Foes in the 450 Years after the Burning Down

 On September 12, 1571, Oda Nobunaga, a warlord representing Japan’s Warring States period, and his vassals, including Akechi Mitsuhide, burned down Hieizan Enryakuji Temple, with which they had a hostile relationship in those days.

 Afterward, Oda Nobunaga won a number of battles, leading him to be just one step away from the unification of Japan. However, he was eventually defeated by Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnoji Incident. Akechi Mitsuhide, however, was also defeated later by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, another vassal of Nobunaga.

 On September 12, 2021, the 450th anniversary of the burning down of the temple, the Hieizan Buddhist Culture Symposium was held online, attended by descendants of the Oda and Akechi clans. This was the first time that Hieizan Enryakuji Temple invited descendants of the two lines.

 The descendants, whether their ancestors won or lost, offered prayers for the victims after 450 years.

 Burned down by Oda Nobunaga and his vassals, including Akechi Mitsuhide, Enryakuji Temple incurred many casualties. Since establishing a memorial mound in 1992, Enryakuji has been holding an annual memorial service.

 This year’s memorial service, performed before the symposium, was attended by descendants of the Oda and Akechi clans for the first time to pay tribute to the victims together.

 The symposium began with an address by Jakuho Mizuo, a top monk at Enryakuji Temple. He stated that the memorial service and symposium were in accordance with the prominent monk Dengyo Daishi Saicho’s teaching of “accept everything with sincerity based on the spirit of compassion and love” and that the event would mark a new chapter in history.

 Mr. Kenzaburo Akechi, a descendant of Mitsuhide, said that his ancestor must be surprised very much to find that his descendant was present at the event. He went on to say that although there was still war in the world, it was important to pursue a world free from war, no matter how difficult it was.

 Meanwhile, Mr. Shigekazu Oda, a descendant of Nobunaga, saying that he was overwhelmed with emotion, expressed his appreciation for the fate leading him to attend the event and showed his willingness to exchange views with monks of the temple in the near future to contribute to creating a new era.

 The symposium panelists shared the recognition that the tragedy of the burning down of Hieizan had occurred because of the historical backdrop of the Warring States period, when fighting was part of daily life. At the end of the event, Monk Mizuo stated that the attackers had also been defeated by someone else in other battles and this constituted a history which people today were in. He showed his expectation for the future, saying that the day of the event would serve as a starting point for new relationships.

 This symposium was co-sponsored by the Biwako Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism of Shiga Prefecture. The second part of the event included a live performance by an Indian-ink painting artist.

You can watch the symposium on YouTube from the URL below.

URL: https://youtu.be/DBUvXqmnZaY

 As the head temple of the Tendai sect, Hieizan Enryakuji Temple was founded by the Buddhist monk Dengyo Daishi Saicho about 1,200 years ago on Mt. Hiei in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture.

 With sub-temples located in different parts on the 848 m mountain, monks train themselves in a wide variety of manners.

 In 1994, the temple was placed on the list of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in recognition of its 1,200-year history and culture.

 Providing access by car and ropeway, the temple today accepts sightseeing visitors.

 The temple has lodging for pilgrims, and the facility can be used by sightseeing visitors as well. In addition, various experiences, such as enjoying vegetarian dishes, trying zazen meditation, and copying sutra by hand, are also available.

 Some 450 years ago, Japan was in a turbulent period with military figures rising in different parts of the country and struggling for hegemony fiercely.

 The Warring States period, when military figures competed with one another to unify the country, is one of the most popular eras, fascinating many fans of Japanese history. In particular, military figures in the Warring States period are popular, leading them to be featured as characters of not only novels, movies, and dramas but also manga comics, games and many other forms of contemporary culture.

 Among such figures, Oda Nobunaga, introduced in this article, ranked first, way ahead of others, in a popularity poll of military figures in the Warring State period. Organized as part of a TV program, the poll was answered by 100,000 Japanese people.

 Shiga Prefecture was the place that Oda Nobunaga selected as his base for unifying Japan and constructed Azuchi Castle.

 In those days, Shiga Prefecture was called ”Omi-no-kuni.” Since the area was located in the center of Japan, it served as a traffic hub with the main roads crossing and with water transportation being available due to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake. Because of this geographical importance, it was said that “If you rule Omi, you can rule the whole land.”

 In fact, many renowned military figures, such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Ishida Mitsunari, and Akechi Mitsuhide, set up a castle in Shiga Prefecture and aspired to unify Japan.

 Shiga Prefecture is home to more than 1,300 castle remains, and it is said that the prefecture is No. 1 in terms of the number of castles per area. Even today, Shiga Prefecture boasts many historic structures, cultural assets, historic sites and other time-honored properties that please the eyes of visitors.