Taira no Shigemori

Taira no Shigemori (平重盛, 1138 – September 2, 1179) was the favorite son, and the eldest, of the Taira clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori. He supported his father in the Heiji Rebellion. He died, "some said of grief at his father's stubborn and misguided treatment of his opponents."[1] He was the ancestor of Oda Nobunaga by his grandson, Taira no Chikazane. His sons were Taira no Koremori and Taira no Sukemori (father of Taira no Chikazane).

Portrait of Taira no Shigemori (from the Tenshi-Sekkan Miei)
In this Japanese name, the family name is Taira.

In 1179, he ordained as a Buddhist monk and received the Dharma name Jōren (浄蓮).

Shigemori in The Tale of the Heike

Death (3:10,11,12)
Taira no Shigemori sending gold to China

On the twelfth of the fifth month of Jishō 3 (1179), a great whirlwind swept through the capital. Buildings and also many lives were lost. Lord Shigemori went in those days on pilgrimage to Kumano, to address the divine presence, because he feared for his father's glory. Lord Kiyomori's conduct had been evil and unjust, even with the sovereign himself. According to The Tale of the Heike, there at the main shrine, Shigemori said: "If the descendants of our house are long to enjoy prosperity, [...] cause my father to restrain the evil leanings of his heart! Assure the realm enduring peace! But if our glory cannot outlast him and shame awaits those who follow, O then put an end to my life, and save me from the pain in lives to come!"[2] Only a few days after his return to the capital, he fell ill. However, he commissioned no healing rites and rejected a Chinese physician proposed by his own father, being certain that the Kumano deities had accepted his prayer. Shortly after he died, at the age of 42.

The Lanterns (3:13)

Shigemori built a temple forty-eight bays long, inspired by the forty-eight great vows of the Buddha Amida, and in each bay he hung a lantern. He then became known as the "Lantern Minister".

Gold to China (3:14)

Shigemori summoned from Kyushu a ship captain named Miao Dian. He gave 500 taels of gold to the captain, 3000 to the Song dynasty, 1000 for the monks of Mount Yuwang, and 2000 to buy 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.

Children
Taira no (Sammichūjō) Koremori by Yoshitora 1866
  • Koremori 1158-1184
  • Sukenori 1158-1185
  • Kiyotsune ?-1183
  • Arimori ?-1185
  • Moromori ?-1184
  • Tadafusa ?-1185
  • Munezane ?-?

Shigemori's children died between 1183 and 1185. This is because of the Genpei War (1180-1185), were the Taira clan lost against the Minamoto clan.

References
  1. Sansom, George (1958). A history of Japan to 1334. Stanford University Press. p. 257,266–267,287. ISBN 0804705232.
  2. Tyler, Royall (2012). The Tale of the Heike. Penguin Classics. p. 164. ISBN 0143107267.
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