© Copyright Robert Cole 2015 - No copying or distributing
The Eight DO
SAIKAIDO - The Eight Roads of KOTO
BUZEN USA * Swords and HACHIMAN "The God of War" *



 

Before young YAMATOTAKERU used the KUSANAGI "Grass-cutting" Sword to evade the Trap of Fire set by the EBISU (See AME-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI), he had engaged his precocious creativity against the ever threatening KUMASO - the descendants of Borneo invaders on KYUSHU. Using his youthful good-looks in the guise of a girl, he seduced an introduction and killed their beguiled leader.

YAMATOTAKERU's son, Emperor CHUAI still laboring the task of the KUMASO, spearheaded a drive through NAGATO into KYUSHU. 
His wife, JINGO-KOGO and her close minister, TAKESHIUCHI-no-SUKUNE saw that the main supply and conspiring force under their enemy was the SAN-KAN Three Kingdoms of faraway Korea. The Gods, it seems, revealed to JINGO in a dream that a solution was cutting the cancer at its root by crossing the great sea to strike the Korean heartland. 

CHUAI was fearful and their strategy council became divided. In spite of the Gods and JINGO, he decided to continue his press on KYUSHU.

Oddly, - CHUAI died. 

Although pregnant with the future Emperor, the formidable JINGO-KOGO put a rock in her sash to delay his birth and set about the conquest of Korea. 
Jingo-kogo
On the voyage, the favorable Sea-god, SUMIYOSHI piloted her foundering ships through a raging tempest by evoking an army of huge fish, who joined their cause and bore them forth. 

She spent three years with TAKESHIUCHI on their SAN-KAN SEIBATSU receiving the submission of SHINRA, KORAI and the thereafter always faithful ally, HAKUSAI or KUDERA. 

She finally returned to KYUSHU for the long awaited birth of HONDA-WAKE-no-MIKOTO, who would become Emperor OJIN. 

Of course, the two sons of one of CHUAI's concubines tried to take the Throne, but TAKESHIUCHI punished them with death. 

Jingo in later-life		 JINGO-KOGO ruled for 69 years until her death at 100. 

She built the temple SUMINOE to revere SUMIYOSHI, her helper in the storm. 

Later, OJINs' son, Emperor NINTOKU, "The Great Wren" moved SUMINOE from KYUSHU to SETTSU.
Emperor OJIN is known as the God, HACHIMAN, "God of War." He is the guardian deity of the MINAMOTO. Japanese history records to his reign the arrival of the Korean scholars, AJIKI in 284 and WANI in 285, both tutors for son, Prince WAKI-IRATSUKO and thus bringers of Chinese literature and Confucianism for the country. 
          See the following for HACHIMANs' swordsmith and servant, SHINSOKU. BUZEN USA 


HACHIMAN-GU * Before Emperor KAMMU's Chinese Dream - HEIAN-KYO * 
      A SHINTO priest of the HACHIMAN-GU Shrine in NARA. One 
      of the most ancient names and root of the NARA sword 
      school. It is said that the weapons and styles created 
      by the early greats, AMAKUNI, AMAKURA and SHINSOKU were 
      forged at the pleasure of the Imperial Court. When 
      FUJIWARA MUCHIMARO built his JINGU-JI Temple, 
      importing Buddhism to stand along side SHINTO in 
      places of worship, SHINSOKU found it convenient to move
      his Shrine to BUZEN. Normally, one could not expect a 
      Spirit to move to new Quarters. Fortunately, however, 
      HACHIMAN, the God of War (swords quite pertinent),
      chose to bring SHINSOKU and his HACHIMAN-GU to KYUSHU,
      and also hit Empress GEMMEI to foot the tab. 
      Accordingly, the BUZEN USA HACHIMAN DAI-JINGU Great 
      Shrine rose in 712. SHINSOKU was the shining light, 
      and a renegade not. - Who could find fault in 
      following the dictates of God? - With his passing, of 
      course, the widowed BUZEN USA fell from favor. Finally,
      fate for the faithful brought sword orders like rains 
      on drought, - the aristocracy had sold their place - 
      to the SAMURAI.  ...And the name SHINSOKU is found on 
      long swords once again. 
      There are TANTO from the late KAMAKURA period and a 
      noted SHINSOKU worked in YAMATO SENJUIN. TODAIJI Temple
      in NARA (spring-board of TEGAI) knew a SHINSOKU, as 
      well. See the foregoing for HACHIMAN "The God of War"
______
KIYOKI WA-DO 708



















San-Shaku Ken
Gift to the Buzen Usa hachiman-Gu
See Naminohira
 


_____            
CHOEN EI-EN 987 to the KAMAKURA
CHOEN 

The sword of YOSHITOMO  

CHOEN - A timeless name 
     Those of the name CHOEN held the HEIAN spirit in their work. 
     CHOEN appears in YAMATO, BUNGO and BUZEN on EI-EN swords, 
     GEN-RYAKU and later. 
     Mid-KAMAKURA was the main theater of production, however these 
     smiths paid reverence without compromise for the late-HEIAN. 
     SUGATA: Late-HEIAN style narrow TACHI with KO-KISSAKI said to 
     resemble BUNGO SADAHIDE (JOSHU). 
     Deep FUNBARI. KO-ITAME, evenly veiled in a JI-NIE of great beauty. 
     Pieces show SUGU KO-MIDARE to KO-CHOJI KO-MIDARE with KO-NIE 
     bathed in NIOI.
_________
MASATSUNE TEN-PUKU 1233 (son of BITCHU MASATSUNE)
     MASATSUNE is a BIZEN name. His father, AOE NORITAKA's 
brother, brought the BIZEN style to a robust and prolific BITCHU.
By TEN-PUKU, intense development melded BIZEN to BITCHU MORITSUGU
KO-AOE styles. BITCHU MASATSUNE students, and sons, tended to the
conservative. SUGU KO-MIDARE in knit KO-MOKUME. JI-NIE. Perhaps 
KO-CHOJI with ASHI. See KO-BIZEN and BITCHU KO-AOE. 
Return to: SiteMap
Glossary