During the medieval period and early modern Japan, decapitation was a common method of execution for criminals and defeated enemy warriors. During the feudal period, particularly under the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868), beheading became a standard execution method for many serious crimes.
Decapitation was also common on the battlefield. During Japan's long era of civil wars, especially the Sengoku period, warriors routinely took the heads of defeated enemies and presented to the victorious lord. For criminals or rebellious warriors, the heads were displayed publically as a warning and deterrent to others.
A Japanese block print depicting the decapitation of violent Chinese soldiers. Circa 1894. Credit: Museum of Fine Arts
Often times, after the decapitation, the severed heads were buried and a shrine was created at the place to put the soul to rest. In Japanese religious traditions, particularly those influenced by Buddhism and Shinto, violent deaths could produce restless spirits (onryō). Burying the heads and performing memorial rites was thought to help pacify them. These shrines are called kubizuka.
One of the most famous kubizuka is that of Taira no Masakado, located at Ōtemachi, Tokyo.
Taira no Masakado was a 10th-century warrior who led one of the most famous rebellions in early Japanese history. Although he was defeated and killed, he later became a legendary and even semi-mythical figure, feared and revered for over a thousand years.
Masakado was a member of the powerful Taira clan and lived in the Kantō region of eastern Japan. During the 930s, disputes with relatives over land and authority escalated into armed conflict. What began as a local feud grew into open rebellion against the imperial government in Kyoto. In 939, Masakado seized several provincial government offices and reportedly declared himself the ruler of eastern Japan.
In response, the Kyoto court dispatched armies against him. In 940, Masakado was defeated at the Battle of Kojima and killed. His head was severed and sent to Kyoto, where it was displayed publicly as proof of the government's victory.
Masakado's severed head displayed in Kyoto.
According to a famous legend, Masakado's severed head refused to decay. It glared at onlookers and cried out for its body. After months on display, the head supposedly flew through the night sky from Kyoto back toward eastern Japan before finally coming to rest in what is now Tokyo. The terrified villagers carefully cleaned and buried the head, erecting a monument to calm the warrior’s wrath.
Since then, whenever any disaster has struck the Kanto region, it has been attributed to Masakado’s vengeful spirit.
In the early 1900s, after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed much of Tokyo, the Ministry of Finance decided to build its new headquarters on the very spot and razed the site. Within two years, fourteen people who worked at the temporary office building constructed on the site died. Many began to believe the deaths were caused by Masakado’s angry spirit, furious over the destruction of his monument. In 1928, the new building was demolished and the kubizuka was restored.
But misfortune continued to befall the cursed Ministry. In 1940, lightning struck the building of the Ministry of Finance as well as that of the Ministry of Communications. Nine buildings burned to the ground. The Ministry eventually moved to Kasumigaseki, and the gravesite was restored. Finally, in the 1970s, Kubizaka became the property of the Tōkyō municipal government.
Masakado's Kubizuka. Credit: hiroaki maeda
The monument itself consist of a stone lantern hidden behind a headstone and guarded by stone frogs.
Another well-known example is the Mimizuka ("Ear Mound") in Kyoto. Although not technically a kubizuka, it is closely related. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), Japanese troops collected noses and ears from slain enemies because transporting entire heads back to Japan was impractical. These remains were buried in a large mound that still exists today.
References:
# The Curse of the Head of Taira no Masakado. Tuttogiappone
# Masakado Kubizuka. Japan Reference
# Taira no Masakado. Wikipedia
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