The Soul of Bun who Ascended to the God of Thunder: Sugawara no Michizane and the Backlight of Knowledge (Heian period, late 9th century)

The Soul of Bun who Ascended to the God of Thunder: Sugawara no Michizane and the Backlight of Knowledge (Heian period, late 9th century)

Sugawara no Michizane was a brilliant man who rose to the political center of the court in the early Heian period with a single stroke of the brush. When he lived in the late 9th century, Japan was in the midst of the regal government led by the Fujiwara no Kita family. It was a time when the hierarchy of aristocratic society was fixed according to bloodlines, and it was a pipe dream that anyone other than the Fujiwara family could hold real power. However, Michizane, who was born into a scholarly family, was exceptionally promoted to the position of Minister of the Right, thanks to his talent for poetry and political theory. His appearance was both a foreigner and a bright light at the court of the time.

In 894, Michizane proposed the abolition of the Tang Dynasty envoys, which was accepted. This abolition was a great opportunity for Japanese culture to break away from imitation. It was the foundation for Japan's language, sensibilities, and institutions to begin to distance themselves from the Tang-era Ritsuryo and Confucianism, and to take their own unique steps forward. Michizane's suggestions were the germ of the national culture symbolized by the Kokin Wakashu and The Tale of Genji.

However, the glory did not last long. After the abdication of Emperor Uda, Michizane was accused of "plotting treason" by Tokihira Fujiwara, and was sent to Dazaifu in Kyushu. Michizane's death from illness in a foreign land cast a deep shadow over the court. Soon after, lightning struck the capital, a plague broke out, and members of the imperial family died one after another. People feared that it was "Michizane's haunting," and the Imperial Court tried to comfort the spirits of the grudge by worshipping him as a god. Thus, Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine were built, and Sugawara no Michizane became an incarnation of the god Tenjin--the god of thunder.

Michizane's life is the story of an intellect challenging his lineage and defying the system. Although it appears to have ended in failure, his spirit has been passed down to posterity as a symbol of ability and hard work. During the Edo period (1603-1867), Suga was worshipped by the general public as a god of learning, and his presence became a prayer for students preparing for entrance examinations. In literature, he continues to capture people's imagination as the tragic hero depicted in "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami).

His decision to abolish the Tang Dynasty envoys was not merely a change in foreign policy. Michizane's philosophy was the starting point for Japan's choice of "cultural independence" and its beginning to believe in its own language and sensibilities. He ended the culture of imitation and subjugation, and illuminated a future in which the "Yamato language" would eventually become the official language.

During his life, he was both a victim of the system and a builder of culture, a spirit of resentment and a god, a "man standing in the backlight. His spirit still resonates like thunder among those who believed in learning and justice.