If one were to name the most famous event of the old capital era, it would undoubtedly be the haunting by the vengeful spirit of Prince Sawara during the reign of Emperor Kanmu. Prince Sawara, who had once been the Crown Prince, was exiled after being implicated in a plot and eventually met a tragic death. His vengeful spirit returned to seek retribution, killing members of the Imperial family and triggering a series of natural disasters, including droughts and plagues, leaving both the rulers and the common people in utter misery.
“Indeed, it was the chaos of Prince Sawara’s vengeful spirit. At that time, after Prince Sawara died, his spirit quickly returned to Heijo-kyo to unleash boundless calamity, shaking the Imperial court. No matter how powerful the mystics were, none could contend with Prince Sawara. Both the court and the populace were in a state of wretchedness...” Recalling the stories he had heard, Emperor Suzaku spoke slowly. Miketsu thought for a moment and spoke directly.
“So... did the chaos of Prince Sawara have something to do with the Imperial family’s worship of the Snake Evil God?”
“Correct. It was precisely because we performed sacrifices to that evil god that we finally escaped Prince Sawara’s vengeance.” In a slightly strange tone, Emperor Suzaku spoke slowly. Miketsu frowned slightly upon hearing this.
“You escaped Prince Sawara’s vengeful spirit because you sacrificed to an evil god... How does that work? Did the evil god help you deal with Prince Sawara?”
“Ahem... Lord Asakura, allow me to explain this gradually...”
Thereafter, Emperor Suzaku began to recount the events of that time in detail. When Prince Sawara’s vengeful spirit was running rampant, causing havoc and disaster, the court was completely helpless. Whether they prayed to the heavenly deities or invited Onmyoji to perform exorcisms and battles of magic, it was all in vain. Not a single deity responded to human prayers, and the Onmyoji who attempted exorcisms were killed by the spirit's backlash. The entire court and the Imperial family were trapped in a state of absolute despair amidst endless fear.
At that time, Emperor Kanmu himself was cursed by Prince Sawara’s vengeful spirit. He fell gravely ill, and his condition worsened by the day. Just as Emperor Kanmu was on the verge of total despair, a dream brought a turning point. The Imperial ancestor, Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto, appeared in Emperor Kanmu’s dream.
“What? You’re saying Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto appeared in Emperor Kanmu’s dream?” Hearing Emperor Suzaku’s words, Miketsu couldn't help but blurt out. She knew that Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto hadn't actually died at that time, but had instead become the Divine Messenger of the Great Snake through the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi!
“Yes. Although it sounds unbelievable, the entity that appeared in Emperor Kanmu’s dream indeed claimed to be Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto. He asserted that he had a way to deal with Prince Sawara’s vengeful spirit...” Emperor Suzaku nodded slightly in confirmation, and the doubts in Miketsu’s heart grew even stronger.
“So... what did Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto suggest to deal with Prince Sawara?”
“He said... the Imperial family must restore the ancient rites, re-worship the Snake God, and pray to him. The Snake God would then respond to the prayers and pacify the vengeful spirit...”
After hearing Yamato-takeru-no-Mikoto’s words in the dream, Emperor Kanmu was very confused. The instruction to 're-worship' the Snake God implied that the Imperial family had once worshipped such a deity, yet he had never heard of a Snake God existing within the Imperial rites.
Ultimately, driven by his doubts, Emperor Kanmu searched through the ancient books and records preserved by the Imperial family. In a tattered ancient text of unknown age, he indeed found records regarding the Snake God. Furthermore, based on those records, he actually unearthed many ancient ritual vessels embossed with snake symbols in the former ancestral lands of the Imperial family. This left Emperor Kanmu utterly astonished, wondering if his ancestors had truly worshipped such a deity.
However, despite his confusion, Emperor Kanmu, who had been driven to a dead end by the vengeful spirit, decided to treat it as a last-ditch effort. Using the unearthed ritual vessels and following the methods recorded in the nameless ancient text, he began the sacrifices to the unknown Snake God.
After sacrificing to the Snake God, a miracle indeed occurred. Emperor Kanmu’s health began to gradually recover, and the other disasters brought by the vengeful spirit showed a marked decrease. Having regained his health, Emperor Kanmu became a firm believer in the Snake God’s existence and began to focus even more intensely on the sacrifices.
“Did the Snake God restore the Emperor’s health...?” Miketsu murmured as she listened to Emperor Suzaku.
“Indeed. But that was only the beginning. The expansion of the Snake God’s influence began with a certain miko...” With a serious expression, Emperor Suzaku continued. Miketsu’s curiosity was piqued.
“A miko?”
“Yes. A traveling miko of formidable power...” Recalling the words of his elders, Emperor Suzaku continued his narration.
The miko took the duty of exorcising demons and upholding the Way as her own. This traveling miko was quite famous. Upon hearing that a vengeful spirit was causing chaos in Heian-kyo, she came to the capital and met with Emperor Kanmu. She told him to his face that there was something unusually suspicious about this haunting and hoped to conduct an investigation. Emperor Kanmu, not thinking much of it, directly granted her request.
After some time, the miko visited Emperor Kanmu again. She described the many strange aspects of the haunting and pointed out that the source of these anomalies seemed to come directly from within the Imperial Palace. She requested entry into the palace to investigate. However, Emperor Kanmu, displeased by her lack of regard for Imperial dignity, flatly refused her.
Subsequently, to everyone's surprise, the haunting suddenly intensified. The various disasters shrouding Heijo-kyo worsened rapidly, and even Emperor Kanmu himself fell ill again. Countless people died. Just as the court was falling into panic once more, the Imperial family members responsible for sacrificing to the Snake God claimed to Emperor Kanmu that the foreign miko had offended the Snake God. Consequently, the god had abandoned his suppression of the vengeful spirit. Only by sacrificing the miko could the Snake God’s wrath be appeased.
Emperor Kanmu, who already believed implicitly in the Snake God, immediately listened to the priests. They used the pretense of allowing the miko to enter the Imperial Palace for her investigation to seize her, and then they performed a live sacrifice of her to the Snake God. The Snake God manifested his power once more, and the disasters subsided.
From then on, the Snake God continuously conveyed various messages to the Emperor through the priests, and the Emperor followed almost all of them. Since that first miko, the Imperial family was required to collect eight young girls with spiritual power to sacrifice to the Snake God at regular intervals. In return, the Snake God would protect the court from the harm of vengeful spirits. The Snake God even taught the Emperor a method to ensure the eternal stability of the nation and the court.
“That... was the move to the capital, Heian-kyo...”
“What? Moving the capital to Heian-kyo was a divine oracle from the Snake God?” Miketsu was momentarily stunned, then spoke with disbelief.
“Yes. At that time, the Onmyo Clans and the court were nowhere near as powerful as they are now. The Onmyoryo had not yet been established, and the ability to defend against yokai and ghosts was very weak. The haunting of the vengeful spirit made everyone desperately long for a safe place to reside. It was then that the Snake God handed down the oracle, conveying a location—the very land beneath our feet... the Land of the Four Gods... Heian-kyo.”
“The Land of the Four Gods... Could it be that the Four Symbols Seal was also created at the Snake God’s behest?” Hearing Emperor Suzaku’s words, a bad premonition rose in Miketsu’s heart.
“Correct. After moving the capital to Heian-kyo, we found four Four Symbols Altars in different hidden locations at the four cardinal points of the capital, according to the Snake God’s oracle. Although we didn't know their origin, it didn't stop us from using Jutsu-shiki to modify and utilize them, creating the Four Symbols Seal we have today. With the immense power of the Four Symbols, the human court was finally able to establish a foothold amidst the myriad yokai and ghosts... and all of this was a gift from the Snake God...” Raising his eyes, Emperor Suzaku looked toward the ceiling of the hall and spoke slowly.
“Of course, this gift was not free. Every so often, we had to sacrifice eight innocent young girls to the Snake God. This sinful practice caused many Emperors after Kanmu to feel increasing fear and unease toward the Snake God. Eventually, for the sake of its own reputation, the Imperial family separated the members responsible for the Snake God's sacrifices, and they became what is now the Minamoto Clan... You should know the rest of the story from there.
“Due to the rise of the Fujiwara and others, the Imperial family’s power declined daily. More and more nobles stopped following the unwritten rule set by the Imperial family to provide young girls... This directly led to the Minamoto Clan being unable to gather enough sacrifices thirteen years ago, which triggered the Snake God’s fury and caused the demon disaster. That Great Snake’s form was undoubtedly the incarnation of the Snake God! Fortunately... unlike the time of Prince Sawara, the heavenly gods did not abandon us this time. The divine grace of Inari Okami saved us...”
With a hint of daze, Emperor Suzaku’s narration came to an end. Miketsu sat in silence for a long time before finally speaking.
“I thank Your Majesty for the story. However, I have one last question. During the period when Prince Sawara’s haunting was at its worst, did truly not a single deity grant divine grace? Even the main tutelary deity of the Imperial family—Amaterasu—did she have no reaction at all?”
Emperor Suzaku was momentarily stunned by Miketsu’s words, then he let out a sigh and spoke slowly.
“No. Not even Amaterasu Omikami. It was precisely because there was nowhere else to turn that we chose to believe in the Snake God...”
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