Tadamori of the Taira Clan was at the top of his game. He just nailed one of the most plush and prestigious jobs in all of 11th-century Japan----a day-job as bodyguard for Emperor Go-Shirakawa. Go-Shirakawa was a nervous fellow, distrustful even of his own bodyguards. He required that all samurai guards leave his royal compound before sunset each day.
One evening Go-Shirakawa required the services of a samurai guard. Tadamori happened to be on duty. The Emperor was going for an evening stroll with his entourage through unfamiliar forest-gardens. It was now almost dark and the Emperor was becoming rather frightened.
Suddenly out of the rain and fog appeared several pairs of threatening eyes. The Emperor jumped out of his royal skin and ordered Takamori to kill the terrifying demons immediately.
Tadamori rushed at the apparition, his sword drawn, well trained to obey his Emperor’s every command.
About to strike, he saw that the ‘demon’ was actually a poor monk in a wild straw hat rushing about on his rounds, lighting the oil lamps in the stone lanterns of his temple’s forrest.
The old man let out shrieks, and dropped his oil vessel, which broke with a great crash, adding to a really weird scene.
In the midst of his descending ‘katana’, Tadamori's well trained, obedient mind 'evolved'---ok, it revolted and began thinking on its own. "Holy crap! I'm about to make a really messy decision...and over a 'me-shita-mono' "
Killing was not the problem. To kill the old man, or any human being that offended or threatened, was a samurai’s right. Meeting 'lesser' ('me-shita-mono' 'below one's eyes') folk on the road, a samurai was judge, jury, and executioner. During a later age--the Tokugawa-era--there were better records kept of dead dogs than dead humans, especially if the dead were peasant farmers or the ‘subhuman’ ‘eta’ untouchables. Life was very tenuous for the people of the earth.
No, not killing but living was the problem. To spare the old monk’s 'worthless' life was to defy the Emperor’s command. Tadamori knew that such disobedience was a certain death sentence for himself--‘seppuku’.
Tadamori sheathed his sword.
For him, it was probably one of those "what was I thinking?" moments.
He now had two frightened men to contend with.
He reassured the old monk that he had years left to live with many lanterns yet to light.
And so he turned to the other, his liege lord, explaining his disobedience and offered up his life in atonement.
We are aware of this act of compassion a thousand years later not just because one good man with immense courage and heart did what was right and true but because of a second act of compassion that day by another. Emperor Go-Shirakawa was himself a man who valued truth over power, forgiveness over ruinous revenge by an offended ego.
The Emperor was moved by this samurai’s integrity. Not only did he forgive Tadamori his disobedience, but he made Tadamori his chief and full-time protector due to his intelligence and acts of kindness. Tadamori-no-Taira became the first samurai to be allowed to reside full time within the walls of the Emperor's quarters.
Oh, a small footnote: Tadamori was also given the Emperor's consort as a wife and Tadamori eventually became the father of famed Kiyomori who then went on to make history. Look him up, all you Japan-fans....
(Illustrated by an original woodblock print by Nobukazu Yosai, pupil of Chikanobu, struck off the original hand-carved cherrywood blocks; triptych, dated the 25th year of the Reign of Emperor Meiji, (l892).)
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