Ochōhai Ceremony

For over 550 years, a somber winter ceremony has been held on February 5 at Kongōji Temple. It commemorates Prince Jitennō (1440–1457), last emperor of the Southern Court, whose murder marked the end of more than a century of struggle over the imperial throne. Until his death, Jitennō and most of the Southern Court resided in the Yoshino area.

In 1333, Emperor Go-Daigo (1288–1339) attempted to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate and restore direct imperial rule. In response, the shogunate declared his distant relative, Kōgon (1313–1364), to be the new emperor. The two factions went to war, and Go-Daigo was forced to retreat south, to the Yoshino area, taking with him the three Imperial Regalia, the sword, mirror, and jewel that signify the imperial right to rule. There, he formed the Southern Court. His rivals remained in Kyoto, to the north, and thus became the Northern Court.

Soon, the Northern Court had the newly risen Ashikaga shogunate on their side. In 1392, they were able to force the Southern Court to abdicate the throne. A descendent of Go-Daigo returned to Kyoto and handed over the Imperial Regalia. In exchange, the Northern Court promised that the two imperial lines would take turns on the throne. But this promise was not kept, and in 1410, the Southern Court fled back to Yoshino. The division between the two courts only grew stronger over the next three decades, and in 1443, supporters of the Southern Court attacked the imperial palace and stole back the imperial jewel.

In 1454, on February 5, Jitennō became emperor of the Southern Court at age 14. In 1457, agents of the Northern Court snuck into his home in Kawakami and killed him, along with his younger brother Tadayoshiō. The assassins fled with the princes’ heads as proof of the deed, but warriors from the village pursued them. They managed to catch the Northern agents, kill them, and return with Jitennō’s head, helmet, arms, and armor. They enshrined him and his possessions at Kongōji Temple and neighboring Jitennō Jinja Shrine.

In the past, only descendants of the original avenging warriors were allowed to participate in the Ochōhai ceremony, but today it is open to all. Celebrated on the day of Jitennō’s enthronement, the ritual is partly a memorial and partly an effort to bring peace to the young emperor’s spirit by showing him the reverence he never received in life. Men dress formally in gray-and-black traditional attire and proceed up the steps to the shrine, then return to the repository at Kongōji, where Jitennō’s belongings are enshrined. There, they bow and present offerings.

Most historians legitimate the Southern Court’s claim to the imperial throne, a fact that has even gained official recognition in modern times. The line may have ended with Jitennō’s death, but its memory is kept alive in Kawakami.