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Description
Prince Sawara is an imperial prince of the late eighth century whose wrongful death turns him into a vengeful spirit of considerable power. He is the younger brother of Emperor Kanmu and becomes entangled in the political violence surrounding the construction of the new capital at Nagaoka. After the assassination of the court official Fujiwara no Tanetsugu in 785, Sawara is falsely accused of involvement and condemned for a crime he did not commit. Banished for his alleged treason, he dies while being sent into exile, in some accounts by fasting in protest of his innocence and in others by taking his own life after swearing eternal vengeance against the emperor and the imperial line.
In life, Sawara is defined by his sense of having been betrayed, his refusal to accept a false accusation, and his deep attachment to his lover, Lady Aone. His death does not end his story. His restless spirit becomes a curse upon the court and is blamed for epidemics, the flooding of the Yodo River, lightning strikes against the capital, and the deaths of the emperor's close relatives. These disasters are understood as the work of his angry ghost, and the fear he inspires contributes to the decision to abandon Nagaoka and establish a new capital at Heian-kyo. Before the move, Emperor Kanmu takes precautions against his brother's spirit. A shrine precinct is created at Shogun's Mound, where a sword and a statue of the general Sakanoue Tamura Maro are left as safeguards, and Lady Aone is bound to guard the burial mound where Sawara's spirit is sealed. To ensure that Aone can protect future emperors, her immortality is secured through the flesh of a merman.
Within the story, which takes place around 150 years after his death, Sawara exists as a dangerous force from the past. The onmyoji Dōson plots to overthrow the reigning emperor by releasing and harnessing Sawara's spirit. When the prince's ghost is finally freed, it enters Dōson's body, increases his power, and calls forth a horde of spectral soldiers, the souls of dead warriors who once worshipped Sawara and whose lives were filled with hatred. These followers descend on the capital, possessing the bodies of opposing troops and overwhelming the forces sent to protect the city. Sawara's hatred makes him a formidable threat, but it is also bound to his lingering humanity. Through the intervention of Aone, whose spirit speaks through the body of the young nobleman Minamoto no Hiromasa, Sawara is confronted with the love he lost. He initially refuses to give up his grudge, but he is finally moved by the prospect of being reunited with Aone for eternity, and he passes peacefully into the afterlife with her.
Sawara's defining trait is his transformation from a wronged man into an embodiment of grievance, a figure whose personal tragedy becomes a supernatural force that affects the fate of the capital. His bond with Aone is central to his redemption, suggesting that beneath his curse there remains a capacity for peace if his suffering is acknowledged. His notable abilities include laying curses that bring plague, flood, and storms upon the land, possessing a living body and enhancing its abilities, and commanding the vengeful spirits of his former soldiers.
In life, Sawara is defined by his sense of having been betrayed, his refusal to accept a false accusation, and his deep attachment to his lover, Lady Aone. His death does not end his story. His restless spirit becomes a curse upon the court and is blamed for epidemics, the flooding of the Yodo River, lightning strikes against the capital, and the deaths of the emperor's close relatives. These disasters are understood as the work of his angry ghost, and the fear he inspires contributes to the decision to abandon Nagaoka and establish a new capital at Heian-kyo. Before the move, Emperor Kanmu takes precautions against his brother's spirit. A shrine precinct is created at Shogun's Mound, where a sword and a statue of the general Sakanoue Tamura Maro are left as safeguards, and Lady Aone is bound to guard the burial mound where Sawara's spirit is sealed. To ensure that Aone can protect future emperors, her immortality is secured through the flesh of a merman.
Within the story, which takes place around 150 years after his death, Sawara exists as a dangerous force from the past. The onmyoji Dōson plots to overthrow the reigning emperor by releasing and harnessing Sawara's spirit. When the prince's ghost is finally freed, it enters Dōson's body, increases his power, and calls forth a horde of spectral soldiers, the souls of dead warriors who once worshipped Sawara and whose lives were filled with hatred. These followers descend on the capital, possessing the bodies of opposing troops and overwhelming the forces sent to protect the city. Sawara's hatred makes him a formidable threat, but it is also bound to his lingering humanity. Through the intervention of Aone, whose spirit speaks through the body of the young nobleman Minamoto no Hiromasa, Sawara is confronted with the love he lost. He initially refuses to give up his grudge, but he is finally moved by the prospect of being reunited with Aone for eternity, and he passes peacefully into the afterlife with her.
Sawara's defining trait is his transformation from a wronged man into an embodiment of grievance, a figure whose personal tragedy becomes a supernatural force that affects the fate of the capital. His bond with Aone is central to his redemption, suggesting that beneath his curse there remains a capacity for peace if his suffering is acknowledged. His notable abilities include laying curses that bring plague, flood, and storms upon the land, possessing a living body and enhancing its abilities, and commanding the vengeful spirits of his former soldiers.