Tomo no Yoshio
Encyclopedia
Tomo no Yoshio 伴善男 was a counsellor of the state
in Japan
.
to the Ōtenmon gate with the intent of placing blame on the minister
of the left, the sadajin Minamoto no Makoto. Yoshio was able to convince the minister on the right, udajin Fujiwara no Yoshimi, that Makoto was behind the arson. As a result Yoshimi attempted to get the counsellor Fujiwara no Mototsune to arrest Makoto. However, instead of making the arrest, Mototsune informed his father, the Daijō Daijin, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, of the situation. Yoshifusa was unconvinced that Makoto could do such a heinous crime and called for the emperor in an attempt to vouch for Makoto’s innocence and straighten out the matter at hand. As a result, Makoto was left unpunished and a consolation was sent to him. It wasn’t until the eight month of that year, that the burning of Ōtenmon gate was attributed to Tomo no Yoshio and his allies due to a report made by Ōyake no Takatori. A thorough investigation was carried out and on the twenty-second day of the ninth month, Tomo no Yoshio was exiled to Izu Province
. This story appears to have been passed down through story telling for many generations, becoming widely known. The historical account can be found in Sandai jitsuroku.
. In the story Ban no Yoshio appears in front of a cook after a late night of work and describes himself as a god of pestilence and disease. He goes on to relay his life’s story, admitting that he committed a serious crime. Although the crime is not detailed here, it clearly refers to the burning of Ōtenmon gate and his exiled to Izu as punishment. The story portrays Ban no Yoshio’s knowledge of the seriousness of his act and the justness of his punishment. He pronounces his debt, owed to the country for being so well treated during his service at court, and goes on to describe his hand in turning an epidemic that would kill all into a mere cough; which suggests some form of reciprocity.
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Arson
On the tenth day of the third month of 866, Tomo no Yoshio set fireArson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
to the Ōtenmon gate with the intent of placing blame on the minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of the left, the sadajin Minamoto no Makoto. Yoshio was able to convince the minister on the right, udajin Fujiwara no Yoshimi, that Makoto was behind the arson. As a result Yoshimi attempted to get the counsellor Fujiwara no Mototsune to arrest Makoto. However, instead of making the arrest, Mototsune informed his father, the Daijō Daijin, Fujiwara no Yoshifusa, of the situation. Yoshifusa was unconvinced that Makoto could do such a heinous crime and called for the emperor in an attempt to vouch for Makoto’s innocence and straighten out the matter at hand. As a result, Makoto was left unpunished and a consolation was sent to him. It wasn’t until the eight month of that year, that the burning of Ōtenmon gate was attributed to Tomo no Yoshio and his allies due to a report made by Ōyake no Takatori. A thorough investigation was carried out and on the twenty-second day of the ninth month, Tomo no Yoshio was exiled to Izu Province
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of...
. This story appears to have been passed down through story telling for many generations, becoming widely known. The historical account can be found in Sandai jitsuroku.
Ban no Yoshio in Konjaku Monogatarishū
“The story of a cook who saw the ghost of counsellor Tomo” is the eleventh story of the twenty-seventh volume of Konjaku MonogatarishūKonjaku Monogatarishu
is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period . The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which only 28 remain today...
. In the story Ban no Yoshio appears in front of a cook after a late night of work and describes himself as a god of pestilence and disease. He goes on to relay his life’s story, admitting that he committed a serious crime. Although the crime is not detailed here, it clearly refers to the burning of Ōtenmon gate and his exiled to Izu as punishment. The story portrays Ban no Yoshio’s knowledge of the seriousness of his act and the justness of his punishment. He pronounces his debt, owed to the country for being so well treated during his service at court, and goes on to describe his hand in turning an epidemic that would kill all into a mere cough; which suggests some form of reciprocity.