1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. Listener discretion advised, Hey, this 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 1: is Danish Shart, host of Noble Blood. A bit of housekeeping. 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: Thank you so much to everyone who came out on 5 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: my tour to see me, to hear me talk about immortality, 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: a love story, my new book. It was just amazing 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: getting to meet so many listeners. I just I had 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: the best time, So thank you so much. If you 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: want to support the show, there are links in the 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:39,919 Speaker 1: episode description to our Patreon, our merch if you want it, 11 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: and my books. But again, the best support is just 12 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: listening to the show, So thank you so much. One 13 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: brief content warning before this episode. This episode does contain 14 00:00:52,200 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: acts of violence and minor descriptions of gore. When Empress 15 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: Kokyoku woke on the morning of July tenth, six hundred 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: and forty five, she had no reason to suspect that 17 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: anything was wrong. I imagine she went through her normal 18 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: morning routine, had breakfast, got dressed, had some member of 19 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: her staff review her schedule. Just another day in the 20 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: life of a Japanese empress in the seventh century. The 21 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: day's main event was set to take place that afternoon. 22 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: It would be a reading of the memorials for the 23 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: three Kingdoms of Korea to be presented to the Japanese 24 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: Imperial Court. As the Empress departed her chambers for the 25 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: palace's main assembly hall, she likely didn't notice these subtle 26 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 1: glances that were being shared between the palace guards as 27 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: they locked the gates securely behind her. When she entered 28 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: the hall and took her seat before the Imperial Court, 29 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: her eyes probably drifted over the room, subconsciously cataloging those 30 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: she knew in attendance, And while she likely caught sight 31 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: of her son naca Ye, she almost certainly did not 32 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: see the discreetly hidden spear that he had taken great 33 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: lengths to stow near his seat well before he entered 34 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: the hall that day. The Empress may have looked over 35 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: to one of her closest advisers, so gonew Erika, and 36 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,679 Speaker 1: might have wondered why the typically paranoid man who almost 37 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: always carried a sword for once, had come to an 38 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: event unarmed. But if the Empress did spare her adviser 39 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: a passing thought, it was quickly dismissed as the ceremony's 40 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: speaker came forward and began his address to the crowd. 41 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: The weighty tenor of the speaker's voice carried across the 42 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: hall with ease, and after his opening remarks, the Empress 43 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: settled in for what was sure to be another lengthy 44 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: court ceremony. Though, as I'm sure you figured out by now, 45 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: Empress Kogyoku's afternoon was about to take a rather drastic turn. 46 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: It started with a stutter up. Until this point, the 47 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: speaker had seemed relatively confident before the crowd, but strangely, 48 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: the more he spoke, the more he began to stumble 49 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: over his words. Before long, the staccato stop and start 50 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: of his speech became almost as distracting as the visibly 51 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: shaking hand he used to repeatedly wipe the sweat dripping 52 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,440 Speaker 1: from his brow. When asked if something was wrong, the speaker, 53 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: who was named Curiyamada, assured the crowd he was merely 54 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,040 Speaker 1: nervous to be speaking in front of someone as important 55 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: as the Empress, But the panic in his eyes told 56 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: a different story, especially when his eyes kept flitting back 57 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:27,360 Speaker 1: to the similarly panicked looking soldiers standing fully armed at 58 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: the back of the hall. In truth, the speaker, Curiyamada, 59 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: had been approached days earlier by the Empress's son, who 60 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: confided in him his plans to use the ceremony to 61 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: facilitate the assassination of his political rival Soga no Urica. 62 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: The adviser. By some miracle, all the moving parts of 63 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: his plot had been going perfectly to plan. The gates 64 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: had been locked, the guards had been armed, and at 65 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: long last, they were finally entering the hall with express 66 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: orders to strike down Soga no Urica. While Kiaramata kept 67 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: the hall's attention going with his speech, except when they 68 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 1: were finally faced with the man they were tasked to kill, 69 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: the guards froze. Maybe they feared the repercussions of their attack, 70 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: or perhaps they had even been hit with a last 71 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: minute stroke of humanity. But whatever the reason, as the 72 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: speaker Kuriamata stumbled over his words in the final paragraphs 73 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: of his speech, the guards could only look at each 74 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:49,479 Speaker 1: other with mounting fear as their plot dissolved before their eyes. 75 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:55,040 Speaker 1: In real time from the audience, the Empress's plotting son, 76 00:05:55,240 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: Nakanoye's eyes shot back and forth between the unmoving guards 77 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: and the distressed speaker until finally he decided to take 78 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: matters into his own hands. In one fluid movement, Nakanoya 79 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: stood from his seat, unsheathed his hidden spear, and launched forward, 80 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: striking sogana Orca in the vulnerable flesh between his neck 81 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: and shoulder. For a moment, time stood still, until with 82 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: a sickening jerk of his arm, nacina Oye wrenched the 83 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: weapon from his rival's shoulder, and pandemonium took hold in 84 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: the hall. Between horrified gasps and shrieks of terror, the 85 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: still conscious sogon To Orika stumbled at the feet of 86 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: the Empress in an act of sheer desperation. Moments from death, 87 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: he begged the Empress to take action to investigate this 88 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: ultimate treachery committed by her son against the Imperial Court. 89 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 1: When the Empress had woken up that morning, there had 90 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: been no reason to think it would be anything but 91 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: a normal day. But as she cast her eyes upon 92 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: the blood stained blade in the palm of her son's hand, 93 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: her closest adviser's blood pulling rapidly on her palace floors, 94 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: she was suddenly all too aware of the fact that 95 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: her following actions would not just spell the fate of 96 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: her son and the legacy of her reign, but the 97 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: future of her nation as a whole. I'm Dana Schwartz, 98 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: and this is noble blood. The event that we know 99 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: today as the Ishi Incident has come to serve as 100 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 1: one of the most definitive moments in classical Japanese history. 101 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: But what could easily be construed as a petty power 102 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: struggle between two men was in fact the culmination of 103 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: over a century's worth of political and religious infighting that 104 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: was happening within Japan's Imperial court. Within the court, the 105 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 1: primary source of power, of course, came from the emperors 106 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: and later empresses who would come to inherit Japan's chrysanthemum throne. 107 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,760 Speaker 1: But aside from the imperial family, the sixth and seventh 108 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: centuries were defined by the introduction of Buddhism and the 109 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: heavy influence of two rival clans, the Nakatomi clan and 110 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 1: the Soga clan. If you choose to visit Japan today, 111 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 1: you would no doubt be greeted with the plethora of 112 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: Buddhist iconography that have come to decorate the country through 113 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:06,559 Speaker 1: temples and statues over the past centuries. But before Buddhism 114 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: ever came to Japan, Shintoism was the country's primary religion, 115 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: and to some things up in the absolute broadest possible terms, 116 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: Buddhism focuses primarily on the self and detachment from earthly possessions. 117 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: Shintoism is a polytheistic religion which centers on spirits and 118 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: deities known as kami. Kami could take the form of 119 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: spirits or animals found in nature, but some ancient Japanese 120 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 1: clans often cited kami as the origin of their ancestral lineage. 121 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: In the case of the Nakatomi clan, their ancestral ties 122 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: to kami made them an indispensable asset to the Imperial 123 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: court when performing certain religious rites, which solidified their place 124 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 1: at the side of the imperial family. Naturally, when Buddhism 125 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 1: made its first appearance in Japan in the sixth century, 126 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: the Nakatomi clan was more than a little concerned. They 127 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: framed their dislike of the new religion by arguing that 128 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:19,480 Speaker 1: it corrupted traditional Japanese values, but more than likely their 129 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: primary issue was more political than spiritual in nature. The 130 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: introduction of Buddhism made the Nakatomi clan's place in court, 131 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: which relied almost entirely on their status within the Shinto religion, 132 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: all but obsolete. Meanwhile, the Soga clan were ardent supporters 133 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: of this new religion making its way through Japan. Although 134 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: these Soga did not have as direct an effect on 135 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: court life as the Nakatomi did, their influence came through 136 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: their clan's daughters, who they made sure to one way 137 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 1: or another marry into the imperial family. Through these marriages, 138 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: the Soga clan inserted themselves in court as global envoys 139 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: for the throne, which in turn meant they were likely 140 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: the first to hear about the introduction of Buddhism through 141 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:22,960 Speaker 1: their relations with their Chinese and Korean counterparts. Predictably, the 142 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: Soga clan were thrilled at the prospect of this new religion. 143 00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:31,600 Speaker 1: They saw it as a symbol of progress and globalization. 144 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: But similarly to the Nakatomi, they also most likely weren't 145 00:11:37,679 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: so naive as to only align with the theology purely 146 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 1: on a spiritual level. For the Soga clan, the introduction 147 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: of Buddhism was a way to pry the Nakatomi away 148 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: from the nearly impenetrable space they had held next to 149 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 1: the chrysanthemum throne. If Shintoism no longer had a place 150 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: in court, than neither did the Nakatomi. Ultimately, despite the 151 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,800 Speaker 1: many objections from the Nakatomi clan, by the seventh century, 152 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: Buddhism had fully taken root in Japan and the Soga 153 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: clan had all but ousted the Nakatomi from their position 154 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: in court. Unsurprisingly, this did not quell the feud between 155 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,840 Speaker 1: the two families, especially when in six hundred and forty 156 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:35,200 Speaker 1: three the newly powerful Soga began referring to themselves as 157 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:41,959 Speaker 1: sovereigns and using state resources to erect lavish tombs for themselves. 158 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 1: More importantly, since the death of Japan's first Empress, Emperor 159 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: Suiko in six hundred twenty eight, the Soga had been 160 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: essentially controlling who ascended the throne, and predictably, their choice 161 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: of rulers often skewed or those that they would most 162 00:13:02,080 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: likely be able to control. So, despite what most historians 163 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: believe to have been Empress Suiko's wish to have her 164 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:16,239 Speaker 1: successor be a man named Prince Yamashiro, the Soga insisted 165 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: that the Empress actually wanted to be followed by a 166 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: man that history would come to know as Emperor JOMEI, who, 167 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: after his death, once again at the insistence of the 168 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:32,160 Speaker 1: Soga clan, would be succeeded by his wife, Empress Kogyoku. 169 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:36,600 Speaker 1: The Empress at the beginning of this story. There are 170 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: a lot of names I know, and it's probably made 171 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: even worse because my pronunciation, even though I try my best, 172 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: is probably a mess. But if nothing else, just remember 173 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: that for the first half of the seventh century, the 174 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: Soga clan were the puppet masters of the Japanese Imperial Court, 175 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: and the Nakatomi clan were not content to sit idly 176 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 1: by and watched their centuries long political rivals continue to 177 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: pull the strings, but given their lesser status at court, 178 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 1: they could do little more than watch as the Soga 179 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: clan continued to acquire more power through their ties to 180 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:22,880 Speaker 1: the throne. That was until six hundred and forty three, 181 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: when the leader of the Soga clan, Soga Noamishi, ordered 182 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:31,920 Speaker 1: his son to orchestrate an attack on Prince Yamashiro, who 183 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: had been the Nakatomi clan's choice to succeed Emperor Swiko 184 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: nearly twenty years prior. Bestowing honorary titles in constructing tombs 185 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: was one thing, but the assassination proved to be the 186 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: final straw for the Nakatomi clan. For decades, they had 187 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:57,360 Speaker 1: silently succumbed to the lesser court life after the introduction 188 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: of Buddhism, but the unti death of Prince Yamashiro installed 189 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: a sentiment within the Nakatomi clan which would be echoed 190 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: in the events that were to follow. If you wanted 191 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:17,080 Speaker 1: something done, you had to do it yourself. By the 192 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: summer of six hundred and forty five, tensions within the 193 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 1: Nakatomi clan were reaching a boiling point. In the wake 194 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: of Prince Yamashiro's death, the Nakatomi were itching to take 195 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 1: revenge against their long standing political rivals, and in July 196 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: of that year, it appeared that they would finally be 197 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: given their chance for a vengeance. Together, nakano Oya, who 198 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:47,239 Speaker 1: was the Empress's son and the head of the Nakatomi 199 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: clan Nakatomi Kamatari, began planning the assassination of the man 200 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 1: who had killed Prince Yamashiro. This legitimate claimant to the throne. 201 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: The assassin was Soga no Uruka, the Empress's key adviser. 202 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 1: The formal court ceremony for the reading of the memorials 203 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 1: of the three Kingdoms of Korea provided the perfect backdrop 204 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: for their revenge. Together, the two powerful men enlisted the 205 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: help of Nacanoea's kinsmen Kuriamata, who was set to be 206 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: the speaker at the ceremony. The plan was simple. On 207 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: the day of the ceremony, palace guards under the control 208 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: of the Nakatomie would ensure Soga no Rika arrived at 209 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 1: the hall unarmed. After securing all the exits, the guards 210 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: would arm themselves and then wait for Kuryamada to begin 211 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: his speech, so that Uruka and the rest of the 212 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: Soga clan would remain distracted until they could go in 213 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: for the kill. Though we all know the saying about 214 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:02,200 Speaker 1: best laid plans, before we continue, I think it might 215 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: be worthwhile to note that the majority of what we 216 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: know about the Isshi incident, and specifically the source that 217 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,600 Speaker 1: I am citing the majority of this story from, is 218 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:17,479 Speaker 1: from an English translation of an eighth century Japanese text 219 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:22,280 Speaker 1: known as the Nikon Shoki, which in addition to reading 220 00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 1: more like a clunky historical diary than the typical narrative 221 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,879 Speaker 1: format that we've come to expect from historical texts in 222 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:36,800 Speaker 1: the West, has some let's say, awkward and possibly overexaggerated 223 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: quotes thrown into its accounts. This isn't to say that 224 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,159 Speaker 1: the events recounted aren't true, but between the shifts in 225 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 1: language that have no doubt occurred since the eighth century 226 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:54,400 Speaker 1: and the inherently questionable translations that have stemmed from them 227 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: since then, I think it's best to take what direct 228 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: quotes that I might repeat here with a grain of salt. 229 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:06,880 Speaker 1: But back to our story. The day of the ceremony, Nacanoye, 230 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: the son of the Empress, walked into the chamber and 231 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: took his seat, subtly checking to make sure the spear 232 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 1: that he had hidden near by remained well concealed and 233 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:22,360 Speaker 1: within his grasp as he watched his mother take her 234 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: seat before the crowd. Elsewhere, the Nakatomie guards were sealing 235 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,960 Speaker 1: each of the twelve exits before moving to quietly arm 236 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: themselves for the gruesome task they had in store, gathering 237 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: the swords and bows and arrows laid out for them 238 00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:46,600 Speaker 1: at the sound of Kuryamata's speech beginning, another conspirator from 239 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:51,679 Speaker 1: the Nakatomi clan rushed forward to hurry the men along, saying, up, up, 240 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: make haste to slay him. At the sound of the 241 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:59,679 Speaker 1: hall's door opening, I imagine Nacanoye did his best not 242 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:04,560 Speaker 1: to look back and watch his guards quietly filing into 243 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: the room. At long last, after not only weeks of planning, 244 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: but decades of political power struggle, the end of the 245 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: Saga clan was within reach, until, of course, it wasn't. 246 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: In exchange for their services, nacanoy and Nakatomi Kamatari made 247 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: sure to offer the palace guards a handsome reward, but 248 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: in the end it appeared that no amount of money 249 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: would tempt the guards into taking the life of one 250 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:42,920 Speaker 1: of the Empress's closest advisers, not even at the request 251 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:47,400 Speaker 1: of her son. With the speaker nervous and his decorum 252 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:51,400 Speaker 1: slipping almost as rapidly as the end of his speech 253 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: was approaching, nacanoy took his hidden spear and rose to 254 00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 1: enact the retribution that no one else wood. With a 255 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:05,440 Speaker 1: determined cry and a swing of his blade, the hall 256 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: descended into chaos. Screams of fear and outrage poured from 257 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: those of the Soga clan left standing, but they did 258 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: nothing to staunch the gaping wound left in Soga Noorka's 259 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: neck and shoulder. The man's robes darkened from the free 260 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 1: flowing blood running down his chest, but somehow Orka remained conscious. 261 00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 1: Using what was left of his energy, Soga Noorka dragged 262 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,879 Speaker 1: himself in front of the Empress and begged quote, she 263 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: who occupies the dignitary is the child of Heaven. I, 264 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: her servant, am conscious of no crime, and I beseech 265 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 1: her to deign to make examination into this end quote. 266 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: In her shock, Empress Kagyoku shifted her gaze from the 267 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 1: dying Iroka to her son, saying, I know not what 268 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: has been done? What is the meaning of this? To this, 269 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:15,680 Speaker 1: Nakanoe bowed at his mother's feet and defended his actions 270 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: by presenting them as for the good of the throne 271 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: to the Empress. Though his words carried little weight. His 272 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,920 Speaker 1: attack in the end may not have been strong enough 273 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: to actually end Irika's life in one fail swoop. But 274 00:21:32,119 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: the moment he had stood and raised his spear, the 275 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,439 Speaker 1: Empress knew that her son had all but ended her reign. 276 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:46,920 Speaker 1: Without another word, Empress Kugyoku stood from her seat, and, 277 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,439 Speaker 1: with one final look cast between the two men, left 278 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,399 Speaker 1: the hall and secured what was left of sagun no 279 00:21:56,480 --> 00:22:01,399 Speaker 1: Irka's fate. Because when the door closed behind her, the 280 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:06,200 Speaker 1: Empress no doubt heard the flurry of rising panic as 281 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 1: her son and his men wasted no time in finishing 282 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: what they had started and actually killing the man they 283 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:24,680 Speaker 1: had intended to kill. In the aftermath of Sogonoorka's assassination, 284 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:30,439 Speaker 1: life in the Imperial court shifted almost overnight. This in 285 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 1: large part has to do with this period in Japanese 286 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:38,919 Speaker 1: history's perspective on the sanctity of the chrysanthemum throne. In 287 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,120 Speaker 1: the eyes of the public, the throne was seen as 288 00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: a position meant to be pure and untouched by quote pollution, 289 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: whether it be spiritual or physical. But in act such 290 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: as the brutal murder of Soganoorka in front of the 291 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: Empress herself would have been considered pollution of the utmost degree, 292 00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: which was why within two days of the attack, Empress 293 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: Kogyoku abdicated the throne from the outside. The obvious choice 294 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: for Kuyoki's successor would be her son Nakanoi, but the 295 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: head of the Nakatomi and Nakanoe's co conspirator, Nakatomi Kamatari, 296 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,760 Speaker 1: managed to convince the young prince that it would be 297 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,880 Speaker 1: more beneficial for his political career should he wait to 298 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: take the throne, not so soon after facilitating an attack 299 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: within the empirical court. It was with this in mind 300 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 1: that Empress Kogyoku's brother ascended the throne, becoming Emperor Shuitoku. Meanwhile, 301 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 1: outside the imperial court, the Soga clan was floundering in 302 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: the fallout of Irika's death. In the days following his assassination, 303 00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: members of the Nakatomi clan took it upon themselves to 304 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: lay waste to the rest of the Soga clan, and 305 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 1: their leader, who was Uruka's father, Soga non Amishi, knew 306 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,919 Speaker 1: that it was only a matter of time before they 307 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,679 Speaker 1: came for him as well. In the grief of his 308 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:20,840 Speaker 1: son's assassination and the inevitable destruction of his family line, 309 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: Soga no Amishi ultimately decided to take his life into 310 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:30,200 Speaker 1: his own hands only a day after his son's murder, 311 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:34,400 Speaker 1: with the threat of the Nakatomi clan looming heavily over 312 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: his head. On July eleventh, six hundred and forty five, 313 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:44,320 Speaker 1: Amishi calmly set fire to his home and locked himself inside, 314 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:50,200 Speaker 1: effectively drawing a definitive and dramatic end to the reign 315 00:24:50,280 --> 00:25:07,239 Speaker 1: of the Soga clan. That was the gruesome story of 316 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:11,080 Speaker 1: the Yeshi incident. But stick around after the sponsor break 317 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,920 Speaker 1: to hear a little more about Empress Kogyoku after her abdication. 318 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: It stands to reason that Empress Kogyoku's story would end 319 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: with her reign in July of six hundred forty five, 320 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: and in a way it did, but not entirely. Let 321 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 1: me explain. The reign of Empress Kogyoku may have ended 322 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: with the Yishi incident, but following the death of her 323 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:49,639 Speaker 1: initial successor, her brother a decade later, Empress Kugyoku would 324 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: once again ascend to the Japanese imperial throne, only this 325 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: time under the name Empress Saime. Who doesn't love a 326 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 1: good rebrand. Empress Saime's second reign was marked with much 327 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: less political turmoil than her first, and this one only 328 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: ended at her death in six hundred and sixty one. 329 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: This time, she was finally succeeded by her son, the 330 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:21,879 Speaker 1: assassin Nakanoe, who became Emperor Tenji, and after over fifteen 331 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: years since conspiring together to create the Yeshi Incident, Tenji 332 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: would award his close political adviser Nakatomi Kamatari with his 333 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:37,479 Speaker 1: own clan name, making him Fujiwara no Kamatari, head of 334 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: the new Fujiwara clan. The Fujiwaras would go on to 335 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,920 Speaker 1: hold power within the Imperial court from the seventh century 336 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: well into the eighteen hundreds, and to this day are 337 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: considered to be one of the most powerful ancient families 338 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: in classical Japanese history. It's strange to end the episode 339 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: on this note because I want to make clear I 340 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: don't think assassinations and murder are good ideas, but in 341 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:10,359 Speaker 1: this one specific case, it did really work out for 342 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: the people who planned it. Noble Blood is a production 343 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Noble 344 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: Blood is hosted by me Danish Swartz. Additional writing and 345 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:39,119 Speaker 1: researching done by Hannah Johnston, hannah's Wickma Hayward, Courtney Sunder, 346 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: and Laurie Goodman. The show is produced by rima Il Kaali, 347 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:48,679 Speaker 1: with supervising producer Josh Thane and executive producers Aaron Manky, 348 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 349 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 350 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:02,960 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.