Sutoku-tenno

Sutoku-tenno Tengu (no translation) 崇徳天皇 Legend states Sutoku was heir to the thrown however for political reasons never allowed inherit his rightful position. So distraught with his rejection, he chose to take his own life. It is said that Sutoku bit off his own tongue, and as he bled to death he wrote, in his own blood, a powerful curse. Then upon death, transformed into a great Tengu. It is said that for many years after his death, disaster upon disaster struck the capital. Plagues, fires, droughts, and earthquakes all pounded the city. Imperial power weakened and Clan rivalries grew more and more violent eventually leading to civil war. All of this was attributed to Emperor Sutoku’...View all