122 Prince Shoutoku [2] The main Buddhist deities worshipped at Shitennouji-Temple are the deities who protect the land in all directions, namely the Protector of the Eastern Continent, the Protector of the Southern Continent, the Protector of the Western Continent, and the Protector of the Northern Continent. The temple was situated on the hill of Naniwa (Ohsaka), a major port for overseas transportation, with the intention that it protect the nation against foreign invasion. There the middle gate, the tower, the main hall and the lecture hall are aligned in one line, from north to south. The layout is identical with Korean temples. Houryuuji-Temple, on the other hand, has the middle gate in the front and the lecture hall at the back. In between the tower is built to the left and the main hall to the right of the central dividing line. This layout is not found in other countries, so it is considered the original design of the Prince. When these grand temples were built, people must have been amazed at their gigantic scale and came to worship with pounding hearts. The ancient shrines of Japan were comparable to these temples in scale and serenity. But simplicity was the characteristic of the shrines, while the designs of the new temples were completely different, ornate and decorrative. Gilt bronze Buddhas rested inside, glistening and glowing. The chant of the sutras were incomprehensible yet inviting like a dream. It was exoticism at its height. Particularly beautiful were the towers. The five-storied pagoda rose straight, with is nine-ringed spire pointing up to the sky. People saw this, and their thoughts travelled afar to the unworldly Buddhist Pure Land. It is natural that the era of the reign of Empress Suijo, during the Regency of Prince Shoutoku, was considered the begining of a new age. And it was at this point that the imperial history was calculated. Though it was off from the actual periodization, the calculation carries much historical significance. Unfortunately, such a time of glory did not last long. A grave crisis for the nation came: the death of Prince Shoutoku, from an illness. He was then Crown Prince and Regent of Empress Suiko, destined to ascend to the throne when his aunt Empress Suiko retired. But on the night of the 22nd day of the second month of the 30th year of the reign of Empress Suiko (622), the Prince passed away. He was forty-nine years old. Chronicles of Japan (Nihon Shoki) recoreds the grief: "In the middle of the night the Imperial Prince Umayado no toyotomimi no mikoto died in the Palace of Ikaruga. At this time all the Princes and Omi, as well as the people of the Empire, the old, as if they had lost a dear child, had no taste for salt and vinegar in their mouths, the young, as if they had lost a belofed parent, filled the ways with the sound of their lamenting. The farmer ceased from his plough, and the pounding woman laid down her pestle. They all said: - "The sun and moon have lost their brightness; heaven and earth have crumbled to ruin: henceforward, in whom shall we put our trust ?" The Koguryo monk Hye-cha is said to have declared: "And now the Imperial Prince is dead . . . Now what avails it that I alone should survive ? I have determined to die on the 5th day of the 2nd month of next year." The monk passed away in accordance with his words. Six years afer the death of Prince Shotoku, Empress Suiko also passed away. The Crown Prince who should succeed to the throne was gone, and the Empress died without instituting the next Crown Prince, so the matter of succession became a problem. At this time, the Great Minister was Soga no Emishi (?-645), the son of Soga no Umako (?-626). This Soga clan was descended from Takeuchi no Sukune, the meritorious central pillar in the court when Emperoe Ohjin (r. latter half of 4th century) was a child. Further back in time, this was an aristocratic clan descending from Emperor Kougen. When Soga no Umako, the son of Soga no Iname (?-570) became the head of the clan, they gradually acquired power and their attitude became more boastful; the mothers of Emperor Youmei and Empress Suiko were both daughters of Soga no Iname, as was Emperor Sushun. In other words, the Soga clan was related to the imperial family on the maternal side. Their power surpassed all other ministers in court. When Emperor Youmei passed away, Soga no Umako, in order to institute Empress Suiko, murdered imperial family members and Mononobe no Moriya, who opposed him. Emperor Sushun detested the self-indulgence of Soga no Umako even though he had a Soga mother. Hearing of this, Soga no Umako assassinated the Emperor, using as agent an immigrant by the name of Koma. Thereupon Empress Suiko ascended the throne. When Prince Shoutoku was Regent, the power of Soga no Umako was at its height. It was impossible for the intelligent Prince not to notice his tyranny. Probably the Prince did not reprimand him because so much was at stake that it would have shaken the destiny of the nation. And that may be why he composed the constitution and set up the cap ranks, in order to delineate the lord and the subjects, to establish vertical social order. He further urged selfreflection by borrowing teachings from Buddhism. But that remained incomplete; Prince passed away, and the Soga successor Emishi was even more conceited and disobedient than his father Umako. A serious crisis developed. The first crime of Soga no Emishi was to remove Prince Yamashiro no Oh-e from succession to Empress Suiko, to institute Emperor Jomei (r. 593-641), the grandson of Emperor Bidatsu (r. 572-585). In the process he murdered Sakaibe no Marise, who opposed him. If Prince Shoutoku were alive he would have become Emperor, and his son Prince Yamashiro no Oh-e would have been Crown Prince. Thus it was the consensus that this Prince should succeed to the imperial throne (as happened with the premature passing-away of Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, where his son was inveated as Emperor Chuuai). Prince Yamashiro no Oh-e was of noble character and commanded respect and affection from the people, but Soga no Emishi disposed of the Prince, and Soga no Iruka (?-645), his son, subsequently destroyed the entire household of the Prince. The second crime of Soga no Emishi was to consecrate his own ancestors, with rites set apart for the imperial family. He constructed a tomb for himself and his son by widely conscripting labour. The tomb of Soga no Emishi was called "the grand imperial tomb" and that for the son Iruka, "the lesser imperial tomb." The people consripted for this construction were originally sllotted for service in Prince Shoutoku's descendant's household. Enraged by this tyrannical behavior, Prins Shoutoku's family said: "In Heaven there are not two suns; in a state there cannot be two sovereigns." However, Soga no Umako set forth to destroy the family. The third crime was that Soga no Emishi conferred the Purple Cap to his son Iruka without reporting to the court, and by his own auhtority treated him as Minister. The son Soga no Iruka was so incluned towards evil and treason that he even stunned his father Emishi. After destroying the household of Prince Shoutoku, Iruka's conceit saw no end. He called his father's house "Upper Majesty's Palace," and his own, "Middle Majesty's Palace." He had his own child called a "prince." Soga no Emishi the father's house was perhaps on the hill, and Iruka's house at the valley; however, to call it "Majesty's (mikado) Palace" was disrespectful. The term "Majesty (mikado)" referred originally to the gate of the imperial house, and it developed philologically to mean "Emperor." Yet the Soga clan had their houses referred to as "Majesty's (mikado)," They protected their houses stringently; fifty men guarded the masters constatly, who were called "his boys (oya no ko warawa)," meaning that youngsters were related to the Soga Clan as children. Thus the nation fell into disarray. No one dared to oppose the despotism of the Soga clan. If Soga no Iruka had proceeded a step further, the orthodox lineage of the Japanese nation would have been terminated at this point.

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