Masakado's Kubizuka

Between the office towers of Ōtemachi sits a small, quiet plot. This is the Kubizuka, the mound for the head of Taira no Masakado. Masakado was a warrior who rose up against the government in the tenth century and declared himself a new emperor. He was killed, and his head was put on display in Kyoto. According to legend, it refused to die. For months its eyes stayed open and it cried out for its body, so it could fight again. Then it flew east and fell to earth right here. Centuries later, the Ministry of Finance moved onto this site. After the earthquake of 1923, the mound was levelled to make room for temporary offices. Within two years the finance minister and other officials had died, and talk of a curse spread. A memorial stone was quickly put up. In 1940, lightning set the ministry building on fire. After the war, a bulldozer clearing the site is said to have overturned, killing its driver. Even the national tax authorities, who tell this story themselves, say the curse cannot be proven. But look around. The mound is still here, and the city has built around it.