Emperor Taiho (大宝天皇)
The Emperor Taiho (-, reign -) was a person whom Yoshimasa MIURA, who called himself Nancho seito (Legitimate Succession of the Southern Court), insisted was his ancestor. It is said that he was the fifth emperor of the Miura Imperial Line and the first head of the Miura family (Yoshimasa was the eighteenth family head). His imina (personal name) was Yoshinaga. Later he called himself Todayu MIURA. His go (pen name) was Soshin.
Brief Personal History
According to a book written by MIURA "Tetteiteki ni Nihon Rekishi no Gobyu o Tadasu" (Correct errors in Japanese history thoroughly), the Emperor Taiho was said to be born in Kyomaru, Totomi Province (present Haruno-cho, Tenryu Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture). His father was the Emperor Matsunaga and his mother was Ayako, the daughter of the Emperor Chokei. In 1410 at Hagi, Mikawa Province (present Hagi-cho, Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture) he ascended the throne from the Emperor Matsunaga. Because MIURA considered that the Southern Court of the family line of the Emperor Gomurakami was a false emperor assigned in Yoshino by the Emperor Godaigo for diversionary tactics, he insisted that this line was a Legitimate Succession of the Southern Court. Also, according to "Nancho Seito Koi Keisho Ron" written by Sekizan FUJIWARA, it was said that the Emperor Gokameyama (Prince Yoshinari) of 副統 made peace by falling into the snare set by Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA and therefore after the unification of the Southern and Northern Courts in 1392 imperialist samurai (warriors) across the country lost legitimate reason to side with the Legitimate Succession of the Southern Court, then Legitimate Succession of the Southern Court followed a course of decline.
In 1438, he lived in seclusion in Kirikoshi, Nukata district, Mikawa Province (present Kirikoshi-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture). He erected Yakushi-do Hall in Terano, Natsuyama, Mikawa Province and secretly enshrined his father and his forefather Imperial Prince Takayoshi to pray to Buddha for the happiness of the dead. Also, MIURA said this Yakushi-do Hall was estimated to be the presently so-called 'Terano no chichiyakushi' and it was locally said that a lot of breast milk was made after visiting there. MIURA said that it was originally called '父薬師' (pronounced chichiyakushi) after his father the Emperor Matsunaga and his forefather Imperial Prince Takayoshi.
Because the Ashikaga side searched for descendants of the Southern Court and killed them as soon as they found them, he moved to Makihira Daimon, Nukata district (present Daimon, Makihira-cho, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture) because of fears for his security and buried the Three Sacred Treasures of the Imperial Family in the ground and took the family name of the Empress Saku-hime MIURA (legitimate daughter of the Miura clan of the Fuji Daiguji family who played an active part in Kenmu Restoration) and called himself Todayu MIURA and became a simple peasant.
It is insisted that he passed away on April 18 at the age of 88 and his Misasagi (Imperial mausoleum) was Makihira Ogon Sanryo (牧平黄金山陵).
It is also said that he copied six hundred volume of Daihannyakyo (Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra) wishing for restoration of the Imperial Throne. Most of this Daihannyakyo were in the possession of Jingu-ji Temple in Makihira Daimon, but they were destroyed in a fire. Only three volumes are now in existence as temple treasures in Shoju-ji Temple in Kuroda, Inabu-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. It is said that they were copied carefully and accurately without a single error of spelling.
The Empress Saku-hime MIURA
According to MIURA, the Empress of the Taiho Emperor, Saku-hime MIURA, was the 57th generation starting from Prince Ooyamamori, the second imperial prince of the Emperor Ojin. Also, Yoshikatsu MIURA, five generations before her, was said to be Fuji Daiguji and the secret leader (秘密裏大将) of the Southern Court. In addition, Saku-hime was also said to be a fifth generation descendant of Masashige KUSUNOKI. According to Sekizan FUJIWARA, her father was Muneaki MIURA and her mother was Fuyuko, a daughter of Masachika KUSUNOKI.
Also, according to MIURA, Saku-hime was a reenactment of Konohana-sakuya-hime. It is said that loyal subjects of the Miura clan, who settled in Oaza-Ikuji, Higashiura-cho, Chita district, Aichi Prefecture and became peasants, enshrined their lord Saku-hime as a Konohana-sakuya-hime. It is said that the place where she was enshrined was Ikuji-jinja Shrine (Higashiura-cho) neighboring the family temple called 'Jinko-an' where honji-butsu (original Buddhist divinity) was enshrined.
Poems written by the Emperor Taiho
九重の砌をめぐる三河水 住み越し末は絶えじとぞ思う
真弓月 ほのぼのと明けゆく空を眺むれば 月ひとりすむ西の山影