Kokuo Shrine

Kokuou Jinja in Bando, Ibaraki Prefecture, enshrines Taira no Masakado at the very site of his death. In 972 (Tenroku 3), his third daughter Jokuni-ni is said to have carved a wooden image of her father from a sacred tree and built a small shrine to honor him. Though Masakado was officially condemned as a rebel, he was never forgotten as a hero by the local people. In 1648, Tokugawa Iemitsu granted ten koku of dedicated land to the shrine, and the precincts were thereafter restored and developed. The main hall, worship hall, and the carved wooden image of Masakado are designated tangible cultural properties of Ibaraki Prefecture. The annual festival is held on February 14, the anniversary of Masakado's death.