Taira no Shigemori
Taira no Shigemori (平重盛, 1138 – September 2, 1179) was the eldest son of the Taira clan patriarch, Taira no Kiyomori. He supported his father in the Heiji Rebellion. He died two years before his father. His son, Taira no Koremori, became a monk in 1184, and drowned himself. Oda Nobunaga claims descent from him through his grandson, Taira no Chikazane.
Shigemori in The Tale of the Heike
Death
On May 12, 1179, a great whirlwind swept through the capital. Many lives were lost along with many buildings destroyed by the tornado. Only a few days after the incident, he fell ill and died at the age of 42, possible due from smoke that came from the tornado.
The Lanterns
Shigemori built a temple forty-eight bays long, inspired by the forty-eight great vows of the Buddha Amida, and in each bay he hung a lantern. He then became known as the "Lantern Minister".
Gold to China
In 1173, Shigemori made an agreement with a ship captain name Miao Dian in Kyushu. He gave 500 taels of gold to the captain, 3000 to the Song dynasty, 1000 for the monks of Mount Yuwang, and 2000 to buy paddy fields for the monastery, so that the monks may offer prayers for him in his future lives. Miao Dian received the gold, crossed the ocean and took it to the land of the Song dynasty.
