Case file · Haunting
Michizane's thunder strikes the palace
In 930 lightning struck the Seiryōden hall of the imperial palace, killing several officials who had plotted against Sugawara no Michizane, who had died in exile in 903.
930 CE · 35.03, 135.76 · status: account
The account
His rivals had already died one after another, and the crown prince too. The court restored his rank and in 947 built Kitano Tenman-gū, where the angry spirit became Tenjin, god of learning.
The sceptical view
The deaths and the lightning strike are recorded; tying them to Michizane's spirit was the reasoning of a frightened court.