The romantic history of Genghis-Khan, the conqueror of asia
This article was published in “Lucifer. A Theosophical Magazine”, London, The Theosophical Publishing Company Ltd, 7, Duke Street, Adelphi W.C.
Volume II, March 1888 – August 1888.
His identification with the celebrated Japanese Hero-warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the pupil of the Sorcerers of the Mountains, in Magic, Occult Science, and the Arts of War and Government. Collated from native sources. By C. PFOUNDES (OMOI TETSZUNOSTZUIKE).
The Emperor Sei Wa of Japan, 56th of the Dynasty, in the fifth decade of the ninth century of the Christian era, conferred upon his grandson the honorary title of Gen otherwise Minamoto, and one of the sons of this prince was named Midzumata, but most frequently was called Mantchoo. The descendants of that personage attained great power; but another warlike and powerful clan were their great rivals, and the struggle for mastery reached a crisis, at the latter end of the year A.D. 1158.
Yoshitomo, the chieftain of the Gen family, was defeated and treacherously assassinated, and his two eldest sons died in battle, fighting.
The mother of the three youngest, the renowned beautiful Tokiwa, fled with her children, to a place of safety. (Her romantic story is a fruitful and most popular theme with Japanese Poets and Dramatists).
With a babe in her arms (the hero of this tale) and two little boys by her side, the eldest carrying his father's sword, she trudged through the snowstorm, to a humble shelter in the hill-side forests ; but the victor, planning to exterminate his rival's family, seized the mother of Tokiwa, threatening torture and death if the children were not given up to him.
The struggle between filial and parental affection and duty was intense, but a promise to spare the lives of the children, swayed the decision, and she went to the victorious rival of her children's father, to plead her cause.
Struck by her surpassing loveliness, and her evident ability, of which he had long been aware, he used his power over the lives of her parent and her offspring, to affect his own ends, and induce her to conform to his ardent desires to possess her for himself.
The three boys were separated, and sent to remote monasteries, to be immured as priests, and celibacy enforced, so that the race might become extinct, and they be reared in ignorance of their heritage of a noble name, their birth - and right to retrieve the fortunes of the clan. Our hero alone survived, but an elder half-brother, who was exiled, having been captured by the enemy, became also one of the principal personages in Medieval Japanese history.
The infant, who was called Ushiwaka, was impatient of control and the monotonous life of the monastery on Mount Kurama, and with a worker in iron, who travelled with his wares to distant parts of the country, he escaped, and wandered about the distant parts of the provinces for a time-gaining experience and making friendships of momentous importance.
The popular story relates circumstantially many curious and interesting adventures, especially his nightly visits to the Gnomes, who instructed him in War and Occult Science. Certain it is, however, that he developed marvelous strength, skill, and ability.
Having discovered the secret of his birth, and that one of his elder half-brothers still survived, he roused himself to the circumstances that demanded preparation for a great struggle to re-establish the family. With the aid of old retainers, secret friends of the clan, and the Magic support of his spirit teachers, as he grew up to manhood, he became in every way wonderfully well fitted to ably assist his elder brother, who began to collect around him the nucleus of the army of valiant and loyal followers who subsequently won the great battles of the Civil Wars of the period. Ushiwaka now adopted the name of his manhood, Yoshitsune, by which he is best known, indeed no historic personage is more familiar to old and young in his native land.
The restless energy that had given the monks such endless trouble - so that they took no pains to report his flight or discover his whereabouts, now developed into superhuman ability and intelligence.
In A.D. 1180, when he was just 20, and his brother 33, the white standard of the family was raised once more on a field of battle against their hereditary foe.
Yoshitsune soon took the supreme command and direction of affair. His transcendent genius and military and administrative abilities were developed to an extraordinary degree, and the result was that the succeeding battles all ended favorably to our hero's cause.
With success and prosperity arose jealousies, fostered by deigning lieutenants and powerful partizans, who feared the growing power of the founder of the feudal system in Japan. The superior talents and greater popularity of the younger man embittered his elder half-brother, but the result was, in short, that our hero fled to the Northern provinces, and then more than merely suspecting treachery and to escape a violent death of an ignoble character, he crossed over to the Island of Yezo, where there are still numerous shrines dedicated to his memory. He resided there for some time, devoting himself to the welfare of the yet uncivilized natives, who were mostly descendants of the wild tribes driven from the larger southern island in former ages. Marvelous stories of his escape and adventures are related; the loyalty of a small band of followers, congenial spirits, being esteemed and highly commended by natives in all time. Some had been also priests and initiates into the mysteries of the Ten-man-gu - Gnomes and spirits of wisdom, two of whom are specially distinguished, the erst priest-warrior, Saito Benkei, and another faithful henchman. Yoshitsune disappears from Japanese history after the fight at the river Koromo in the spring of 1189, and it was given out that he was slain, but no proof was shown-his wife and children also vanished. The Yezo islanders have numerous stories of his memory which they revere, and to them he is known as Hanguan and Okikirimai.
Sailing from Yezo and crossing the narrow sea that separates the island from the continent, here too traces are still found. Three and four hundred years ago such traces of his presence were matter of common report in Japan, and it appears that his memory was held in equal reverence on the continent all along the route of his sojourn and travels, as in the islands. Benkei and his other henchman are both also remembered in common with our hero.
Their knowledge of priestcraft, ability to recite the rituals, and occult knowledge, were of the utmost value to the trio and the score or so other followers, some of whom had been also monks, throughout all these trying episodes.
Soon after setting foot on the continent of Asia this unique band of valiant men became masters of the region, subdued and civilized the inhabitants; and, ere many years had elapsed, laid the foundation and planned the series of brilliant conquests that the history of the age teems with. And various stories were set afloat to account for the disappearance of our hero, his family, and a number of his most devoted adherents - indeed it does not appear that any real efforts were set on foot to trace them-and certain mysterious events connected therewith have never been clearly explained by writers on the subject. There is evidence that the escape was connived at, but public feeling had to be allayed at the time and is now recognized to be an indisputable fact.
Yoshitsune and his bodyguard appear to have planted the seeds of their beliefs firmly wherever they went, for temples founded by them, dedicated to the Spirit of War - the eight bannerets - are still existing, and many curious facts have been brought to light of late. Yoshitsune was apotheosized ere many years had passed, and numerous shrines erected - some still kept in repair, by the Manchu and other people. Customs still exist, attributed with good reason to the days of Yoshitsune - such as the annual ceremony of the feast and bonfires when irons arc heated and welded by the tribe each in turn, according to station and age, together with numerous minor rites, ceremonies and customs, undoubtedly introduced by the Japanese initiates into the mysteries.
The son of a gifted race, the favored pupil of the all-knowing sages of the innermost recesses of the remote mountains, who succumbed only to one of his own race, his senior, against whom he, above all others, would be the last to raise a hand - is the immortal hero of a vast continent, and the adjacent populous islands. Moreover, he is the ancestor of the Emperor Kian Leong, and of his and other Imperial Dynasties - as that ruler himself stated. The identification is confirmed by the Chinese writing used throughout, in China as in Japan, the ideographic value being identical, though the phonetic diverges - hence Minamoto or Yoshitsune was of the Sei Wa Gen-ji, or Gen-ji Kei or Gen-gis Khan, the Chinese being Tsing Ho Yuen Ye Ring for the same written character, meaning exactly the same and used precisely for the same idea - in the same way.
For further particulars and references see:
O Dai Ichi Ran - Imperial Japanese History
Dai Ni Hon Shi -History of great Japan
Higashi Yezo Yu Wa - Tales of Eastern Yezo for Evenings
Henkai Bem Kau -Tales of the Coast and Borders.
Yezo Kim Ko Ki -Achievements in Yezo
Gem Pei Sei Sui Ki - Narrative of Rise and Fall of Gem and Pei
Howorth's History & History of Tartar, by Abulgaghi Khan, &c. (1663) Petis de Ia Croix
Yuen Shi -(Chinese) History of Yuen Dynasty
Yoshitsune, or we should now call him Genghis Khan, died about 1227, and his grave has been shown to recent travelers, and he gave the name of his celebrated ancestor, Mancha, to the country of his first conquest and subsequent adoption - on the Continent.
His connection with the priests of Thibet, and intercourse with the Lamas is matter of history. His antecedent training in the fastnesses of the mountains, whither he was miraculously conveyed nightly, for long distances, as it is related and credited in the land of his birth, prepared him for admission to the inner circles of the Ri-shi and communication with the Arhats of the age, whom doubtless he sought and met in his travels and the regions he subdued.
There is no doubt of the identity. and there can be no question of the special peculiar circumstances of his instruction, Yuen Ye Ki, of the Chinese, Genghis Khan, the conqueror, and Gen-ji-Kei, otherwise Minamoto Yoshitsune, are one and the same - Buddhist Acolyte, Japanese Prince, and student of the Occult, Magician, Conqueror, Hero, Revered Divinity of the North East of Asia.
NOTES: Yoshitsune appears to have assumed the name of Temugin, after crossing over to Asia; this is probably derived from his Guru's name (Tenmangu), or from Tenjin, another Divine title; and the Natives of Mongolia refer to his ancestry by the title of Yezo-kai, which in Japan is another name for the Northern Island. The former name of Manchuria was Mich kuh - anciently called Saoshun, but changed to Manchu by Genghis, to perpetuate his ancestor’s name. (See Chiu guai keir Den, by Ban Nobuyuki.)