The Story of the Japanese 00881 [Kenmu Period] Battle of Mount Hiei: Beheading of Ko no Morohisa

The Taiheiki records a mysterious oracle here.
On June 21, 1336 (the first year of Engen/third year of Kenmu), a child on Mount Hiei suddenly began to speak, saying, "At noon tomorrow, the Hie Sanno Gongen will brilliantly repel the rebels." It is said that the deity known as Hie Sanno Gongen possessed the child to deliver this prophecy.
Hie Sanno Gongen is a deity of Shinbutsu-shugo (syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism), where the mountain worship of Mount Hiei merged with the Tendai sect.
Originally, a shrine called Hie Taisha was built in Sakamoto, where it gathered many worshippers. At that time, Mount Hiei was called "Hie-yama," and the entire surrounding area was written as "Hiyoshi" but read as "Hie." It is believed that Hie Taisha was a shrine born from the worship of Mount Hie as a deity.
Eventually, Enryaku-ji Temple of the Tendai sect was built on Mount Hiei, a stone's throw from Sakamoto. The Hie faith and the Tendai sect gradually merged to create the deity "Hie Sanno Gongen," and the monks of Enryaku-ji began to worship this deity.
Incidentally, since the Meiji era, Hie Taisha has been read as "Hiyoshi Taisha" to make it easier to pronounce.
Early on the morning of June 22, the people of Mount Hiei were greatly surprised. Monkeys living on Mount Hiei gathered and rang the bells repeatedly. In the Hie faith, monkeys are considered messengers of the gods. It was as if the gods were cheering on the warrior monks.
The forces of Emperor Go-Daigo, riding the momentum, sallied forth with 200,000 horsemen. The Ashikaga side's 1.8 million horsemen (the Taiheiki exaggerates too much!) fought evenly for a while, but were overwhelmed by the sheer force of the Go-Daigo side and fled one after another. As they fled, they fell into valleys and dead ends, resulting in a massive number of casualties. The Taiheiki records that the number was "not even comparable to the Battle of Kurikara Pass (see episode 00477)."
Ko no Morohisa was captured alive while fighting instead of retreating, dragged before Nitta Yoshisada, paraded through East Sakamoto, and then beheaded at Karasaki Beach. We often hear of being "paraded through the city," but "paraded through East Sakamoto" is quite rare.
Morohisa was a major figure, a cousin of the Ashikaga family steward Ko no Moronao, and the execution of such a high-ranking enemy commander must have greatly encouraged the Go-Daigo side.
Incidentally, the Taiheiki refers to the commander of the West Sakamoto forces in this Battle of Mount Hiei who was beheaded as "Ko no Buzen no Kami." Ko no Buzen no Kami refers to Ko no Moroshige (?-1343), who was Moronao's father. Since he did not die in this Battle of Mount Hiei, the Taiheiki's naming of the person is likely incorrect. Since it was actually Ko no Morohisa who died in the Battle of Mount Hiei, I have decided to refer to him as such from the beginning in this article.