“Tomb of Soga Brothers”, Hakone, c. 1920.
See also:
The 47 Ronin (Genroku Ako Vendetta)
“One of the many tales of filial revenge told to children is that of ‘the Soga boys.’
“In the time of Yoritomo1, while on the hunt in the mountains, one Kudo shot and killed Kawadzu. Of the slain man’s two sons, one was sent to a monastery in the Hakone mountains, to be educated for the Buddhist priesthood. There, as he grew up, he learned all about the death of his father, and who his murderer was. From that time, he thought of nothing but how to avenge his death.
“Meanwhile, the other son was adopted by one Soga, and became a skillful fencer. At Oiso, on the Tokaido, the two orphans finally meet, lay their plans, feast together, and prepare to join the great hunt of Yoritomo on the slopes of Mount Fuji.
“On the night after, they attack the quarters where the tired Kudo lies asleep. They beat down the servants who try to defend him, and sate [satisfy] their revenge by cutting off Kudo’s head.”
– The Mikado’s Empire, Vol. II, William Elliot Griffis, 1906