Kouzu-no-miya Jinja Shrine(高津宮) is located in Osaka city and the 16th emperor Nintoku(仁徳天皇) is enshrined in the main building. According to the shrine's official chronicle, the emperor's palace used to be located right upon the shrine's place.
The name "Nintoku"(仁徳) means "benevolence(仁)and goodness(徳)" and was given to him after his pass-away based on his good politics during his thrown time.
The most famous story about his good achievements in politics is introduced in the official chronicle. Once upon a time, the emperor Nintoku came out of his palace and noticed that there were no smoke out of cooking stoves in his people's houses. The emperor came to know that people suffered from a food shortage so that they couldn't cook. Once he thought, he decided to cease taxation to people until the situation gets better.
During the no-taxation time, the emperor decided to live modestly; he didn't buy a new cloth unless it was worn out, and he didn't allow his palace to be fixed even though there were some severe damages and actually there were rain leaks in the roof.
Three years later, the situation got better and people finally began to cook. The emperor again came out of the palace to see his people's houses and confirmed that there were cooking smoke here and there. At sight of the smoke, he told his wife that the heaven sent a leader only for his people and the people is a very base of the leader, so the leader should blame himself if people are starving.
People finally got out of their starvation and told the imperial court that they would like to pay their tax to rebuild the desolate palace of the emperor but he turned it down to ensure improvement in his people's lives.
The emperor finally resumed the taxation further three years later. Upon the tax resumption, the people got together and built a new palace on a purely volunteer base only in return of the emperor's great decision when they were severely starved.
The story shows us what a virtue is and the emperor is a role model who the Japan's emperors should follow. If you read Japanese history, you will find that the emperors in history including the current imperial majesty of Japan has lived in a very modest way.
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