Taira no Masakado
During the Meiji period, the Emperor Meiji was faced with public pressure to include Kanda Shrine in the , but hesitated to do so because of the shrine's association with Taira no Masakado, who was seen as a dangerous anti-government demagogue. This was temporarily resolved by removing Taira no Masakado as an enshrined kami. However, Masakado's spirit proved so popular amongst the commoners, that it was symbolically returned to the shrine after the Second World War.