Mitsuyo (光世)

Mitsuyo (year of birth and death unknown) was a swordsmith who lived in Chikugo Province during the late Heian period. He also called himself Tenta or Denta. His posthumous Buddhist name was Genshin.

He is also sometimes called Tenta MIIKE, Denta MIIKE, or Tenta Mitsuyo MIIKE because he lived in Miike Town (which is part of Omuta City at present).

Style

He made broad and magnificent swords.

It is believed that souls could take possession of his swords and such swords could have the power to exorcise evil.
(This story is seen in a legend that tells the reason why the Maeda family eventually obtained the Otenta [a Japanese sword made by Mitsuyo designated as a National Treasures of Japan])

His swords had sharp blades, and many documents mentioned them.

Mitsuyo's Swords

The 'Otenta' (literally, "the great Tenta") is one of the greatest five swords of Japan, and this sword has been regarded as a priceless treasure since the reign of the Ashikaga Shogun family.

The 'Sohaya no Tsurugi' (literally, "the sword of Sohaya" was Ieyasu TOKUGAWA's favorite sword. Although this sword does not carry the maker's name on it, it is believed to have been made by Mitsuyo.

The 'Tanto Meimitsuyo' (Short sword signed Mitsuyo) is a short sword which was donated to Honmyo-ji Temple by Yusai HOSOKAWA. It is designated as an important cultural property.

The Miike School

He and his followers were referred to as the Miike school because they lived in Miike Town.

Others

In Kunugi, Omuta City, there is a place that people believe there used to be a smithy of Tenta MIIKE. One legend has it that the place which used to have his furnace never frosts even on an extremely cold day.

In Amagi, Omuta City, there is a stone which is said to be the tomb of Tenta MIIKE. No characters are engraved on that stone, and it is believed that touching the stone would bring that person divine punishment.

In Setaka-machi, Miyama City, there is a stone monument that has been said to be the grave of Tenta MIIKE's follower.

There is a Japanese style restaurant called 'Mitsuyo Kaikan,' whose building used to be a sake brewery before its refurbishment, in Miike, Omuta City, and this restaurant was named after Tenta Mitsuyo MIIKE.

It is well known that Mitsuyoshi YAGYU (also known as Jubei YAGYU) loved Mitsuyo's sword, and this often appears in period dramas.

[Original Japanese]