The Extermination of Demons on Mount Oe and "Dojikiri-Yasutsuna" - The Intersection of Samurai and Myth in the Mid-Period of the Heian Period

The Extermination of Demons on Mount Oe and "Dojikiri-Yasutsuna" - The Intersection of Samurai and Myth in the Mid-Period of the Heian Period

In the mid-Heian period, Japan's Ritsuryo (law and order) system was losing its substance, and local warrior clans were beginning to rise to prominence. The emperor-centered aristocracy had grown weary of the internal strife within the aristocracy, and the provincial governors, county governors, and powerful clans were beginning to stand on their own, backed by their own military and economic power. It was during this transitional period when the presence of the samurai began to appear on the stage of history, and the budding of the warrior class can be seen in legends.

A representative anecdote is the "Legend of the Extermination of the Demon of Mount Oe," or the story of Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Four Heavenly Kings' extermination of Shuten-doko (a child demon). The demon Shuten Doji lived on Mt. Oe in Tamba, and was ordered by the emperor to kill the demon after it repeatedly kidnapped and devoured the princesses of the capital. The sword said to have been used by Minamoto no Yorimitsu at this time was the "Dojigiri Yasutsuna.

Yasutsuna was a swordsmith based in Ohara, Hoki-no-kuni (now Hoki-cho, Nishihaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture), who is said to have made this famous sword. Yasutsuna is said to have been the first swordsmith to create a curved Japanese sword, and he was later praised as the "founder of Japanese swordsmithing.

But - and here lies the interesting part of the story. In fact, Yorimitsu Minamoto's military exploits are not so clearly confirmed in history, and the existence of the demon Shuten-doji is, of course, a fiction whose real existence is doubtful. Furthermore, tales of the extermination of Shuten-doji did not appear in the literature until the Muromachi period (1336-1573), which is far removed from the mid-Heian period in which Yasutsuna is said to have been active.

Nevertheless, the existence of the famous sword "Dojikiri-Yasutsuna" was linked to this legend, and Yasutsuna's name and work became symbolically significant as "the sword that cut through mythology," rather than just a practical sword, and his reputation was greatly enhanced. The value of the sword itself was imbued with a story, and the story deified the swordsmith as a "legendary craftsman.

The name "Yasutsuna Yasutsuna" has also come to occupy a firm place as a mythical starting point in the history of Japanese swordsmanship. Legend sometimes has the power to surpass historical fact. As a case in point, this episode is highly suggestive.