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

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

In the mid-Heian period, Japan's Ritsuryo (law and order) system had become a mere shadow of its former self, and warrior clans were beginning to expand their influence in the countryside. Against this backdrop, the legend of Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his Four Heavenly Kings' extermination of "Shuten Doji," the demon of Mount Oe, is recounted. The famous sword that is said to have slain the demon in the legend is "Dojikiri-Yasutsuna. This sword is said to have been forged by Yasutsuna, a swordsmith from Ohara, Hoki Province, and is famous as the originator of the bay sword, or "wari-shaped" Japanese sword. In fact, both Yorimitsu's achievements and the story of Shuten-doko are believed to have been invented by a later generation, and the legend has little historical basis. However, the connection between the legend and the sword has given "Dojikiri-Yasutsuna" mythical significance, and Yasutsuna himself has been deified as the "founder of Japanese swordsmithing. The story giv
es meaning to the sword, and the sword enhances the story. At the intersection of myth and history, the original landscape of Japanese sword culture emerges.