Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (柳生 十兵衞 三厳, Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi, 1607 – April 21, 1650) was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan's feudal era.
Very little is known about the actual life of Yagyū Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse. Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi (born "Shichirō") grew up in his family's ancestral lands, Yagyū no Sato, now in Nara. He was the son of Yagyū Tajima no Kami Munenori, master swordsman of the Tokugawashōguns, especially Ieyasu and Tokugawa Iemitsu, who prized Munenori as one of his top Counselors .
Munenori fought for the first Tokugawa shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, at the Battle of Sekigahara, expanding the shōgun's territory. For his efforts, Munenori was made the shōgun's sword instructor and a minor daimyō (provincial ruler), by extending his family hereditary domain up to 10,000 koku. Despite not being the heir of his father as the headmaster of the Yagyū style (and thus far from being an unrivaled swordsman under the Heaven), he received the post for its importance in Japanese politics and Court intrigues, at which Munenori was better than the other members of his clan. Munenori would go on to train three successive Shoguns: Ieyasu, Hidetada, and Iemitsu.
In 1616, Mitsuyoshi became an attendant in the court of the second Tokugawa Shōgun, Tokugawa Hidetada and became a sword instructor for the third Tokugawa Shōgun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, occasionally filling his father's role. Records of Yagyū Jūbē Mitsuyoshi, however, do not appear again until 1631, when Jūbē, by now regarded as the best swordsman from the Yagyū clan, is summarily and inexplicably dismissed by the Shōgun either due to Jūbē's boldness and brashness or his decision to embark on a Warrior's Pilgrimage (武者修行, Musha Shugyō).
His whereabouts are then unknown over the next twelve years—even the Yagyū clan's secret chronicles, which contained lengthy passages on numerous members, has little solid information on Jūbē—until Yagyū Jūbē reappears at the age of 36 at a demonstration of swordsmanship in front of the Shōgun. Following this exhibition, Jūbē was reinstated and serves for a short time as a government-inspector (御所印判, Gosho Inban), taking control over his father's lands until Yagyū Tajima no Kami Munenori's death in 1646.
Jūbē also authored a treatise known as Tsuki no Shō (月之抄) or The Art of Looking at the Moon outlining his school of swordsmanship as well as teachings influenced by the monk Takuan Sōhō who was a friend of his father's. In this work he briefly provides hints on his whereabouts during his absence from Edo Castle from 1631 to 1643 – traveling the countryside in perfecting his skills.
Death
After residing in Edo for several years after his father's death, Jūbē left his government duties and returned to his home village where he died in early 1650 under uncertain circumstances. Some accounts say he died of a heart attack; others say he died while falcon hunting; some during fishing, while still others presume he was assassinated by his half-brother Yagyū Tomonori's attendants.
Jūbē was laid to rest in his home village of Yagyu behind the family temple of Hotojukuji alongside his father and brother. In keeping with tradition, Yagyū Jūbē was buried alongside his grandfather, Yagyū Munetoshi, and was survived by two daughters and his brother and successor Yagyū Munefuyu. Jūbē was given the Buddhist posthumous name of Sohgo.
Eyepatch legend
Legend has it that Yagyū Jūbē had the use of only one eye; most legends state that he lost it in a sword sparring session where his father, Yagyū Munenori, struck him accidentally. However, portraits from Jubei's time portray him as having both eyes. Several authors of late have chosen to portray Jūbē as having both eyes, though the classical "eyepatch" look remains standard. Others have chosen to have Jūbē lose an eye as an adult in order to incorporate the eyepatch legend.
Fictional appearances
Due to Yagyū Jūbē's frequent disappearances and the fact of little existing records of his whereabouts, his life has bred speculation and interest and has been romanticized in popular fiction.
Jūshirō Konoe played the role of Yagyū Jūbē in 11 films and 27 TV episodes:
Yagyu Bugeicho (柳生武芸帳) (1965) NET TV series - 26 episodes
Shadow Assassins (忍法かげろう斬り) (1972) Kansai TV TV series - 1 episode (#22)
Gō Wakabayashi played the role of Yagyū Jūbē in 23 TV episodes and 1 TV movie:
Edo is Cut: Azusa Ukon's Secret Spy Chronicles (江戸を斬る 梓右近隠密帳) (1973-1974) TBS TV series - 7 episodes
Hikozaemon Okubo (大久保彦左衛門) (1974) Kansai TV TV series - 1 episode (#31)
Tokugawa Sangokushi (徳川三国志) (1975) NET TV series - 15 episodes
Kanei Chronicles: Clash! Wise Izu vs Yui Shosetsu (寛永風雲録 激突！知恵伊豆対由比正雪) (1991) Nippon TV TV movie
Shinichi Chiba played the role of Yagyū Jūbē in 4 films, 91 TV episodes, and 1 TV movie: Note: The loss of Jubei's left eye is depicted in the first 3 productions. In Shogun's Samurai, Jubei is struck with a sword. In The Yagyu Conspiracy Jubei is hit by an arrow. And in Samurai Reincarnation, it occurs during a practice duel with his father.
Director/writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri in his enormously popular animated film Ninja Scroll, created the lead character Jubei Kibagami as a homage to Yagyū Jūbē. He is voiced by Japanese voice actorKōichi Yamadera. The movie also had a sequel - Ninja Scroll: The Series - that features a recurring character named Yagyu Renya, a one-eyed master swordsman from the Yagyū Clan.
An alternate variation can be found in the anime Shura no Toki. In this version Jubei was initially known as having only one eye, but actually covered the other to challenge himself. However, upon taking the eyepatch off to duel the fictional Mutsu Takato, Jubei actually loses his eye.
Yagyū Kyūbei from the manga Gin Tama takes her name from him, and also wears an eyepatch.
Jubei also appeared in the manga-anime Yaiba as one of the hero's resurrected allies.
Another one is Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl where a modern high school girl becomes an unwilling heir to the Yagyu Jubei school of swordsmanship.
In Yagyuu Hijouken Samon by Ryu Keiichiro and Tabata Yoshiaki, Jubei is said to have lost his eye in a fight with Yagyuu Samon, his younger brother. Samon is killed by Jubei in the end.
Arc System Works' BlazBlue video game series features an anthropomorphic cat character named Jubei. He is said to be one of the greatest warriors in the world, and is depicted with a sword guard for an eye patch.
The SNK video game Samurai Shodown features a master swordsman named Yagyu Jubei who wears an eyepatch.
Jubei is the hero in Futaro Yamada's novel Makai Tensho. The novel's been adapted into several movies, manga, anime, a PS2 game and even a couple of stage plays.
Yagyu Jubei appears in the table top game Ninja All Stars by Sodapop Miniatures
In the video game series Senran Kagura one of the characters is a girl named Yagyū who wears an eyepatch over her right eye.
The main character of the video game Onimusha 2 goes by "Jubei Yagyu", but is actually Yagyū Mitsuyoshi's grandfather, Yagyū Muneyoshi.
Further reading
De Lange, William (2019). The Remarkable History of the Yagyu Clan. TOYO Press. ISBN978-94-92722-171.
July 20, 2023
yagyū, jūbei, mitsuyoshi, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, does, cite, sources, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, r. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article does not cite any sources Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article s factual accuracy is disputed Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help to ensure that disputed statements are reliably sourced January 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Yagyu Jube Mitsuyoshi 柳生 十兵衞 三厳 Yagyu Jube Mitsuyoshi 1607 April 21 1650 was one of the most famous and romanticized of the samurai in Japan s feudal era Contents 1 Life 2 Death 3 Eyepatch legend 4 Fictional appearances 5 Further readingLife EditVery little is known about the actual life of Yagyu Mitsuyoshi as the official records of his life are very sparse Yagyu Jube Mitsuyoshi born Shichirō grew up in his family s ancestral lands Yagyu no Sato now in Nara He was the son of Yagyu Tajima no Kami Munenori master swordsman of the Tokugawa shōguns especially Ieyasu and Tokugawa Iemitsu who prized Munenori as one of his top Counselors Munenori fought for the first Tokugawa shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara expanding the shōgun s territory For his efforts Munenori was made the shōgun s sword instructor and a minor daimyō provincial ruler by extending his family hereditary domain up to 10 000 koku Despite not being the heir of his father as the headmaster of the Yagyu style and thus far from being an unrivaled swordsman under the Heaven he received the post for its importance in Japanese politics and Court intrigues at which Munenori was better than the other members of his clan Munenori would go on to train three successive Shoguns Ieyasu Hidetada and Iemitsu In 1616 Mitsuyoshi became an attendant in the court of the second Tokugawa Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada and became a sword instructor for the third Tokugawa Shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu occasionally filling his father s role Records of Yagyu Jube Mitsuyoshi however do not appear again until 1631 when Jube by now regarded as the best swordsman from the Yagyu clan is summarily and inexplicably dismissed by the Shōgun either due to Jube s boldness and brashness or his decision to embark on a Warrior s Pilgrimage 武者修行 Musha Shugyō His whereabouts are then unknown over the next twelve years even the Yagyu clan s secret chronicles which contained lengthy passages on numerous members has little solid information on Jube until Yagyu Jube reappears at the age of 36 at a demonstration of swordsmanship in front of the Shōgun Following this exhibition Jube was reinstated and serves for a short time as a government inspector 御所印判 Gosho Inban taking control over his father s lands until Yagyu Tajima no Kami Munenori s death in 1646 Jube also authored a treatise known as Tsuki no Shō 月之抄 or The Art of Looking at the Moon outlining his school of swordsmanship as well as teachings influenced by the monk Takuan Sōhō who was a friend of his father s In this work he briefly provides hints on his whereabouts during his absence from Edo Castle from 1631 to 1643 traveling the countryside in perfecting his skills Death EditAfter residing in Edo for several years after his father s death Jube left his government duties and returned to his home village where he died in early 1650 under uncertain circumstances Some accounts say he died of a heart attack others say he died while falcon hunting some during fishing while still others presume he was assassinated by his half brother Yagyu Tomonori s attendants Jube was laid to rest in his home village of Yagyu behind the family temple of Hotojukuji alongside his father and brother In keeping with tradition Yagyu Jube was buried alongside his grandfather Yagyu Munetoshi and was survived by two daughters and his brother and successor Yagyu Munefuyu Jube was given the Buddhist posthumous name of Sohgo Eyepatch legend EditLegend has it that Yagyu Jube had the use of only one eye most legends state that he lost it in a sword sparring session where his father Yagyu Munenori struck him accidentally However portraits from Jubei s time portray him as having both eyes Several authors of late have chosen to portray Jube as having both eyes though the classical eyepatch look remains standard Others have chosen to have Jube lose an eye as an adult in order to incorporate the eyepatch legend Fictional appearances EditDue to Yagyu Jube s frequent disappearances and the fact of little existing records of his whereabouts his life has bred speculation and interest and has been romanticized in popular fiction Jushirō Konoe played the role of Yagyu Jube in 11 films and 27 TV episodes Yagyu Tabi Nikki 柳生旅日記 Shochiku film series Yagyu Travel Journal 1 Heaven and Earth Dream Sword 柳生旅日記 天地夢想剣 1959 Yagyu Travel Journal 2 Dragon Tiger Killing Sword 柳生旅日記 竜虎活殺剣 1960 Yagyu Bugeicho 柳生武芸帳 Toei film series Yagyu Chronicles 1 The Secret Scrolls 柳生武芸帳 1961 Yagyu Chronicles 2 The Secret Sword 柳生武芸帳 夜ざくら秘剣 1961 Yagyu Chronicles 3 The Valley of Outlaws 柳生一番勝負 無頼の谷 1961 Yagyu Chronicles 4 One Eyed Swordsman 柳生武芸帳 独眼一刀流 1962 Yagyu Chronicles 5 Jube s Redemption 柳生武芸帳 片目の十兵衛 1963 Yagyu Chronicles 6 The Yagyu Scroll 柳生武芸帳 片目水月の剣 1963 Yagyu Chronicles 7 The Cloud of Disorder 柳生武芸帳 剣豪乱れ雲 1963 Yagyu Chronicles 8 The One Eyed Ninja 柳生武芸帳 片目の忍者 1963 Yagyu Chronicles 9 Assassin s Sword 十兵衛暗殺剣 1964 Yagyu Bugeicho 柳生武芸帳 1965 NET TV series 26 episodes Shadow Assassins 忍法かげろう斬り 1972 Kansai TV TV series 1 episode 22 Gō Wakabayashi played the role of Yagyu Jube in 23 TV episodes and 1 TV movie Edo is Cut Azusa Ukon s Secret Spy Chronicles 江戸を斬る 梓右近隠密帳 1973 1974 TBS TV series 7 episodes Hikozaemon Okubo 大久保彦左衛門 1974 Kansai TV TV series 1 episode 31 Tokugawa Sangokushi 徳川三国志 1975 NET TV series 15 episodes Kanei Chronicles Clash Wise Izu vs Yui Shosetsu 寛永風雲録 激突 知恵伊豆対由比正雪 1991 Nippon TV TV movie Shinichi Chiba played the role of Yagyu Jube in 4 films 91 TV episodes and 1 TV movie Note The loss of Jubei s left eye is depicted in the first 3 productions In Shogun s Samurai Jubei is struck with a sword In The Yagyu Conspiracy Jubei is hit by an arrow And in Samurai Reincarnation it occurs during a practice duel with his father Toei films directed by Kinji Fukasaku Shogun s Samurai aka The Yagyu Conspiracy 柳生一族の陰謀 1978 Samurai Reincarnation 魔界転生 1981 The Yagyu Conspiracy 柳生一族の陰謀 1978 79 Kansai TV TV series 39 episodes Yagyu Abaretabi 柳生あばれ旅 TV Asahi TV series Yagyu Abaretabi 柳生あばれ旅 1980 81 First Series 26 episodes Yagyu Jubei Abaretabi 柳生十兵衛あばれ旅 1982 83 Second Series 26 episodes Iemitsu Hikoza and Isshin Tasuke 家光と彦左と一心太助 天下の一大事 危うし江戸城 1989 TV movie Sarutobi Sasuke and the Army of Darkness 猿飛佐助 闇の軍団 Cinema Paradise film series Sarutobi Sasuke and the Army of Darkness 3 Wind Chapter 猿飛佐助 闇の軍団３ 風の巻 2005 Sarutobi Sasuke and the Army of Darkness 4 Fire Chapter 猿飛佐助 闇の軍団４ 火の巻 完結篇 2005 Yuki Meguro son of Jushiro Konoe played the role of Yagyu Jube in 8 TV episodes Yagyu Shinkage Ryu 柳生新陰流 1982 TV Tokyo TV series 8 episodes Kinya Kitaōji played the role of Yagyu Jube in 2 large scale TV movies i e mini series Fuun Yagyu Bugeicho 風雲柳生武芸帳 1985 TV Tokyo Tokugawa Chronicles Ambition of the Three Branches 徳川風雲録 御三家の野望 1987 TV Tokyo Hiroki Matsukata son of Jushiro Konoe played the role of Yagyu Jube in 5 TV movies and 1 film Yagyu Bugeicho 柳生武芸帳 Nippon TV TV movie series Yagyu Bugeicho 柳生武芸帳 1990 Yagyu Bugeicho Jubei s 50 Kills 柳生武芸帳 十兵衛五十人斬り 1990 Yagyu Bugeicho Great Conspiracy in the Capital Jubei and the Puzzling Princess 柳生武芸帳 京に渦巻く大陰謀 十兵衛と謎の姫君 1991 Yagyu Bugeicho Jubei s Violent Travels 柳生武芸帳 十兵衛あばれ旅 1991 Yagyu Bugeicho Jubei s Violent Travels Date s 620 000 Koku Conspiracy 柳生武芸帳 十兵衛あばれ旅 伊達六十二万石の陰謀 1992 Yagyu Jubei The Fate of the World 柳生十兵衛 世直し旅 2015 All in Entertainment film Hiroshi Katsuno played the role of Yagyu Jube in 44 TV episodes Shogun Iemitsu s Secret Journey 将軍家光忍び旅 TV Asahi TV series Shogun Iemitsu s Secret Journey 将軍家光忍び旅 1990 1991 Series 1 22 episodes Shogun Iemitsu s Secret Journey II 軍家光忍び旅II 1992 1993 Series 2 22 episodes Hiroaki Murakami played the role of Yagyu Jube in 1 large scale TV movie i e mini series and 21 TV episodes Three Generations of the Yagyu Sword 徳川武芸帳 柳生三代の剣 1993 TV Tokyo Legendary Swordfights of Yagyu Jubei 柳生十兵衛七番勝負 TV series Legendary Swordfights of Yagyu Jubei 柳生十兵衛七番勝負 2005 First Series 6 episodes Legendary Swordfights of Yagyu Jubei The Shimabara Rebellion 柳生十兵衛七番勝負 島原の乱 2006 Second Series 7 episodes Legendary Swordfights of Yagyu Jubei The Final Duels 柳生十兵衛七番勝負 最後の闘い 2007 Third Series 8 episodes Hideki Saijo played the role of Yagyu Jube in the 1992 TV series Tokugawa Buraichō 徳川無頼帳 24 episodes Director writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri in his enormously popular animated film Ninja Scroll created the lead character Jubei Kibagami as a homage to Yagyu Jube He is voiced by Japanese voice actor Kōichi Yamadera The movie also had a sequel Ninja Scroll The Series that features a recurring character named Yagyu Renya a one eyed master swordsman from the Yagyu Clan An alternate variation can be found in the anime Shura no Toki In this version Jubei was initially known as having only one eye but actually covered the other to challenge himself However upon taking the eyepatch off to duel the fictional Mutsu Takato Jubei actually loses his eye Yagyu Kyubei from the manga Gin Tama takes her name from him and also wears an eyepatch Jubei also appeared in the manga anime Yaiba as one of the hero s resurrected allies Another one is Jubei chan The Ninja Girl where a modern high school girl becomes an unwilling heir to the Yagyu Jubei school of swordsmanship In Yagyuu Hijouken Samon by Ryu Keiichiro and Tabata Yoshiaki Jubei is said to have lost his eye in a fight with Yagyuu Samon his younger brother Samon is killed by Jubei in the end Arc System Works BlazBlue video game series features an anthropomorphic cat character named Jubei He is said to be one of the greatest warriors in the world and is depicted with a sword guard for an eye patch The SNK video game Samurai Shodown features a master swordsman named Yagyu Jubei who wears an eyepatch Jubei and his brothers Yagyu Munefuyu and Retsudō Gisen feature prominently in another novel by Ryu Keiichiro The Blade of the Courtesans Jubei is the hero in Futaro Yamada s novel Makai Tensho The novel s been adapted into several movies manga anime a PS2 game and even a couple of stage plays Yagyu Jubei appears in the table top game Ninja All Stars by Sodapop Miniatures Yagyu Jubei had a guest starring drama on BoBoiBoy Galaxy In the video game series Senran Kagura one of the characters is a girl named Yagyu who wears an eyepatch over her right eye The main character of the video game Onimusha 2 goes by Jubei Yagyu but is actually Yagyu Mitsuyoshi s grandfather Yagyu Muneyoshi Further reading EditDe Lange William 2019 The Remarkable History of the Yagyu Clan TOYO Press ISBN 978 94 92722 171 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi amp oldid 1157364115, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
