Mikogami Tenzen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mikogami Tenzen (神子上典膳, Mikogami Tenzen^?) was a reputed status symbol of swordsmanship throughout the Edo Period of Feudal Japan. Consecutively rising in rank beneath the Itto ryu ("One-sword-technique school") under the guidance of the famous Ito Ittosai for many years, there came a point in time at which the former needed to ensure that someone capable will succeed his position as the school's new master; Tenzen and Ono Zenki were chosen as the two primary contestents for this opportunity. And in order to finalize who shall be his successor, Tenzen and Zenki were ordered to fight in a bout, the rules of which were up to them. They both felt that they would risk their very lives in order to suucceed their master in the Ito style, and subsequently chose to use real swords in a fight to the death. The result was a tense duel lasting many hours in which neither was able to spot a weakness in the other's defence. However, for reasons unknown, Zenki ran off, attempting to steal the Itto-sai's scrolls along his way. He was chased and cut down by Tenzen. Being originally favored by Itosai in the circumstance that he would be the most fit as his succeeding head, Tenzen changed his name to "Ono Tadaaki" following the previous bout, and then became enlisted by Tokugawa Ieyasu as Commissioner of Rice Fields, during his mutual assistance in the 1600 siege of Ueda castle.

However, by this point in time, Tenzen had grown very confident in his ability with the sword and, as opposed to besieging the castle with a mutual group of soldiers, Tenzen personally attacked many of the Sanada garrison defenders with his own personal blade, thus receiving from Tokugawa Ieyasu great reprimandation for his lack of coordination and full-fledged recklessness. With the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate following decisive victory at Sekigahara, Tenzen--along with the reputed Yagyu Munenori--became the government's head fencing instructors, training new recruits whenever the need were to arise. As Tenzen had developed a new swordsmanship fighting style that he called the "Onoha Itto ryu" (literally "Ono style one-sword technique") around this initial time in his life, he still became personally unfavored by Tokugawa Ieyasu, dominantly by means of his general recklessness and somewhat arrogant personality, despite being a very skilled swordsman in all respect. Regardless of such circumstances, Tenzen still held a remarkably high rank beneath the shogunate, establishing a personal friendship with a famous priest by the name of Takuan Soho throughout the passing years of the Edo Period.

[edit] Cultural Influence

In the manga series known as Tenjou Tenge, Tenzen makes an appearance in Chapter 90, in which he has willingly chosen to discard his swordsmanship for the sake of sensuality, but still possesses the intent to be seen highly in the eyes of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Tenzen is killed later in a ruse set by an ancestor of Natsume Aya and Priest Kabane Myouun, but subsequently becomes seen to the eyes of many as still living due to a cover-up magical trick employed by Kabane.