Yagyū Mitsuyoshi

Yagyū Mitsuyoshi, better known as Yagyū Jūbei, was a seventeenth-century Japanese swordsman of the Yagyū clan and the son of Tokugawa sword instructor Yagyū Munenori. He became one of the most famous figures in later samurai tradition, although the documentary record for long periods of his life is sparse and legend greatly enlarged his reputation as a master swordsman and covert agent.

Mitsuyoshi was the eldest son of Yagyū Munenori and became one of the most famous figures associated with the Yagyū school. Historical documentation about significant parts of his life is limited, which contributed to the growth of legends about secret journeys, espionage and extraordinary martial skill.

In Eiji Yoshikawa’s Yagyu Moonshadow Chronicles, His public authority attracts resentment, while his household is divided by the different temperaments and ambitions of his sons, including the formidable swordsman Jūbei Mitsuyoshi.