Duel at Kagiya no Tsuji

On the morning of November 7, 1634 (Kan'ei 11), at a crossroads called Kagiya no Tsuji in Iga Province (present-day Iga City, Mie Prefecture), one of the incidents later known as the "Three Great Vendettas of Japan" unfolded. Swordsman Araki Mataemon assisted his brother-in-law Watanabe Kazuma in this extraordinary duel, where just 2 men fought against 11, and this combat became a legendary event in Edo-period sword culture, repeatedly depicted in oral narrative, ballad, drama, and film.

**Background: The Death of Watanabe Kazuma's Brother**

The vendetta originated in 1630 (Kan'ei 7). Watanabe Gentayu, a young samurai of Okayama domain, was killed by fellow samurai Kawai Matago. Watanabe Kazuma, Gentayu's brother, resolved to pursue vengeance against Kawai Matago for his brother's death.

After committing murder, Kawai Matago fled and took refuge under the protection of the bannerman Ando Jiem Masatane, using his high status to evade vendetta. The situation—"the target shielded by a high-ranking warrior"—tormented Kazuma for more than four years, even within a system where the shogunate officially sanctioned vendettas. When a target enjoyed protection from warrior-class elites, realization of a vendetta became a matter entangled in political calculation.

The turning point came with the presence of Araki Mataemon, husband of Kazuma's elder sister. Mataemon served as sword instructor of Yamato Koriyama domain and was renowned as one of the greatest swordsmen of his era. He awaited an opportunity when Matago would slip from Ando's protection. In autumn 1634 (Kan'ei 11), intelligence arrived that Matago would pass through Iga Province.

**Araki Mataemon as Swordsman: The Early Edo Sword World**

Araki Mataemon (1599–1638) was born in Araki Village of Hattori Township, Iga Province, and later became a samurai of Okayama domain. His teacher is said to have been Watanabe Koan, a master of the Itto-ryu school active in Osaka, though accounts vary. Regardless, Mataemon was recognized as a representative swordsman of the early Edo period, distinguished by sword technique grounded in real combat experience and composed, clear judgment in battle.

The early Edo period was a transitional phase when Sengoku warfare ended and "sword technique transformed from practical combat into training and the Way." After the Tokugawa shogunate's founding in 1603, sword schools multiplied rapidly. Schools such as Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Itto-ryu, and Shinto-ryu became established as official instructors in domains. The Kan'ei years (1624–1644), during which Mataemon was active, were precisely the period when sword technique was being systematized as "essential warrior discipline."

The specific blade Mataemon carried is not documented, but swords favored by contemporary swordsmen included masterworks by Nagasone Kotetsu. Kotetsu was a sword maker active in the Kan'ei era, renowned for forged blades combining practical sharpness with robust construction—widely favored by early Edo swordsmen. A pragmatic swordsman like Mataemon would almost certainly have carried such a utilitarian masterwork.

**The Duel at Kagiya no Tsuji: The Miracle of Two Against Eleven**

In early morning on November 7, 1634 (Kan'ei 11), Watanabe Kazuma and Araki Mataemon stationed themselves at Kagiya no Tsuji in Iga Province to await Kawai Matago's party. Matago's group numbered 11 men, giving them overwhelming numerical advantage against the two.

When combat began, Araki Mataemon deployed remarkable sword technique. According to tradition, Mataemon single-handedly engaged the majority of Matago's attendants and supporters, cutting and wounding them while creating the opening for Kazuma to face Matago one-to-one. Kazuma, focused intently, confronted his target Matago. After more than four years of hardship, he finally took Matago's life with a single stroke.

How Mataemon wielded his sword in this engagement was recounted throughout the Edo period in legend and story. The popular epithet "Eleven-Man Slash at Kagiya no Tsuji" indicates that the number of opponents Mataemon faced and his rendering of nearly all of them helpless became a signature spectacle in oral narratives, showcasing the narrator's skill. Accounts vary regarding exact casualty counts and battle details, and exaggeration is likely. However, historical sources unanimously corroborate that Kazuma achieved his vendetta, that Mataemon's intervention made it possible, and both were officially pardoned.

**The Vendetta System: Samurai Honor and the Sword's Role**

The duel at Kagiya no Tsuji was extraordinary not merely as combat, but because it occurred within the Edo shogunate's legal framework of the "vendetta system."

The Edo shogunate in principle recognized the taking of revenge against those who killed one's lord or kinsmen. With domain notification and permission, vendettas were permitted. This system protected "samurai honor," and those who succeeded were socially celebrated as heroes. Yet when the target received protection from warrior elites or faced political obstacles, realizing a vendetta proved difficult.

In Kazuma's case, the four years during which Kawai Matago remained under Ando Jiem Masatane's protection represented a collision between "legitimate vendetta" and "the political dynamics of warrior society." The determination of Kazuma and Mataemon to transcend this conflict embodied the Edo-period ethical ideal that "the samurai way = taking revenge," capturing the hearts of posterity.

The Japanese sword held a central place in this "vendetta system." Vendetta was fundamentally a sword duel; "taking revenge with a blade" was the formal procedure for restoring samurai honor. Mataemon's sword excellence embodies one of the most direct expressions of Edo bushido—that the sword was "the samurai's soul" and "proof of honor."

**Cultural Legacy: Kodan, Rokyoku, Drama, and Film**

From the mid-Edo period onward, the duel at Kagiya no Tsuji was widely known as one of the "Three Great Vendettas of Japan," alongside the "Vendetta of the Soga Brothers" and the "Tale of the Loyal Retainers" (Chushingura / Ako Incident).

In kodan (oral narrative), the story of "Araki Mataemon" became exceptionally popular, with "the Eleven-Man Slash at Kagiya no Tsuji" becoming a showcase piece where narrators demonstrated their skill. Similarly, rokyoku (ballad narrative) repeatedly told the tale, and in the Meiji and Taisho periods it was staged as theatrical performance.

From the Showa period onward, film and television drama have repeatedly adapted the story, beginning with the 1937 film "Araki Mataemon" (starring Bando Tsumaji), with multiple visual works produced. Even today, Araki Mataemon remains recognized as the protagonist of "Japan's greatest swordsman and vendetta legend."

**Kagiya no Tsuji Today: A Historical Site in Mie Prefecture**

The historical site of "Kagiya no Tsuji" has been developed in the Araki district of present-day Iga City, Mie Prefecture. While Iga City is known as the home of ninja, it also holds historical significance as the site of Araki Mataemon's vendetta. A stone monument commemorates the duel of November 7, Kan'ei 11.

The duel at Kagiya no Tsuji symbolizes Edo samurai society, when the Japanese sword possessed spiritual and social meaning transcending mere weaponry—it was "the samurai's soul." In each stroke of Mataemon's blade converged three elements: samurai honor, obligation, and sword technique. Nearly four hundred years later, that legend endures as the story of the Japanese sword and the way of the samurai.