Iwakura Michihiro

Iwakura Michihiro
Douin
Region	Inazuma
Affil­i­a­tions	Mikoshi Clan (formerly) Iwakura Clan Kujou Clan (instructor)
Death	Deceased prior to the game's events
Ancestry	Iwakura Clan
Mother	Mikoshi Chiyo
Sibling	Mikoshi Nagamasa (Adoptive brother)
Mentioned Characters Oni

Iwakura Michihiro (Japanese: 岩蔵道啓 Iwakura Michihiro), born Mikoshi Michihiro (Japanese: 御輿道啓) and later given the title Douin (Japanese: 道胤), was the eldest son of the oni Mikoshi Chiyo, the legitimate heir to the Mikoshi Clan, and the adoptive brother of Mikoshi Nagamasa.

He lived through the cataclysm five hundred years ago, during which Chiyo was corrupted by the Abyss during a battle against a certain "creature of sin" and turned her blade on the Raiden Shogun. As one of Beelzebul's most trusted allies, Chiyo's betrayal was a great stain on the Mikoshi name. Michihiro secluded himself in Konda Village out of shame until he met Teruyo of the Yougou Tengu, who gave him the name "Iwakura" to distance him from his past. He thereafter became the patriarch of the Iwakura Clan.

He had the famed sword "Hakuen Bankou Amenoma" (Japanese: 薄縁満光天目) and its kageuchi (spare copy) Amenoma Kageuchi, forged by the Amenoma Smithy owner at the time. The sword Hakuen Bankou is passed down to each bearer of the "In" (Japanese: 胤) title. Meanwhile, the kageuchi was gifted to the Saimon Clan of the Konda Village as a token of gratitude from him.

Story

As Mikoshi Michihiro

Little is known about Michihiro's early life, besides the fact that he was Chiyo's biological son. At some point in time, Chiyo fostered Nagamasa and adopted him into the Mikoshi Clan.

As Iwakura Michihiro

During his time in seclusion, Iwakura encountered Teruyo of Yougou. She gave him his "Iwakura" name and set up a wager: if he could touch her during their duel, she would let him call his blade the "Tengu Victor." He managed to accomplish this feat with a swing so strong, it destroyed both the abandoned temple they dueled in and the blade he used. After refining his swordsmanship style, Michihiro named it the "Tengu Sweeper" and established his own sword school, known as the Iwakura Art.

The Kujou Clan recruited him as their sword instructor and bestowed upon him the title of "Douin."

Legacy

At some point while Michihiro was still alive, the Maguu Kenki was built based on his Iwakura Art and modeled after him. However, the combat puppet did not work as intended and was abandoned, and Ako Domeki's crew stole a Maguu Kenki puppet during their conflict with the Shogunate.

The Iwakura Art has been passed down to modern times and is still presently practiced. However, after the enactment of the Vision Hunt Decree, many of its practitioners became vagrant Nobushi and Kairagi. During the Traveler's journey across Inazuma, they inadvertently cause the destruction of the Iwakura Clan.

Trivia

Etymology

• In Shinto, iwakura (Japanese: 磐座/岩座) is a large rock or rock formation used to invite down kami (Japanese: 神), or believed to inhabit kami themselves. The "Iwakura" (Japanese: 岩蔵) in Iwakura Michihiro's and his clan's name does not use this term, but it is used when Teruyo explains the name's meaning. The English localization translates 磐座 as "seat of rock."
  • In both Chinese and Japanese, the term 座 kura is used to denote constellation names. For example, Zhongli's Japanese Constellation name is 岩王帝君座 "Seat of the Rock King Emperor". This suggests that Teruyo may have been naming Iwakura's constellation, his "seat of fate," in her attempt to spare him from the fate of his oni lineage.
• Michihiro may have been inspired by swordsmen of the Yagyuu Shinkage school (one of two schools officially patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate), notably its founder Yagyuu "Sekishuusai" Munetoshi (1527–1606) and his son Yagyuu Munenori (1571–1646).
  • Michihiro's signature sword art Tengu Sweeper (Japanese: 天狗抄 Tengu-Shou, "Tengu Raid") is most likely a reference to a sword technique of the same name used by the Kage school and its branch Yagyuu Shinkage school.
  • According to folklore, Munetoshi once had a duel with a tengu. When Munetoshi finally slashed his opponent, the tengu suddenly disappeared and what appeared in turn was a huge rock that was cut into two pieces. The said rock Ittou-seki is now located nearby the Ama no Iwadate Shrine, known for the worship of sacred rocks. This legend may have inspired Michihiro's duel with the tengu Teruyo and his surname Iwakura.
  • Munetoshi was also a fellow disciple of the warrior-monk Houzouin In'ei, who likely inspired the spearman Kitain Bunsou in the game.
  • Munetoshi's son Munenori served as a major warlord of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He was also a sword instructor of the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada.
  • Munenori was also a disciple of the Zen monk Takuan Souhou. Under the influence of Takuan, he developed a philosophy that swordsmanship and zen are one and the same. Such a Buddhist influence can also be seen in the episode and the name of Michihiro's sword Hakuen Bankou, which is said to be able to sever mortal fate (see Amenoma Kageuchi#Trivia for details).

Gallery

Genius Invokation TCG

Emblem of Severed Fate

Ornate Kabuto

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Iwakura Michihiro
Chinese (Simplified)	岩藏道启 Yáncáng Dàoqǐ‍[!][!]Assumed reading
Chinese (Traditional)	岩藏道啟 Yáncáng Dàoqǐ‍[!][!]Assumed reading
Japanese	岩蔵道啓 Iwakura Michihiro
Korean	이와쿠라 미치히로 Iwakura Michihiro
Spanish	Iwakura Michihiro
French	Iwakura Michihiro
Russian	Ивакура Митихиро Ivakura Mitikhiro
Thai	Iwakura Michihiro
Vietnamese	Iwakura Michihiro
German	Iwakura Michihiro
Indonesian	Iwakura Michihiro
Portuguese	Iwakura Michihiro
Turkish	Iwakura Michihiro
Italian	Iwakura Michihiro

Change History

Introduced in Version 2.0

[Edit History]

Version 3.3

• The names Doukei and Michihira were revised to Michihiro.

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Version 2.0

• Iwakura Doukei was released.