現在の可児市東部には、かつて明智荘（あけちのしょう）とよばれた荘園が広がっていました。明智光秀はここを治めていた土岐氏の一門である明智氏の出身とされています。この地域には、光秀が生まれ落城するまで居住したとされる明智城跡や産湯の井戸跡、明智氏歴代の墓所をはじめ日本最大の光秀の位牌などがまつられている天龍寺があります。

There spread a manor once called Akechi-no-Sho in the eastern part of Kani City. Akechi Mitsuhide is considered to have been from an Akechi clan among the Toki clan which ruled there at that time. In the region ruins of Akechi-jo Castle where Mitsuhide was born and inhabited until the castle fell, the mark of a well used as the baby’s first bath, tombs of the Akechis and Tenryu-ji Temple where Japan’s largest mortuary of Akechi Mitsuhide is enshrined are there.

Akechi Mitsuhide is a mysterious man whose first half of his life remains unknown. There are several opinions about his birth. According to the common view, he was from the “Toki-Akechi clan”. The Toki clan goes back to Toki Mitsuhira who was a descendant of Minamoto no Yorimitsu of the the Settsu Genji clan and inhabited Mino. Minonokuni Toki-Gun(county) became the home ground of the Toki clan. As the guardian of Mino Koku, the Toki clan sometimes had a great effect on the government. The flag crest of the Toki clan raised was Kikyo which was the crest Mitsuhide also used. According to the “Minonokuni-Sho-Kyu-Ki(history of Minonokuni)” *, Toki Yorikane built the castle in Koei 1st (1342) in Akechi-no-Sho, Minonokuni and inhabited. Since then he changed his surname to Akechi. This clan was the Toki-Akechi clan, which is believed to have had deep relationship with Mitsuhide.

光秀は享禄元年（1528）※1に、可児郡・明智荘で生まれました※2。『美濃国諸旧記』によると、父は明智城主の明智光綱、母は大野郡府内（現在の揖斐川町）を本拠とした山岸氏の娘であったとされています。さらに光秀の叔母は斎藤道三の妻（小見の方）であり、その娘が「帰蝶（濃姫）」とも記されています。要するに織田信長の正室として知られる濃姫とは”いとこ同士”。明智氏は美濃国の支配者だった斎藤道三とも姻戚関係にあり、東美濃の有力な一族であったとも考えられます。光秀の知識や教養の高さと人脈の土台は、明智一族の後継ぎとして育てられたことによるのではないでしょうか。

実は、光秀が明智荘のどこで生まれたかははっきりしていません。しかし昭和40年代の土地改良以前までは瀬田地区・字浦田の瀬田川付近に、産湯の井戸跡が残されていたようです。

※　生年は『続群書類従』所収「明智系図」によります。

In Kyoroku 1st(1528) * 1, Mitsuhide was born in Kani-Gun (county), Akechi-no-Sho * 2. According to “Minonokuni Sho-Kyu-Ki (history of Minonokuni), his father was Akechi Michitsuna, the lord of Akechi-jo Castle and his mother was a daughter of the Yamagishi clan whose home ground was Ono-Gunfunai (present Ibigawa-Cho). In addition, the document says that Mitsuhide’s aunt was Saito Dosan’s wife (Omi-no-kata) and her daughter was “Kicho (Nou-hime)”. In other words, Mitsuhide and Nou-hime, known as the legal wife of Nobunaga, were cousins. The Akechi clan and Saito Dosan who was the ruler of Minonokuni are related by marriage, so the Akechi clan was thought to be powerful in Higashi-Mino (eastern Mino). Mitsuhide’s advanced knowledge and higher education and personal connection were due to being raised as a successor of the Akechi clan. Actually where in Akechi-no-Sho Akech Mitsuhide was born isn’t sure. However, the mark of a well used as the baby’ first bath has been left near Setagawa in Seta district aza-Urata before the land improvement in Showa 40s.
* Date of birth is from “”Akechi Keizu (genealogy)”” included in “Zoku Gunsho Ruiju”.

According to “Minonokuni Sho-Kyu-Ki (history of Minonokuni)”, Mitsuhide lost his father, Mitsutsuna, when he was young. After that, supported by his uncle, Mitsuyasu, he is said to have lived in Akechi-jo Castle until Koji 2nd (1556). The document also says that in those days, the Akechi clan consistently supported Saito Dosan and Dosan also trusted the Akechi clan as much as his shield. Possibly young Mitsuhide grew up, affected by Saito Dosan who was known as the pit viper of Mino. What if he had taken over the lifestyle of Dosan and completely affected… An epic interest in a historical romance doesn’t run out. In addition, this book says that Mitsuhide went around for improving his skill of martial arts, an anecdote of what we call the martial arts training. This is quite unconventional for the son of the Lord of the Castle. The image of Young Mitsuhide who was interested in different things is very attractive. Well, the period of young Mitsuhide in Kani was coming to an end. In Minonokuni, Saito Dosan and his son, Yoshitatsu, were getting deep in conflict with each other.

Saito Yoshitatu’s rebellion against his father, Dosan in winter, Koji 1st (1555) triggered the conflict between the father and the child which devided Minonokuni in two. According to “Minonokuni Sho-Kyu-Ki (history of Minonokuni)”, the powers to the side of Dosan was less. Mitsuhide’s uncle, Mitsuyasu said that he was obliged to Dosan, but that Mitsuyasu was righteous. He decided not to help either side and just sent Mitsuhide to Yoshitatu. In the next April, Saito Dosan was killed in the Magaragawa battle and Yoshitatsu’s side won the conflict. The movement of Mitsuhide during this battle was uncertain. As the result, the Akechi clan who was originally on the side of Dosan got into the difficult situation. Moreover, Mitsuyasu never abandoned his loyalty to Dosan, so in September in the same year, Yoshitatsu’s military approached the Akech-jo Castle. 800 people of the Akechis including the retainers were besieged, and after the fierce attacks, the castle finally fell. Mitsuyasu, before committing suicide, left the message to Mitsuhide, saying that all the Akechs had died but Mitsuhide and hoped for the revival of the Akechis. In this way, the Akechis perished leaving the only heir, Mitsuhide. In the ruins of Akechi-jo Castle in Seta, Kani City, there are seven mounds for the souls of dead soldiers and a ghost tower called Rokushinkenzoku (family) which the villagers secretly built still remains. The main part of Akechi-jo Castle now has become a water pond, so the old state does not remain. But in the ruins of the castle, there are some remains which are said to be East-Demaru, Karamete-Kuruwa, Ni-no-Magewa, San-no-Magewa, West-Demaru, Inui-Kuruwa.

Days of hardship of Mitsuhide who had lost his home began. According to “Minonokuni Sho-Kyu-Ki (history of Minonokuni)”, he left his wife and children in the Yamagishi clan’s care in Seino, his mother’s hometown and went around the country. It seems that he took a wife from the Tsumaki clan of the same family. This woman in an anecdote about the harmonious couple is called “Hiroko” according to one document, but her real name is unknown. If he hadn’t left Kani, Mitsuhide might have ended his life as a local feudal clan. But the decline and fall of his clan caused the result of unleashing a genious in the world. It was in Eiroku 11th (1568) that Mitsuhide appeared on the center of history. It was when Nobunaga went up to Kyoto. And he entered the time of great progress.