According to the “賊禁秘誠談”, one of the three great Jōnin ninjas, Momochi Sandayu was famous for being the master of Ishikawa Goemon, the famous thief, but Sandayu’s name cannot be found in history.
In the “伊乱記 Iranki,” the names of the Momochi who participated in the Tenshō Iga War are given as Momochi Shinnojo, Dotarozaemon, and Hoojiro Momochi Tamba.
However, there is a theory that Sandayu are not entirely created character. This is because Ryuguchi is the home of Iga Sarugaku (ancient theater performance), and the Hakusan Shrine’s Munefuda lists ten names of Dayu. The name of Dayu was ordinary.
Ryukuchi is located in Iga and Yamato, and both clans were members of the Ōe clan, famous for the Kuroda no Akuto. The Momochi clan, powerful local samurai during the Warring States period, built a fort on the top of a mountain, which straddled Ryukuchi from north to south, and controlled the entire southern Iga area. It is now registered as the Iga Machikado Museum and visits are available by appointment.
