The name Mimizuka became common after Razan HAYASHI called it 'Mimizuka' in his book "Toyotomi Hideyoshi Fu" (a biography of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI) because severing noses was, he thought, too barbaric.
しかし林羅山がその著書『豊臣秀吉譜』の中で鼻そぎでは野蛮だというので「耳塚」と書いて以降、耳塚という呼称が広まったようである。