Masamune not only made some of the most heralded Samurai swords, but also tutored some of the great swordsmiths that followed him, meaning he left a legendary legacy. Out of all of these swords ever made, the ones designed and created by the legendary swordsmith Goro Nyudo Masamune are the most revered. Japanese swords and knives such as the Tachi, Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto are famous in Samurai culture. Reasons for this include their intrinsically artistic creation, deathly engineering, and the quality of steel they were forged with. The Mikazuki Munechika was passed down a few more times before it was owned by the Tokugawa family.In the long and exciting history of swordmaking, blades brandished by the Samurai warriors of feudal Japan are known to be some of the most formidable, yet beautiful weapons ever made. The sword, along with other Ashikaga treasures, was taken by Miyohsi Masayasu. During the mid-16 th century, the Mikazuki Munechika belonged to the Ashikaga family and the sword was used by shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru to defend himself until he died during an attack on the palace by the Miyoshi family. Over its long history, the Mikazauki Munechika has been owned by several important Japanese families. Like all of the Tenka-Goken, the Mikazuki Munechika is one of Japan’s National Treasures and is currently on display at the Tokyo National Museum. This tachi style samura sword was created by Sanjô Munechika and was named for its crescent moon shape (mikazuki). The Mikazuki Munechika is another one of Japan’s Tenka-Goken and is considered the most beautiful of the five blades. Since then, the Ōtenta-Mitsuyo has been closely guarded by the Maeda family. According to legend the Ōtenta-Mitsuyo ended up with the Maeda family when Hideyoshi offered it to Maeda Toshiie to fight the evil forces that made his daughter Gō. The Ōtenta-Mitsuyo, another Tenka-Goken sword, the Onimaru-Kunitsuna, and the now lost Futatsumei-Norimune were the three treasure swords of Ashikaga Takauji.Įventually, the three swords were passed down to Toyotomi Hideyoshi for unifying Japan. Ōtenta-Mitsuyo belonged to the Ashikaga family and was passed down from shogun to shogun. The Maeda family named the Ōtenta-Mitsuyo after Miike Mitsuyo, or the “Great Tenta”, who is credited as the sword’s smith. The Ōtenta-Mitsuyo is often associated with the Maeda family even though the sword has had several different owners. Present Location: Maeda Ikutokukai in Meguro, Tokyo The Juzumaru-Tsunetsugu may have actually been made by the Tsunetsugu at the Ko-Bizen smith and date back to the late 12 th century. Also, the signature on the Juzumaru is on the other side of where Aoe would have typically singed his swords. However, the Juzumaru shows some differences in its workmanship compared to other Aoe Tsunetsugu swords. Nichiren was not interested in actualy using the sword and saw it as a symbol for the “destroying of iniquity and establishing righteousness” and placed a Buddhist rosary on its hilt, thus giving the sword its name Juzumaru-Tsunetsugu.Īoe Tsunetsugu, who was a swordsmith during the early 13 th century, is often credited with creating the Juzumaru-Tsunetsugu. The sword was given to Nichiren by his most important patron Nanbu Sanenaga, who wanted Nichiren to use the sword for protection. The Juzumaru-Tsunetsugu is known as the rosary (juzumaru) sword because of its association with the Buddhist reformer Nichiren. Present Location: Honkōji Temple in Amagasaki To this day, no one knows where the Honjo Masamune is (it may be in America), but Japan is still hoping that the sword will turn up. Instead of resisting like the other nobles, Iemasa willingly handed over 14 of the Tokugawa’s swords, including the Honjo Masamune. Unfortunately, after Japan surrendered, the Allied Forces demanded the noble families turn over their swords. Even after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Honjo Masamune stayed with the Tokugawa family and during the War it was owned by Tokugawa Iemasa. After the Honjo Masamune was acquired by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the sword was passed down from shogun to shogun.Īlthough the Honjo Masamune is of great importance to Japan, the sword has been missing since the end of World War II. The Honjo Masamune is also one of Japan’s greatest treasures and is so important to the country because the sword was a symbol of the Tokugawa shogunate during almost all of the Edo period (one of Japan’s longest and greatest periods of prosperity). While Masamune created numerous swords, the Honjo Masamune is considered his best work. Masamune is known for being Japan’s greatest swordsmith ever. Photo source: Wikimedia Commons (a different Masamune sword is pictured because no public pictures of the Honjo Masamune exist)
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