Legends and Stories Around the Japanese SwordIn the last years and decades several publications and translations on the subject of the Japanese Sword have been published in the West. In this way, the historical background, the characteristics of the blades, smiths, and schools, as well as the art of sword forging, and the sword fittings were introduced and explained. The aim of this publication is now to bring the reader closer to the role the Japanese sword - the nihontô - played in the warrior class and the Japanese society, namely by the means of legends, stories, and anecdotes on famous swords and their swordsmiths, embedded in an explanation of the background and other relevant facts. In the end, the reader should have an idea about the high value that was placed on this proverbial legendary weapon that span than a thousand years of Japanese history (and even still today as an object of art). The aim was to obtain a balance between easy access for beginners and detailed facts for confirmed enthusiasts. |
Contents
Preface | 7 |
The DōjigiriYasutsuna | 9 |
Onimaru Hizamaru Higekiri and the big sword renaming | 17 |
Tokugawa Ieyasu and the sohaya no tsuruki | 26 |
The healing ŌtentaMitsuyo | 32 |
Tegai Kanenaga and the Bodhisattva Monju | 38 |
Thedemonic Yukihira | 44 |
Ishida Mitsunari and the loss of two Masamune | 48 |
The expulsion of two kasha | 96 |
A giant snake as swordsmith | 101 |
The YamaubagiriKunihiro | 105 |
The daily problems of the giant snakes | 112 |
The Kogitsunemaru | 118 |
JuzumaruTsunetsugu and IchigoHitofuri Yoshimitsu | 124 |
Detective work on the TenkyuwariKunimune | 129 |
The HeshikiriHasebe | 136 |
Kannagiri and DaihannyaNagamitsu | 54 |
Tōshirō Yoshimitsu | 62 |
Gō Yoshihiro | 69 |
The lost writingbox lid | 74 |
The thousand spears of the Kikuchi | 77 |
Fireflies and swords? | 82 |
Thou shalt not shorten me | 86 |
The NikkariAoe | 90 |
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak | 140 |
The legendary sharpness of Kotetsus blades | 146 |
Sword prices and samurai income | 149 |
Map of the old provinces | 158 |
Glossary | 159 |
References | 162 |
Index | 164 |
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Common terms and phrases
Akinaga Ashikaga Awataguchi school bakufu Battle of Sekigahara Bizen blade Castle chapter Chikamasa Chōgi daimyō demon dōjigiri Dōjigiri-Yasutsuna Edo period Eiroku emperor famous fief forge Fujiwara funbari giant snake hatamoto Heshikiri-Hasebe Hidetada Hikoshichi Hōjō Hon´ami family Hosokawa Ichimonji iori-mune Ishida Mitsunari jūyō-bunkazai Kagekatsu Kamakura Kami Kanenaga Kanesada katana Keichō Kenshin Kikuchi killed Kogitsune-maru koku kokuhō koshirae koshizori Kotetsu Kunihiro Kunitsuna Kuniyoshi Kyōto Kyūshū Kyūzō later legend lord Maeda Masamune Matsudaira mentioned Minamoto Mino Mitsunari Mitsuyo Monju mounting Munechika Muromachi period Nagamitsu Nagao nagasa nickname Nikkari-Aoe Nobunaga Oda Nobunaga Ōmi province onikiri origami Ōsaka Ōtenta-Mitsuyo Picture possession Prefecture province rice ryō samurai Satake shaku shinogi-zukuri shōgun shortened shrine signature smith sohaya sori story sutra swordsmith tachi Takauji Takeda tang tantō temple Tenshō Tokugawa family Tokugawa Ieyasu Tōkyō Toshiie Toyotomi Hideyoshi treasure swords ubu-nakago Uesugi vassal Yamashiro Yasutsuna Yorimitsu Yoritsugu Yoshihiro Yoshimitsu Yoshisada Yukihira Yūsai