Article by kobe ng
Koto (Old) Sword Period: The Golden Age
When looking at the Golden Age of the Sword we really haveto break the period down into two parts: the Golden Age and the Sengoku Period.In this article we will investigate the Golden Age of the Sword.
The Golden Age of the sword is really defined by two sword smiths,Masamune Okazaki and Muramasa Seng. These two smiths are credited as beingthe two best sword smiths in Japanese history. According to myth Masamuneand Muramasa were contemporaries, but on opposite ends of the spectrum. Masamunewas a peaceful sword smith whose benevolence was known throughout the land.Muramasa was recorded to violent and mentally unstable. One tale in particularillustrates the difference between the two smiths clearly.
According to the legend the two sword smiths decided to havea contest to determine which smith could forge the better sword. The two smithseach worked relentlessly on their swords and once both sword were finisheddecided to determine the better sword by dipping the swords point first intoa stream. When Muramasa dipped his sword into the stream all of the leavesin the stream and all of the fish that passed by the sword were cleanly cutinto two. Even the air that blew past the sword was cut into two. Masamuneacknowledged the quality of Muramasa's sword and dipped his sword into thestream. When Masamune's sword was dipped into the stream not a leaf was cutby it. The wind itself seemed to travel around the blade. Muramasa lookedupon Masamune's sword with disdain and announced himself the winner of thecontest. However, a traveling monk who had witnessed the contest approachedthe two sword smiths. The monk announced that Masamune was winner of the contest.Muramasa was dumbfounded by this verdict and asked the monk why he had madethis ludicrous judgment. The monk answered that Masamune's blade was so superiorthat it knew the difference between an enemy and a friend.
This story of the two sword smiths is a legend with no historicalevidence to support it, but it is an interesting look into the stereotypesthat surrounded both Muramasa and Masamune. Part of this stereotype can betraced back to Ieyasu Tokugawa and his endorsement of Masamune blades, andhis ban of Muramasa blades.
To understand Ieyasu's role in the perception of the two swordsmiths we must look at one of Masamune's greatest swords, the Honjo Masamune.This sword became the symbolic sword of the Tokugawa Shoguns and was passedfrom one Shogun to another until it finally disappeared in 1945. The storybehind the Honjo Masamune is a legend in its own right. The story begins withGeneral Honjo Shigenaga, who obtained the blade in combat. Shinenaga's firstencounter with the Honjo Masamune was not a friendly encounter. The HonjoMasamune was used to split Shigenaga's head by another warrior. Fortunatelyfor Shigenaga the sword only succeeded in splitting his helmet. After thebattle Shigenaga claimed the sword as his own. However, after running intofinancial troubles Shigenaga was forced to sell the blade to Toyotomi Hidetsugu,a retainer and nephew of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. From Hidiyoshi the sword traveledto Ieyasu Tokugawa. Tokugawa was so impressed with the blade that he passedthe sword down to his successor. This line was not broken until 1945 whenthe sword disappeared.
The respect that Tokugawa gave the Masamune blades was not evenclose to disdain he gave to Muramasa's blades. In 1603 Ieyasu banned his Samuraifrom wearing Muramasa blades. It is reported that this was due to the amountof friends Ieyasu had lost to Muramasa blades. This ban resulted in many Samuraichanging the signature of their Muramasa blades or even erasing the signature.The counter effect of this ban lead to the enemies of Tokugawa seeking Muramasablades. Many counterfeit blades were produced during this era.
It has been said that Muramasa "was a most skill full butviolent and ill-balanced mind, verging on madness, that was supposed to havepassed into his blades…They were popularly believed to hunger for bloodand to impel their warriors to commit murder and suicide." It is verypossible that the fear and disdain of Tokugawa fueled much of the lore thatsurrounds the Muramasa blades. Whatever the case may be Muramasa blades arerecognized as some of the sharpest blades created.
Although it is ambiguous whether Masamune was indeed a benevolentsword maker, or Muramasa was a violent mad man. What is not ambiguous is thecontribution that each man made to the art of the Japanese sword. The GoldenAge of the Sword was defined by these two men. All of Masamune's survivingpieces are considered national treasures in Japan, and both sword smith'sswords have yet be surpassed. It is from this peak of the sword's life thatwe will next investigate the Sengoku Period and the mass production and eventualfall in the quality of the Samurai sword.
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