Masamune, Important Art Object Many of his forged
tachi were later made into
katana by cutting the tang (
nakago). For this reason, his only existing works are
katana,
tantō, and
wakizashi.
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō The
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō is a catalogue of famous Japanese swords commissioned by
Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth
shogun of the
Tokugawa shogunate. It was compiled by the Hon'ami clan, renowned sword appraisers and polishers, and documents the characteristics and provenance of each blade. The catalogue also includes detailed drawings of each sword’s shape and
hamon (temper pattern), faithfully reproduced on paper. Although many of the most celebrated swords in Japanese history are included, not all famous blades appear in the listing. The original manuscript has not survived, but several historical copies exist. Among these are four versions that begin with the
tantō Atsushi Tōshirō, and three that begin with the
tantō Hirano Tōshirō. Swords listed in the
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō are traditionally referred to as
meibutsu, meaning "celebrated item", and are often known by names that include this prefix, such as the Meibutsu Hyūga Masamune. The
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō lists 248 famous swords. Among them, 80 had already been lost during the
Siege of Osaka and are included only as historical records. Masamune is represented by 59 swords, 18 of which had already been lost at the time the catalog was compiled. This accounts for an overwhelming one quarter of the entire list, making Masamune the most prominently featured swordsmith in the catalog. is represented by 34 swords, 18 of which had been lost.
Sadamune is represented by 22 swords, 3 of which had been lost, and is represented by 22 swords, 11 of which had been lost. These four smiths are recorded in far greater numbers than others. As a result, Masamune, Yoshimitsu, and Yoshihiro came to be regarded as the Tenka-Sansaku (天下三作), meaning "Three Great Smiths under Heaven." Later, from the late Edo period to the
Taishō era, Hon'ami Kōjo and several sword scholars compiled supplemental volumes to the original
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō. These supplements added 2 swords attributed to Masamune, 5 to Yoshimitsu, 2 to Sadamune, and 1 to Yoshihiro. Among those attributed to Masamune, 9 are National Treasures and 10 are Important Cultural Properties. These include 4
katana and 5
tantō among the former, and 6
katana, 3
tantō, and 1
wakizashi among the latter. Among the nine swords by Masamune that have been designated as National Treasures, the only one not listed in the
Kyōhō Meibutsuchō and therefore not considered a
Meibutsu is the Tsugaru Masamune.
National Treasure under the former system Honjō Masamune (katana, meibutsu) The
Honjō Masamune represented the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the
Edo period and was passed down from one
shōgun to another. It is one of the best known of the swords created by Masamune and is believed to be among the finest Japanese swords ever made. It was made a
Japanese National Treasure (
Kokuhō) in 1939. Under the current system established by the 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, items that had been designated as National Treasures under the prewar system prior to 1950 are regarded as equivalent to Important Cultural Properties. Shigenaga was attacked by Umanosuke who already possessed a number of trophy heads. Umanosuke struck Shigenaga with the Honjō Masamune which split his helmet, but he survived and took the sword as a prize. Under the United States occupation at the end of World War II, all production of nihontō with edges was banned except under police or government permit. The Americans required that all swords be surrendered to the Foreign Liquidation Commission. Tokugawa Iemasa turned in the Honjō Masamune and 13 other "prized heirloom" swords to a police station at
Mejiro in December 1945. In January 1946, the Mejiro police gave the swords to a man identified as "Sgt. Coldy Bimore" (possibly a garbled phonetic spelling of the man's name) of the Foreign Liquidations Commission of AFWESPAC (Army Forces, Western Pacific). Although the NCO to whom it was delivered is identified, to date its fate and current location still remains unknown. The Honjō Masamune is the most important of the missing Japanese swords. Only vague theories exist as to the location of the sword. In the late 16th century, the seventh head of the Kanze clan, Kanze Sōsetsu, approached
Tokugawa Ieyasu, a powerful
daimyo at the time, and presented the
katana to him. The
katana was later given to the
Honda clan as part of the bridal trousseau of
Senhime, daughter of
Tokugawa Hidetada, the second
shogun of the
Tokugawa shogunate, when she married
Honda Tadatoki. After Tadatoki's death, the
katana was returned to the Tokugawa shogunal family. Honda Tadakatsu acquired the
katana through the mediation of Hon'ami Kōtoku, a renowned sword appraiser. The tang (
nakago) bears an inlaid gold inscription (
kinzōgan) of both the name Masamune and that of the Hon'ami clan, who certified the sword's authenticity. The
katana was later presented to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who subsequently bestowed it upon the
Maeda clan, rulers of the
Kaga Domain. Today, the
katana is owned by the
Maeda Ikutokukai Foundation, a public interest incorporated foundation. In the early Edo period, Hon'ami Kōtoku inscribed the tang with a gold-inlaid inscription (
kinzōgan) indicating that the
katana had once belonged to Jō Kagemochi. For this reason, the
katana is also sometimes referred to as
Jō Izumi no Kami Masamune, using Kagemochi's honorary court title. Following the Tokugawa victory over the Toyotomi forces at the
Battle of Sekigahara, Mizuno Katsunari, a general on the Tokugawa side, seized the
tantō from Fukuhara Nagataka, who had been defending
Ōgaki Castle. Because of its association with the castle, the blade later became known as
Ōgaki Masamune. Mizuno Katsunari later transferred the blade to the
Kishū Tokugawa family as collateral for a debt. In 1652,
Tokugawa Yorinobu presented the
tantō to his son Tokugawa Mitsusada. Mizuno held the honorary court title Hyūga no Kami (Governor of
Hyūga Province), and from this title the Kishū Tokugawa family named the blade Hyuga Masamune, passing it down through successive generations under that name. Approximately sixty years after the end of Tokugawa rule following the
Meiji Restoration, the
tantō was put up for auction and purchased by the
Mitsui family for 2,678 yen. attributed to Masamune. These
tantō have a wide body, unlike his normal slim and elegant work, making them appear quite similar to a
Japanese cooking knife. One of the three blades has a
gomabashi in cutout (
sukashi). It was restored around 1919 and sold for approximately 10
hiki (a certain number of
mon); this was worth roughly 14¢ US at the time, meaning that the price was remarkably low. Of these three
tantō, the one once owned by
Ankokuji Ekei is now in the
Eisei Bunko Museum, the one formerly belonging to the
Naitō clan is in a private collection, and the remaining
tantō is held by the
Tokugawa Art Museum. All three have been designated National Treasures. Moritaka presented the
tantō to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and after Ieyasu's death, it was inherited by
Tokugawa Yorinobu of the Kishū Tokugawa family, and later by
Matsudaira Yoritsune, lord of the
Saijō Domain. After Ishida Mitsunari was dismissed from his position as one of the
Go-Bugyō (Five Commissioners) and placed under house arrest, he presented this
katana to
Yūki Hideyasu, the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was tasked with guarding Mitsunari’s residence at the time. The
Yūki clan later changed its name to Matsudaira, and in modern times, after passing through private ownership, the sword eventually came into the collection of the Tokyo National Museum. It is designated as an Important Cultural Property. The Fudo Masamune is one of the few surviving blades that is known for sure to have been made and signed by the swordsmith and from the early 1600s, it was in the possession of the Owari branch of the Tokugawa clan. It was made primarily for stabbing but with a sharp edge allowing it to be useful for slashing also. It is currently housed in the Tokyo National Museum.
Important Art Objects Musashi Masamune (katana, meibutsu) ,
Japanese Sword Museum. A peculiar work of Masamune, once in the possession of the Tokugawa Shogunate through the
Kii Domain and gifted to the main Tokugawa family line in Edo in its prime. It is designated as an
Important Art Object. Upon the end of the Tokugawa Era marked by the
Bakumatsu, the Musashi Masamune was presented as a gift by
Tokugawa Iesato in honor of
Yamaoka Tesshū's efforts to facilitate peaceful negotiation with
Katsu Kaishū to
Saigō Takamori, sparing Edo from war and needless destruction; however, Yamaoka was humbled upon being given such a masterpiece, and had passed it down to statesman
Iwakura Tomomi. Soon after seeing it passed from hand to hand throughout the 20th Century, the Musashi Masamune finally made its way to the
Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai in the year 2000 by Motoo Otsuyasu. The Musashi Masamune is a tachi, measuring 74 cm (2 korai-shaku, 1 sun, 4.2 bun) and noted to have nearly all of the characteristics of Masamune's signature features; though it is debated that its
o-kissaki is not that of his style, it is compared to blades made in his later career, which shows the transition of the Kamakura styles into the Nanbokucho era. It is rumored that, while the blade is named after
Musashi Province, where Edo and current day Tokyo stands, its origin stems from being once in the possession of
Miyamoto Musashi, who is considered Japan's most famous swordsman. The sword is classified as a
meibutsu. In 2000, this sword was acquired by the
Society for the Preservation of Japanese Art Swords with the assistance of Motoo Otsuyasu.
Others Kotegiri Masamune (katana, meibutsu) Kotegiri means "Kote cutter". In this case
kote is a contraction of
yugote (弓籠手), an archer's
arm-guard. This name comes from when Asakura Ujikage cut an opposing samurai's
yugote in the battle of Toji in
Kyôto.
Oda Nobunaga gained possession of this sword and had it shortened to its present length. In 1615, it passed down to the Maeda clan who in 1882 presented it as a gift to
Emperor Meiji, a known sword collector. It is currently housed in the Tokyo National Museum.
Masamune in Harry S. Truman Library (katana) A Masamune was given to
President Harry S. Truman shortly after World War II. It is kept in the
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. ==Legends of Masamune and Muramasa==