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Dōjigiri
Dōjigiri (童子切, "Slayer of Shuten-dōji") is a ''tachi''-type Japanese sword that has been identified as a National Treasure of Japan. This sword is one of the "Five Swords Under Heaven" (天下五剣 Tenka-Goken). Dōjigiri is sometimes called "the yokozuna of all Japanese swords" along with Ōkanehira ( :ja:大包平) because of its perfection; it is of great historical value as one of the oldest extant katana-type weapons. The quality and the artistic value of the blade is exquisite, it has been kept in good preservation, and the legend tied to the sword is notable. Anatomy The present mounts of the Dojigiri are fine examples of Momoyama-period work in itomaki no tachi style, in which the typical wrapping of the hilt continues along part of the scabbard. The scabbard is decorated in gold nashiji (gold flakes suspended in transparent lacquer) and the metal fittings are of shakudo (a blue-black alloy of copper with a small percentage of gold) worked with a nanako ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of National Treasures Of Japan (crafts-swords)
The term "National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897, although the definition and the criteria have changed since the introduction of the term. The swords and sword mountings in the list adhere to the current definition, and have been designated national treasures according to the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties that came into effect on June 9, 1951. The items are selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology based on their "especially high historical or artistic value". The list presents 110 swords and 12 sword mountings from ancient to feudal Japan, spanning from the late Kofun to the Muromachi period. The objects are housed in Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, museums or held privately. The Tokyo National Museum houses the largest number of these national treasures, with 20 of the 122. During the Yayoi period from about 300 BC to 300 AD, iron tools and weapons such as knives, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenka-Goken
The are a group of five Japanese swords. Three are National Treasures of Japan, one an Imperial Property, and one a holy relic of Nichiren Buddhism. Among the five, some regard Dōjigiri as "the yokozuna of all Japanese swords" along with Ōkanehira ( :ja:大包平).Sato, 1990. pp. 116–117. Origin As of 2017, the term is widely-recognized among Japanese sword connoisseurs. For example, the national institute uses the word in an explanation for Mikazuki. Although some researchers claim the term dates back to the Muromachi period (1333–1573), its origin is unknown. Suiken Fukunaga cites a book written in the fifth year of Genroku (1692–1693),Fukunaga, 1993. vol. 3, p. 302 and vol. 5, p. 379. so the term is traceable back to at least the late 17th century if the citation is to be believed. Kanzan Sato commented, in terms of pure quality from the viewpoint of modern sword connoisseurs, although they are undoubtedly five of the greatest swords, it is doubtful whether they are '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shuten-dōji
Shuten-dōji (, also sometimes called , or ) is a mythical ''oni'' or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head. Shuten-dōji had his lair at Mount Ōe () northwest of the city of Kyoto, or Mount Ibuki, depending on the version. It has also been theorized that the original mountain was Mount Ōe () on the western edge of the city of Kyoto. Texts The oldest surviving text of the legend is recorded in the 14th century ''Ōeyama Ekotoba'' (大江山絵詞 "Tale of Mount Ōe in Pictures and Words"), a picture scroll held by the Itsuō Art Museum. It was later incorporated into the corpus of ''Otogi-zōshi'' ("Companion tales"), and became widely read in the woodblock-printed versions of them called the ''Otogi Bunko'' (Companion Library), especially Shibukawa Seiemon editions (ca. 1720). The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minamoto No Yorimitsu
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his military exploits, and is known for quelling the bandits of Ōeyama. His loyal service earned him the governorships of Izu Province, Kozuke and a number of others in turn, as well as a number of other high government positions. Yorimitsu served as commander of a regiment of the Imperial Guard, and as a secretary in the Ministry of War. When his father Minamoto no Mitsunaka died, he inherited Settsu Province. Yorimitsu is usually accompanied by his four legendary retainers, known as the Shitennō (The Four Heavenly Kings). They were Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata no Kintoki, Urabe no Suetake, and Usui Sadamitsu. Legends Yorimitsu featured in a number of legends and tales, including the legend of Kintarō (Golden Boy a.k.a. Sakata no Kintoki), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Sword
A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794 – 1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application and method of manufacture. Some of the more commonly known types of Japanese swords are the ''katana'', ''tachi'', '' odachi'', ''wakizashi'', and ''tantō''. Classification Classification by shape and usage In modern times the most commonly known type of Japanese sword is the ''Shinogi-Zukuri'' ''katana'', which is a single-edged and usually curved longsword traditionally worn by samurai from the 15th century onwards. Western historians have said that Japanese katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history, for their intended use. Other types of Japanese swords include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tachi Sword - Dojikiri Yasutsuna 2
A is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and ''katana'' generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the ''mei'' (銘), or signature, on the tang. The ''tachi'' style of swords preceded the development of the ''katana'', which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. ''Tachi'' were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when ''katana'' became the mainstream, ''tachi'' were often worn by high-ranking samurai. History The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods: * ''Jōkotō'' (ancient swords, until around 900) * ''Kotō'' (old swords from around 900–1596) * ''Shintō'' (new swords 1596–1780) * ''Shinshintō'' (new new swords 1781–1876) * ''Gendaitō'' (modern or contemporary sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tachi
A is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and ''katana'' generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the ''mei'' (銘), or signature, on the tang. The ''tachi'' style of swords preceded the development of the ''katana'', which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. ''Tachi'' were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when ''katana'' became the mainstream, ''tachi'' were often worn by high-ranking samurai. History The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods: * ''Jōkotō'' (ancient swords, until around 900) * ''Kotō'' (old swords from around 900–1596) * ''Shintō'' (new swords 1596–1780) * ''Shinshintō'' (new new swords 1781–1876) * ''Gendaitō'' (modern or contemporary sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tachi Sword - Dojikiri Yasutsuna
A is a type of traditionally made Japanese sword (''nihonto'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. ''Tachi'' and ''katana'' generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the ''mei'' (銘), or signature, on the tang. The ''tachi'' style of swords preceded the development of the ''katana'', which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. ''Tachi'' were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when ''katana'' became the mainstream, ''tachi'' were often worn by high-ranking samurai. History The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods: * ''Jōkotō'' (ancient swords, until around 900) * ''Kotō'' (old swords from around 900–1596) * ''Shintō'' (new swords 1596–1780) * ''Shinshintō'' (new new swords 1781–1876) * ''Gendaitō'' (modern or contemporary sw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oda Nobunaga
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobunaga was head of the very powerful Oda clan, and launched a war against other ''daimyō'' to unify Japan in the 1560s. Nobunaga emerged as the most powerful ''daimyō'', overthrowing the nominally ruling shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki and dissolving the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573. He conquered most of Honshu island by 1580, and defeated the ''Ikkō-ikki'' rebels in the 1580s. Nobunaga's rule was noted for innovative military tactics, fostering of free trade, reforms of Japan's civil government, and the start of the Momoyama historical art period, but also for the brutal suppression of those who refused to cooperate or yield to his demands. Nobunaga was killed in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582, when his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide ambushed him in Kyoto and forced him to commit . Nobunaga was succeeded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who along with Toku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Azuchi–Momoyama Period
The was the final phase of the in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th and ultimately final Ashikaga ''shōgun''. This entrance marked the start of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Nobunaga overthrew Yoshiaki and dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573, launching a war of conquest to politically unify Japan by force from his base in Azuchi. Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. His successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed Nobunaga's campaign of unification and enacted reforms to consolidate his rule, marking the end of the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but the invasion's failure damaged his prestige, and his young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori was challenged by Tokugawa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakudō
''Shakudō'' (赤銅) is a Japanese billon of gold and copper (typically 4–10% gold, 96–90% copper), one of the ''irogane'' class of colored metals, which can be treated to develop a black, or sometimes indigo, patina, resembling lacquer. Unpatinated ''shakudō'' visually resembles bronze; the dark color is induced by the ''niiro'' artificial patination process, involving boiling in a solution, generally including ''rokushō''. Naming The characters in the name ''shaku-dō'' mean "red" and "copper" but combined they represent this material which begins with a darkened coppery-bronze color and is then modified to black or near-black. History Early uses The word "shakudō" first appears in records of the Japanese "Nara" period (710-784 AD), but it is not clear to what it referred (it could have been some form of copper, or a form of the now-known material). There are actual pieces known from the 12th century onwards. Shakudō was historically used to construct or decorate Ja ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge facing upward. Since the Muromachi period, many old ''tachi'' were cut from the root and shortened, and the blade at the root was crushed and converted into ''katana''. The specific term for ''katana'' in Japan is ''uchigatana'' (打刀) and the term ''katana'' (刀) often refers to single-edged swords from around the world. Etymology and loanwords The word ''katana'' first appears in Japanese in the '' Nihon Shoki'' of 720. The term is a compound of ''kata'' ("one side, one-sided") + ''na'' ("blade"), in contrast to the double-sided '' tsurugi''. See more at the Wiktionary entry. The ''katana'' belongs to the ''nihontō'' family of swords, and is distinguished by a blade length (''nagasa'') of more than 2 ''shaku'', approximately . ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
-p000-frontispiece-oeyama.jpg "Click for more on -> Shuten-dōji")
