Fukuoka Castle (Maizuru Castle)

Connection to Swords

The greatest treasure in the sword history of Fukuoka Castle and the Kuroda family is, without question, Heshikiri Hasebe. Its creator, Hasebe Kunishige, was a swordsmith of Yamashiro Province (Kyoto) from the Nanbokuchō period, and left numerous examples of blades featuring hitatsura (all-hardened) tempering, large ō-midare (grand wave-pattern) hada, and hira-zukuri (flat) construction in both lengthened and standard tantō (short sword) forms. How this blade came into the hands of Oda Nobunaga is unclear, but it is believed that Nobunaga obtained it from a Kyoto weapons merchant or as a tribute. Nobunaga held this blade in high esteem, and during the Tenshō era, it is said that in recognition of Kuroda Kanbei's merit in proposing strategy for the China Campaign (the Mōri Campaign) to Nobunaga, Nobunaga granted the blade to Kuroda Kanbei. Passed down from Kanbei to his son Nagamasa and thereafter through successive generations of the Kuroda family, this blade was carefully preserved as a family treasure of the Kuroda house even after the Meiji Restoration, and was donated to Fukuoka City in the Shōwa era. It is currently on permanent display at the Fukuoka City Museum and has been designated a National Treasure. Measuring 74.9 centimeters in blade length with shallow curvature and magnificent form, Heshikiri Hasebe is a masterwork that typifies the characteristics of Yamashiro swords from the Nanbokuchō period. The hada is principally marked by strong nie forming wave patterns, and the kissaki (point) is a large rounded form approaching hard-fired perfection. Because the Kuroda family had deep roots in Harima and Bizen provinces, their family treasures also included swords of the Bizen-den (Bizen tradition). Moreover, the Kuroda family's retainer corps included many members with expertise in sword appraisal, and they engaged in the preservation and management of renowned blades under their lord's orders. Among Chikuzen Province swordsmiths, Samonji (Yasukichi), the founder of the Nanbokuchō-period Chikuzen Samonji school, was particularly celebrated, and his forging style possessed a distinctive beauty that harmonized with both the later Sōshū-den and Bizen-den traditions. The blades of Samonji were promoted throughout the realm by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and many daimyō sought his works. Heshikiri Hasebe, housed in the Fukuoka City Museum, stands as a must-see masterpiece that draws sword enthusiasts from across the nation to Kyushu's premier center of sword culture.