Kunozan Castle (Kunozan Tōshōgū)

Connection to Swords

Kunozan Castle's connection to swords cannot be discussed without reference to Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japan's greatest sword enthusiast and collector. The number of swords Ieyasu collected throughout his lifetime is said to have reached several hundred, and his aesthetic judgment and knowledge were said to be unparalleled in his era. The core of Ieyasu's sword collection consisted of the "Tokugawa Gomotsu" — celebrated masterpiece blades passed down through the shogunal family — among which the most renowned are supreme ancient blades such as "Monoyoshi Sadamune" and "Taikō Sadamoji." Monoyoshi Sadamune is a wakizashi attributed to Sadamune, a disciple of the great Sōshū master Sadamune, which Ieyasu held with particular affection and is said never to have parted with. The name "Monoyoshi" is said to derive from the superstition that every battle fought while wearing this blade brought auspicious outcomes. Ieyasu also systematized the Tokugawa family's sword collection and management, serving as the shogunal household's otachiban (sword custodians and connoisseurs) and dedicating himself to the protection and transmission of sword arts. This system became the foundation of the Edo shogunate's later sword policies and became the catalyst for Japan's sword culture to be systematically protected and documented. The treasure hall of Kunozan Tōshōgū displays Ieyasu's swords and armor, and in particular his personal armor embodies the highest standards of armor craftsmanship and deeply moves visitors. In the era when Takeda Shingen controlled Kunozan Castle, swordsmiths of Suruga Province gathered in this place and undertook weapons production for the Takeda forces, making Kunozan a complex sacred site where sword manufacture and martial history intertwine. Ieyasu's sword philosophy lay in "the sophisticated integration of utility and beauty," and his thought represents the very spirit of Japanese swords that TOUKENEZA brings to the modern age. Ieyasu's legacy resting at Kunozan is the source that all who seek to deepen their understanding of the Japanese sword world should visit at least once and experience firsthand.