Osaka Castle

In discussing the relationship between Osaka Castle and the Japanese sword, one cannot avoid the Sword Hunt edict issued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Tenshō 16 (1588). This policy, which confiscated swords, short swords, bows, spears, and firearms from farmers under the pretext that they would be used as nails for the Great Buddha of Hōkō-ji, advanced the separation of warriors and farmers. It fundamentally transformed Japan's social structure and established the sword as the symbol of samurai status, making it a historic turning point. From then on, wearing a sword became a privilege of the samurai, and the Japanese sword rose above being a mere weapon to become a symbol of status and pride. Hideyoshi himself was also a collector of rare, renowned swords, gathering famous pieces from across the country in the course of unifying the realm. The most famous of Hideyoshi's favorite swords is the Ichigo Hitofuri (made by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu), and its name derives from 'the single tachi that Yoshimitsu forged in his lifetime.' It was damaged by fire in the Summer Campaign of Osaka, but it was later re-edged by the Tokugawa family, and it is now transmitted as an Imperial Household property. In the Osaka campaigns, Sanada Yukimura carried out a fierce charge that pressed on Tokugawa Ieyasu's main camp, showing the ultimate of combat with the sword in hand. In these battles, many famous swords were used in actual combat, and many blades were lost to the flames of war. With the arrival of the Edo period, Osaka became the economic center as the kitchen of the realm, and a new-era sword culture called Osaka shintō flourished. Inoue Shinkai, with some works designated Important Cultural Properties, was called the 'Osaka Masamune' for the beauty of his nie (crystalline grain). Tsuda Sukehiro pioneered tōran-ba, a revolutionary wave-like temper pattern. These two are called the two great masters of Osaka shintō, and Osaka, together with Edo, became the two major production centers of the shintō period. By touring both the exhibits inside the Osaka Castle Keep and the Osaka Historical Museum, one can deeply understand Hideyoshi's sword policy and the world of Osaka shintō. Because Osaka was a merchant town, it was also a major hub for the distribution and sale of swords, and it has a history of sword dealers lining its streets. Osaka's sword dealers were connoisseurs who brokered famous blades to daimyo and samurai across the provinces, and the culture of sword appraisal developed alongside these places of trade. Osaka Castle is both the castle of the ruler of the realm and, as the source of the Sword Hunt edict that determined the social value of the Japanese sword, the most important castle in the history of swords.