Sendai Castle (Aoba Castle)

Connection to Swords

Date Masamune is renowned among the Sengoku daimyo as one of the most outstanding sword collectors, and his refined aesthetic eye became the standard for later sword enthusiasts. Among the famous swords Masamune possessed, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, forged by Mitsutada of the Bizen Osafune school, is particularly renowned. The blade earned its name when Masamune, executing a retainer with his own hand, sliced not only the retainer but also the bronze candlestick that stood nearby. Mitsutada was a master craftsman of the Bizen Osafune school in the mid-Kamakura period, and his style is known for ornate choji-midare blade patterns and bright, sharply defined steel. For many years, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada was believed to have been damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake, but it was rediscovered in the Mito Tokugawa family's warehouse and is now on public display following restoration. The sword Ōkurikara is likewise known as a treasured heirloom blade of the Date family, and its magnificent form, adorned with a carving of the Kurikara Dragon, symbolizes Masamune's dignity as a warrior. Masamune patronized Kunikane as an official swordsmith of the Sendai domain, establishing the foundation of the swordsmith lineage in Sendai. The first Kunikane was a swordsmith who, on Masamune's orders, went to Kyoto to study under Etchu-no-Kami Masatoshi, and brought to Sendai the style of the Hōshō lineage's Yamato tradition (masame-mokume texture). Kunikane's swords are characterized by dignified straight blades and are celebrated for the beauty of their steel. Thereafter, the name Kunikane was passed down through successive generations, and they continued forging as the official swordsmiths of the Sendai domain until the end of the Edo period. The sword fittings passed down in the Date family are likewise known for their splendid and refined designs, and the tsuba, menuki, and fuchigashira created by metalworkers are treasures that transmit the aesthetic sensibility of the Date family to this day. The Sendai City Museum houses numerous swords and sword fittings associated with the Date family, and it can be called the most fitting place to visit in order to understand the spiritual origins of TOUKENZA. Masamune's philosophy of swords is encapsulated in a single phrase: "If it is not beautiful, it is not a weapon." The spirit of Masamune, who sought to achieve both utility and beauty, is the very principle that forms the foundation of TOUKENZA's mission to bring Japanese swords to the world.