The Jokyu War and Swords: Retired Emperor Gotoba's Sword Passion and the Turning Point in Kamakura Sword History

The "Jokyu Rebellion" (承久の乱) launched by Emperor Go-Toba (後鳥羽上皇) in 1221 (Jokyu 3) appears in Japanese history textbooks as a power struggle between the imperial court and the Kamakura shogunate. However, from the perspective of Japanese sword history, this event carries an entirely different significance. Emperor Go-Toba was one of the most devoted sword-loving monarchs in Japanese history, and the Jokyu Rebellion was also an event where his passion for swords intersected with political action. This article reexamines the Jokyu Rebellion as a "turning point in sword history."

Emperor Go-Toba's Love of Swords——The Unprecedented Achievement of an Emperor and Retired Emperor Forging Swords with Their Own Hands

While Emperor Go-Toba (1180–1239) is known as a talented ruler skilled in poetry, music, kickball, and martial arts, his passion for swords was extraordinary. Remarkably, historical records show that Emperor Go-Toba did not merely appreciate and collect swords—he established his own forge and personally engaged in swordsmith work.

Contemporary historical records, beginning with the Meigetsuki (明月記), the diary of Fujiwara no Teika, contain descriptions of Emperor Go-Toba establishing a system called the "gyo-ban-kaji" (御番鍛冶). This was a system in which renowned swordsmiths from throughout the realm were summoned to the imperial palace in monthly rotation and forged swords in the emperor's presence. The summoned smiths were called "ban-kaji" (番鍛冶), and this honor became the highest distinction for swordsmiths. The operational details of this system are covered in depth at Emperor Go-Toba's Gyo-Ban-Kaji System.

What is particularly noteworthy is the historical record of Emperor Go-Toba personally wielding the smithing hammer. Historical sources contain descriptions to the effect that "the emperor himself, facing the anvil, repeatedly struck [the metal]." The fact that an emperor or retired emperor personally engaged in smithing work was unprecedented, demonstrating Emperor Go-Toba's extraordinary devotion to swords.

Among the swordsmiths that Emperor Go-Toba particularly favored were the smiths of the "Fukuoka Ichimonji School" (福岡一文字派) from Bizen. The Ichimonji School swords are characterized by a hamon with a pattern called the "o-fusa-choji" (大房丁子), featuring dramatically undulating tempering lines that conveyed a bold and majestic impression, and Emperor Go-Toba was said to be deeply captivated by this beauty. This emperor's preference became a driving force that further refined the techniques of the Bizen Ichimonji School.

The Gyo-Ban-Kaji System——The Imperial Court's Organization of Swordsmiths from Throughout the Realm

Emperor Go-Toba's gyo-ban-kaji system held important significance in the history of Japanese swords. This was because it represented an unprecedented attempt at "organization of swordsmiths from throughout the realm by the imperial court and emperor."

The swordsmiths summoned for the gyo-ban-kaji were elite craftsmen selected from the most prominent smiths in the realm. Among the gyo-ban-kaji whose names appear in historical records were master smiths from the major production centers—Bizen, Yamashiro, Yamato, and Bicchu. When they forged blades at the palace, they were said to have been given the honor of engraving on the tang a signature reading "kiku-ichimonji" (菊一文字)—a signature in the form of the chrysanthemum, the imperial crest of Emperor Go-Toba. The stylistic details of kiku-ichimonji works are summarized in Kiku-Ichimonji——The Apex of Emperor Go-Toba and the Bizen Ichimonji School.

Blades bearing this "kiku-ichimonji" signature were cherished by later generations as "swords renowned throughout the realm." Among the National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties designated Ichimonji School works from the early Kamakura period, some are believed to be products of this system.

The gyo-ban-kaji system also contributed to the improvement of swordsmiths' social status. Previously, swordsmiths were low in social standing as "craftsmen," but the honor of forging in the emperor's presence greatly elevated the social evaluation of the swordsmith profession. This shift in consciousness became the foundation for the technical advancement and social status establishment of swordsmiths during the middle and late Kamakura periods.

The Jokyu Rebellion——The Day When the Emperor's Sword Policy Collapsed

In the fifth month of 1221 (Jokyu 3), Emperor Go-Toba attacked the influential shogunate retainer Iga Mitsutsue (伊賀光季) and declared war on the Kamakura shogunate. However, the shogunate forces were united by the speech of Hojo no Masako, defeated the imperial court army with overwhelming numbers, and the rebellion ended in victory for the shogunate in merely one month.

Emperor Go-Toba was exiled to Oki (present-day Shimane Prefecture) and never returned to the capital, passing away in 1239 (En'o 1). This defeat fundamentally changed Emperor Go-Toba's sword policy.

Historical records from after his exile to Oki contain descriptions showing that Emperor Go-Toba continued his interest in swords even on the island of exile. Some of his retainers followed him to the place of exile, and the emperor is said to have expressed his thoughts on poetry and swords in verse. The famous poem "Ware koso wa Shinjima mori yo, Oki no umi no / Araki namakaze, kokoroshire fuke" contains the pride of his solitude, but according to tradition, when the emperor recited this poem, his beloved sword was at his side.

The Distribution of Swords After the Rebellion——The Dispersal and Redistribution of Renowned Blades

After the Jokyu Rebellion, most of the renowned swords that Emperor Go-Toba had collected and preserved were confiscated by the shogunate. The core of the "gomotsu" (御物—imperial treasures) of the imperial palace was dispersed in three directions:

• Rewards to those who contributed military service on the shogunate's side
• Donations to shrines and temples
• Storage in the shogunate's treasure repository

This "redistribution of renowned swords" had long-term effects on Japanese sword history. The finest Bizen Ichimonji School blades that Emperor Go-Toba had gathered in his possession passed into the hands of eastern samurai and military commanders after the rebellion, with Ichimonji swords that had previously circulated mainly in the western regions now spreading throughout eastern samurai society. This became the foundation for the "renowned sword collecting culture" in the eastern region from the middle Kamakura period onward.

The gyo-ban-kaji system was discontinued or became nominal after the rebellion. However, as a legacy of this system, the technical lineage of the swordsmiths selected for the gyo-ban-kaji was inherited in each production center. In particular, the Bizen Ichimonji School transmitted the refined techniques it had developed through Emperor Go-Toba's patronage to the next generation, preparing for the "golden age of Bizen swords" of the late Kamakura period and the Northern and Southern Courts period.

Emperor Go-Toba's View of Swords——Opposition to the Warrior Class and the Spirituality of the Blade

Emperor Go-Toba's love of swords contained political and spiritual implications that transcended mere aesthetic interest. In an era when the military regime was increasingly assuming control of the sword as a "symbol of martial force," the emperor personally engaging in smithing work and organizing swordsmiths throughout the realm through his patronage system was an assertion that "the imperial court is the legitimate guardian of the sword."

Some scholars argue that one motive behind the "Jokyu Rebellion" was opposition to the shogunate's monopoly on martial force. Emperor Go-Toba's sword policy can also be interpreted as an attempt to resist the shogunate's monopoly on military power by "imperializing" martial force through culture. If this interpretation is correct, the defeat in the Jokyu Rebellion was also a defeat of the imperial court in a "power struggle mediated through the sword."

Conclusion——The Legacy of Sword History Left by Emperor Go-Toba

The Jokyu Rebellion is remembered in political history as a victory for the shogunate and a defeat for the imperial court, but from the perspective of Japanese sword history, it left the following legacy:

The gyo-ban-kaji system became the foundation for the improvement of swordsmiths' social status and technical refinement, promoting the flourishing of the Bizen Ichimonji School. The redistribution of renowned swords after the rebellion realized the dissemination of renowned blades throughout eastern samurai society. And Emperor Go-Toba's own passion for swords stands as the first example of the imperial court emphasizing the dual nature of the sword as both weapon and work of art, representing an important chapter in the process by which the Japanese sword transcended being merely a weapon and was elevated to the status of a cultural artifact.