Nobunaga and Swords—Symbols of Military Might and Authority

Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) is known as a Sengoku warlord who possessed deep attachment to and insight into Japanese swords. He valued Japanese swords not merely for their functional worth as weapons, but because he skillfully utilized swords as tools of authority, diplomacy, and political expression. Nobunaga's patronage of swords significantly shaped sword culture from the Sengoku through the Azuchi-Momoyama periods.

The institutions and practices concerning swords that Nobunaga established in his quest for national unification were inherited by the later Toyotomi and Tokugawa regimes, becoming the prototype for the early modern "appointed swordsmith system" (goyo-tosho seido). Understanding the framework of sword culture that Nobunaga established is essential for interpreting the history of Japanese swords through the lens of political and social history.

Azuchi Castle and the Gathering of Swordsmiths—Monopolizing Craftsmen in the Castle Town

The construction of Azuchi Castle, which began in Tensho 4 (1576), was both a major project to visually demonstrate Nobunaga's authority and an opportunity to gather excellent craftsmen and technicians in the castle town. Nobunaga summoned excellent swordsmiths from various regions to the Azuchi area and treated them generously as official craftsmen (goyo-tosho).

Among the swordsmiths Nobunaga particularly valued were those from Mino and Seki, who are believed to be successors of the Shizu school. Seki (now Seki City, Gifu Prefecture) had long been a major center of sword production and was geographically close to Nobunaga's base at Gifu (Inabayama Castle). Nobunaga favored these swordsmiths as "official suppliers" and actively used their works as gifts to his retainers and as diplomatic presents.

Nobunaga also made efforts to improve the working environment for swordsmiths during the transitional period from late Koto (suekoto) to Shintō swords that was still occurring at the time. By guaranteeing stable orders and supply of raw materials (tamahagane), he created an environment where swordsmiths could dedicate themselves to technical development.

Presentation and Bestowal—Political Relations Mediated Through Swords

The most noteworthy aspect of Nobunaga's sword diplomacy was the construction of political relationships mediated through swords. It can be confirmed from numerous historical sources that he actively employed political communication combining the "presentation" (kenjō) and "bestowal" (kashi) of swords.

When retainers or allied daimyo presented exceptional blades to Nobunaga, he demonstrated appreciation for them as a way of signaling recognition of the giver's loyalty and ability. Conversely, when Nobunaga bestowed exceptional blades upon subordinates, it was received as a sign of his deep trust and generous treatment of those retainers. Swords thus functioned not merely as weapons or commodities, but as mediums symbolizing political relationships themselves.

In Tensho 1 (1573), after expelling Ashikaga Yoshiaki and effectively ending the Muromachi shogunate, Nobunaga repeatedly presented swords to Emperor Ogimachi as he consolidated his power base. While this was also a traditional ritual for the warrior class to display military and financial power to the emperor and court, in Nobunaga's case it is believed to have carried clear political intent—his assertion of himself as "ruler of the realm."

"Tenka Fubu" and Sword Symbolism—Philosophy Embedded in His Seal

The seal "Tenka Fubu" (Realm Pacified by Arms) that Nobunaga used is said to represent his will to pacify the realm through military might. Needless to say, the symbol of this "martial" (bu) power is the Japanese sword. Nobunaga embodied the equation "sword = military power = authority," maximizing the symbolic value that swords possessed.

It is recorded in sources such as the "Nobunaga-ko Ki" that Nobunaga was fond of exceptional blades, and his collection is said to have included several famous swords of the era. It is said that exceptional blades such as Yagen Tōshirō and Yoshimoto Samonji were in Nobunaga's possession, though historical sources offer various accounts of their whereabouts.

What is certain, however, is that Nobunaga valued the aesthetic judgment (connoisseurship) of swords as one of his political qualities. The ability to distinguish exceptional blades, recount their provenance, and present them to appropriate recipients was part of the cultural refinement expected of warlords and daimyo of the time, and Nobunaga possessed this ability at a high level.

The Influence of Nobunaga's Sword Culture on Posterity

Nobunaga's patronage of swords was inherited by his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who further developed it in refined forms. While Hideyoshi conducted the "sword hunt" (katanagari) to collect swords from commoners and temples, he himself became known as a collector of exceptional blades, reportedly possessing hundreds of fine swords stored in paulownia boxes. After establishing the Edo shogunate, Ieyasu systematized the bestowal of swords to the Three Collateral Houses and daimyo, establishing the order of the warrior society with swords incorporated as symbols of shogunal power.

The framework that Nobunaga established during the Azuchi period—"monopolizing swordsmiths as official suppliers and utilizing swords as tools of political communication"—directly led to the Edo period system of official court swordsmiths. The system by which each domain protected and fostered swordsmiths under its jurisdiction and showcased their works as signs of domain pride is a direct continuation of the sword patronage culture pioneered by Nobunaga.

Though Nobunaga fell mere years into the Azuchi period, struck down by the Honnō-ji Incident (1582), the influence he exerted on sword culture is deeply etched in the history of the Japanese sword, as profoundly as his presence as a warlord. His achievement in establishing throughout the warrior society the recognition that "swords are not mere weapons but symbols of authority and order" should be highly valued as Nobunaga's contribution to sword culture.