The Honnoji Incident and Its Swords
本能寺の変と刀剣
On June 21, 1582, Oda Nobunaga was forced to take his own life at Honnoji temple in Kyoto after a surprise attack by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide. Two of Nobunaga's prized swords, Jikkyu Mitsutada and Yagen Toshiro, are said to have been destroyed in the fire that consumed the temple, while another, Soza Samonji, is said to have survived after being re-tempered and later passed down through Toyotomi and Tokugawa hands.
Description
Overview
On June 21, 1582, Oda Nobunaga was attacked at Honnoji temple in Kyoto by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide and was forced to take his own life. During this Honnoji Incident, the prized swords Nobunaga had with him at the temple were also caught up in the fire that consumed the building.
Nobunaga's Prized Swords and Their Destruction
Nobunaga is said to have treasured swords such as Jikkyu Mitsutada and Yagen Toshiro, both of which are said to have been destroyed in the fire during the Honnoji Incident. Jikkyu Mitsutada was made by Mitsutada of the Bizen Osafune tradition, while Yagen Toshiro was a tanto attributed to the Yamashiro smith Awataguchi Yoshimitsu — both blades that Nobunaga held in high regard.
The Story of the Soza Samonji
The katana Soza Samonji, once worn by Imagawa Yoshimoto, came into Nobunaga's possession after he defeated Yoshimoto at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560, and Nobunaga treasured it thereafter, even having an inlaid inscription added. He is said to have carried it at Honnoji as well. Accounts hold that the fire-damaged blade was later saiba — re-tempered by re-hardening a blade that had been exposed to fire — and survived. It subsequently passed to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and eventually to the Tokugawa shogunal family.
Modern Continuity of the Lost Swords
For the Jikkyu Mitsutada and Yagen Toshiro, both said to have been lost in the Honnoji Incident, modern reconstructions have been attempted based on surviving records and related materials, and special exhibitions held at sites associated with the incident in Kyoto have sought to convey the appearance of these lost swords today.
Characteristics of This Era
- On June 21, 1582 (the second day of the sixth month of Tensho 10), Oda Nobunaga was attacked at Honnoji temple in Kyoto by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide and took his own life
- One of Nobunaga's prized swords, Jikkyu Mitsutada (made by the Bizen Osafune smith Mitsutada), is said to have been destroyed in the fire that consumed Honnoji
- Another prized sword, the Yagen Toshiro (a tanto by the Yamashiro smith Awataguchi Yoshimitsu), is likewise said to have been lost in the same fire
- The Soza Samonji, a katana once worn by Imagawa Yoshimoto and taken by Nobunaga after the Battle of Okehazama (1560), is said to have been carried by Nobunaga at Honnoji as well
- Accounts hold that the fire-damaged Soza Samonji was saiba (re-tempered) and survived, later passing through Toyotomi Hideyoshi to the Tokugawa shogunal family
- Modern reconstructions of the lost Jikkyu Mitsutada and Yagen Toshiro have been attempted and displayed in special exhibitions in Kyoto