* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Imperial Household and the Tradition of Sacred Swords
皇室と御剣の系譜
The Three Sacred Regalia—with the Kusanagi sword at their heart—physically embody the legitimacy of the imperial throne and represent the deepest stratum of the Japanese sword's sacred dimension. The imperial household's centuries-long tradition of sword collection, dedication, and patronage created both a supreme standard of quality and a theological framework for the sword's place in Japanese civilization.
Description
The Three Sacred Regalia and the Kusanagi Sword
The Three Sacred Regalia (Mitsu-no-Kandakara), which symbolize the legitimacy of the Japanese imperial house, consist of three objects: the Eight-Span Mirror (Yata-no-Kagami), the Comma-shaped Jewel (Magatama), and the Kusanagi Sword (Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi). The Kusanagi Sword's origin is said to be the blade obtained by Susanoo-no-Mikoto when he defeated Yamata-no-Orochi, as recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki; the name "Kusanagi Sword" is said to derive from how Yamato-Takeru-no-Mikoto used it to clear (nagi) grass during his eastern campaign. Today this sword is enshrined as the sacred object (goshintai) at Atsuta Jingū in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and no one outside the imperial family and Shinto priests can view the actual sword—it is a sacred and forbidden object. The existence of the Three Sacred Regalia demonstrates that the Japanese sword (or its precursor, the ancient sword) is inseparably bound to the very foundation of the imperial system, making the notion of the sword's sacredness ultimately rooted in this source.
The Jinshin War and the Struggle for the Regalia
In the Jinshin War of 672 (the first year of Emperor Tenmu's reign), possession of the Three Sacred Regalia was contested as proof of the legitimacy of imperial succession. In this succession war, when Prince Ōama (later Emperor Tenmu) defeated Prince Ōtomo, the son and heir of Emperor Tenji, the possession and control of the sacred regalia became directly tied to political and military legitimacy. In subsequent Japanese history, "which faction possesses the Three Sacred Regalia" became a decisive factor in imperial succession disputes and repeatedly appeared as a central issue. During the Nanbokuchō period conflict between Emperor Go-Daigo and Ashikaga Takauji, as mentioned before, Emperor Go-Daigo's claim to represent the legitimacy of the Southern Court was based on his possession of the regalia.
Successive Emperors' Dedication of Swords
Throughout history, the imperial house has dedicated fine swords to major shrines such as Ise Jingū, Kasuga Taisha, and Isonokami Jingū. The custom of "dedicatory swords" (hōnōtō) has continued from ancient times to the present day, and many dedications are preserved in the treasuries of various shrines. Notably, the Shōsōin at Tōdaiji (Nara) preserves numerous swords transmitted as the legacy of Emperor Shōmu, bearing witness to the technical level of the Nara period. Dedicatory swords from the Heian and Kamakura periods onward were often masterpieces created by the greatest swordsmiths of their respective eras, and many swords currently designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties are included among the shrine dedications.
Emperor Meiji and the Promotion of Sword Culture
Although the Haitōrei (sword-prohibition edict) was issued during the reign of Emperor Meiji (r. 1867–1912) in 1876 (Imperial Edict No. 38), he himself was a passionate devotee of the Japanese sword. Emperor Meiji commissioned presentation swords from master smiths of his time such as Gassan Sadaichi and collected swords of the highest quality as imperial possessions. Emperor Meiji's devotion to swords carried symbolic significance: amid the "social demise of swords" occasioned by the Haitōrei, the imperial house functioned as a guardian of sword culture. Moreover, when the official perception that "swords are works of art and cultural artifacts" took form, the practical record of imperial sword-making served as important evidence in establishing this position.
Emperor Shōwa and Swords
Emperor Shōwa (r. 1926–1989) also took keen interest in swords and collected works by Living National Treasure swordsmiths such as Miyairi Shōhei and Sumiya Masamine as imperial possessions. Emperor Shōwa is said to have particularly valued the works of Miyairi Yukihei (a Living National Treasure of the Shōwa period), and the imperial household's support for contemporary swordsmiths symbolically promoted the revival of postwar sword culture. The custom whereby an emperor commissions and collects works from living swordsmiths represented the highest honor for the craftsman and demonstrated the imperial household's position as a spiritual and cultural guardian of sword culture.
The Significance of Tenran-tōken (Imperial Sword Inspection)
Occasions when an emperor directly appreciates and evaluates swords—known as "tenran-tōken" (imperial sword inspection)—have often held special significance in sword history. From the Meiji through the Taishō and Shōwa periods, tenran-tōken inspections were conducted periodically, and swords presented for imperial inspection received special box inscriptions and certificates, acquiring the distinction of "items graced by imperial inspection" with commensurate authority and value. This practice has continuously maintained and renewed the connection between swords and imperial authority down to the present day, symbolizing the imperial household's position as spiritual and cultural guardian in Japanese sword culture.
Characteristics of This Era
- Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the Three Sacred Regalia: the sacred sword as the physical basis of imperial legitimacy; enshrined at Atsuta Jingū and seen by no living person outside ceremony; the ultimate theological grounding of the sword's sacred identity
- Jinshin War through Nanbokuchō 'regalia wars': sword possession as legitimacy token in dynastic conflicts; the political-theological role of the sword made material in actual military campaigns
- Shōsōin dedication swords: Emperor Shōmu's donated sword collection preserves Nara-period technique; the oldest existing archive of Japanese blade culture and the template for imperial sword preservation
- Meiji Emperor's sword patronage amid the Haitōrei: the contradiction of prohibiting swords publicly while privately commissioning masterworks; the imperial household as symbolic guardian of sword culture in its moment of greatest social threat
- Tenran-tōken cultural authority: imperial sword inspection as the supreme cultural validation; sustains the spiritual guardianship of sword culture by the imperial household into the modern era