* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Swords of the Sengoku and Toyotomi Era
戦国織豊期と刀
The period spanning the late 15th to late 16th centuries — from the Sengoku era through the Toyotomi regime — was a time of dramatic transformation in the production, styles, and social functions of the Japanese sword. Mass demand driven by gekokujō (the overthrow of superiors by inferiors) led to large-scale but lower-quality production, while rulers such as Nobunaga and Hideyoshi collected and bestowed celebrated swords as symbols of authority, creating a bifurcation in sword culture. The swords of this era carried a dual character: practical battlefield weapons and objects of political ceremony.
Description
Sword Demand and Mass Production in the Sengoku Period
When the Ōnin War (1467–1477) set off nationwide warfare, demand for swords rose to unprecedented heights. Sengoku daimyō had to equip everyone from their ashigaru foot soldiers down to the common troops with swords and spears, and sword-producing regions such as Bizen, Mino, and Yamato were overwhelmed with orders. In particular, the smith groups of Bizen Osafune reorganized into a systematic division of labor to fill large orders, supplying great quantities of swords in a short time.
The product of this mass production was the Bizen blades of the Sengoku period known as “Sue-Bizen.” Compared with the masterpieces from before the mid-Muromachi period, Sue-Bizen blades are said to be inferior in the refinement of their hamon and jigane, but in practical sturdiness they fully met the demands of the battlefield. The mass-produced goods of each production center (later collectively called “sue-kotō”) also spread widely among Sengoku warriors.
Changes in Sword Style: From Tachi to Uchigatana
Changes in Sengoku battle tactics also had a direct effect on sword style. The uchigatana (a sword worn thrust through the belt) replaced the tachi (a long sword hung from the waist), which had been the mainstream in the Heian and Kamakura periods, and became the main weapon in actual combat.
The background to the shift to uchigatana lies in the response to the combined forms of combat in the Sengoku period: group battles, spears, and firearms. The tachi was suited to cutting downward from horseback, but it lacked maneuverability in melees on foot. The uchigatana surpassed the tachi in drawing and sheathing speed and in ease of handling on foot, and became established as the standard equipment of Sengoku warriors.
Oda Nobunaga's Sword Policy
Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) stood out among Sengoku warlords in his political and symbolic use of swords. Nobunaga collected famous swords and used the bestowal of renowned blades as a means of controlling his retainers.
The ceremonial occasions for swords that Nobunaga particularly valued were onari (visits by shoguns and daimyō) and chanoyu (the tea ceremony). At tea gatherings, famous blades were displayed and viewed alongside famous tea utensils, and the tea utensils and swords Nobunaga gave functioned as the highest political rewards.
The Honnō-ji Incident (1582) destroyed some of the famous treasures Nobunaga had kept at hand. The loss went beyond a mere loss of cultural property; the destruction of the symbol of Nobunaga's power struck as a shock.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's “Meibutsu-gari” and the Unification of the Realm
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) carried out large-scale collection of famous works, known as “meibutsu-gari,” in the course of unifying the realm. By having daimyō, temples, and shrines that surrendered “present” famous swords, tea utensils, and other meibutsu, he formed a vast collection that materially embodied the authority of a hegemon.
The swords Hideyoshi especially prized included Honebami Tōshirō (made by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu). Hideyoshi also used these swords as gifts to daimyō, and the exchange of swords functioned as a mechanism for maintaining the lord-vassal relations of the Toyotomi regime.
The Korean Campaigns and Swords
The Bunroku–Keichō campaigns (1592–1598) also affected sword culture. Hideyoshi bestowed swords on the generals he sent to campaign, as a ceremonial act to encourage them and confirm their loyalty.
The Dual Nature of Sword Culture in the Oda-Toyotomi Period
Sword culture of the Sengoku–Oda-Toyotomi period had two poles. On one side, a “culture of quantity” centered on mass production and practical use developed; on the other, a “culture of quality,” made up of the collection of famous works and ceremonial gift-giving, advanced highly among the hegemons. When the Edo period arrived, this duality laid the groundwork for a shift in the center of gravity of sword culture as a whole, from practical use to art.
Characteristics of This Era
- The nationwide warfare after the Ōnin War drove mass production of swords, and mass-produced, practically oriented goods were widely supplied to Sengoku warriors from each production center, such as the “Sue-Bizen” of Bizen and the “Sue-Seki” of Mino.
- Changes in battle tactics advanced the shift from tachi to uchigatana, and the uchigatana, which prioritized drawing speed when worn at the waist, became established as the standard equipment of Sengoku warriors.
- Oda Nobunaga systematically used famous swords as political rewards on onari and chanoyu occasions, and the bestowal of meibutsu functioned as an institutional means of controlling retainers and strengthening alliances.
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi's “meibutsu-gari” systematically collected famous swords, tea utensils, and other meibutsu from surrendered daimyō, temples, and shrines, forming a vast collection that materially embodied the authority of a hegemon.
- The loss of famous works in the Honnō-ji Incident (1582) dealt a political shock as the destruction of the symbol of Nobunaga's power, and became a typical example showing that the “loss and flux” of famous works is deeply intertwined with Sengoku history.
- The dual sword culture of practical battlefield goods and political ceremonial gifts laid the groundwork for convergence into the “sword as art” of the Edo period.