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1208 (Jōgen 2)
Minase Detached Palace, Settsu Province (present-day Shimamoto, Osaka)
Forces
Imperial Court / Retired Emperor Gotoba (patron)
Gobankaji (assembled smiths from across Japan)
About 10 min read
In 1208 (Jōgen 2), Retired Emperor Gotoba (1180–1239) summoned outstanding swordsmiths from across the country to the Minase Detached Palace in Settsu Province (the site is now Minase Shrine, Shimamoto, Osaka Prefecture). There he established the Gobankaji (rotating court swordsmith) system, in which the smiths took turns making swords on a monthly rotation. He made this decision at the age of 29. It is regarded as the first case in the history of Japanese swords in which the imperial court organized and supported swordsmiths on a national scale.
The background to Retired Emperor Gotoba becoming an unrivaled connoisseur of swords lies in the special circumstances surrounding his accession. He was born in 1180 (Jishō 4). It is said that he was deeply shocked when, during the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 (Genryaku 2), which brought about the destruction of the Taira clan, his elder half-brother Emperor Antoku drowned himself together with the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. It is also said that his sense of spiritual inadequacy as an emperor who ascended the throne without the sacred regalia lay at the root of his intense attachment to swords.
After abdicating in favor of Emperor Tsuchimikado in 1198 (Kenkyū 9) and becoming a retired emperor, Retired Emperor Gotoba actively refined a range of arts, including waka poetry, kemari, and horsemanship. He poured particular passion into the appraisal and making of swords. Combined with his political will to restore the authority of the imperial court against the Kamakura shogunate, it is also interpreted as reflecting a cultural-strategic intention: to have the court take the lead in raising the swords carried by the warrior class to the level of "works of art."
The concrete institutional arrangements of the Gobankaji system were as follows. Swordsmiths selected from the provinces took turns on a monthly rotation, presented themselves at Minase, and made swords for the Retired Emperor.
The two smiths said to have taught the Retired Emperor the craft of sword-making were Hisakuni of the Awataguchi school (Kyoto, Yamashiro) and Nobufusa of Bizen. Records of the bankaji include the "12 bankaji" of Jōgen 2 as well as "24 bankaji." The twelve consisted of seven from Bizen Province, three from Bitchū Province, and two from Yamashiro Province (Awataguchi), so smiths from Bizen were the most numerous.
Notably, the Retired Emperor himself directly took part in making swords. He personally performed the yakiba (hardening of the edge), and instead of a signature, his works were inscribed with a sixteen-petal chrysanthemum crest. This group of works is known as Kiku Gosaku, and several of them are still designated Important Cultural Properties.
The swordsmiths selected for the Gobankaji system were a galaxy of the foremost master smiths of their day.
From Bizen came renowned master smiths such as Norimune and Sukemune of the Ichimonji school. The Ichimonji school in particular flourished as the Bizen Ichimonji, and many extant Ichimonji swords have been designated National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties.
From Yamashiro came Hisakuni, Kuniyasu, and Kunitomo of the Awataguchi school. The Awataguchi school was based in Awataguchi in Kyoto, and it is known for a style characterized by slender, graceful forms and clear, bright jigane (steel surface).
From Bitchū came Sadatsugu, Tsunetsugu, and Tsuguie.
The Gobankaji system was not merely a sword-manufacturing institution for the court; it had a decisive influence on the artistic development of Japanese swords.
First, by bringing first-rate smiths from across the country together under one roof and having them refine their skills through mutual stimulation, the system brought about a dramatic improvement in sword-making techniques. In the late Kamakura period, the Sōshū-den was completed by Masamune, Sadamune, and others in Sōshū (Sagami). It has been suggested that some of the technical innovations forming its foundation took shape during the era of the Gobankaji system.
Second, because the imperial court, as the supreme authority, protected and lavishly favored swordsmiths, their social status rose markedly.
Third, this system established the custom of later rulers protecting and favoring swordsmiths. The basic structure of Japanese sword culture, which continued through the Ashikaga shōguns of the Muromachi shogunate, the Sengoku daimyō, and the Tokugawa shōguns of the Edo shogunate, is one in which "those in power gather master smiths and become patrons of sword culture." This structure can be seen as having its source in Retired Emperor Gotoba's Gobankaji system.
When Retired Emperor Gotoba was exiled to Oki after the Jōkyū War of 1221 (Jōkyū 3), new bankaji were also established on Oki. Smiths of the Awataguchi school and Bizen, six in total, are said to have taken part in the Oki bankaji, alternating every two months. Records show the Retired Emperor continuing his passion for swords even in exile.
From his exile in 1221 (Jōkyū 3) until his death in 1239 (En'ō 1), Retired Emperor Gotoba spent about eighteen years on Oki. He is said to have continued making swords during that time. Retired Emperor Gotoba is currently enshrined at Oki Shrine (Ama, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture).
The Gobankaji system of Retired Emperor Gotoba, as a historical institution that transformed Japanese swords from "martial implements" into "the pinnacle of court culture," is regarded as one of the most important events in the history of Japanese sword culture.