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Battles, incidents, and historical events related to Japanese swords
6 events
527–528 (Keitai 21–22)
In 527–528 (Keitai 21–22), Tsukushi no Kimi Iwai, a powerful chieftain who independently controlled northern Kyushu, allied with Silla to block a Yamato court expedition bound for the Korean peninsula. After fierce fighting with a court army led by Mononobe no Arakahi, the uprising was crushed—one of the largest regional rebellions recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.
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12th day of the 6th month, Kōgyoku 4 (645)
In the 6th month of 645, Prince Naka no Ōe and Nakatomi no Kamatari assassinated Soga no Iruka within the court. One of the earliest documented political assassinations using ancient Japanese straight swords, it is a pivotal event in the history of the sword's origins.
6th–7th months of the 1st year of Emperor Tenmu (672)
The Jinshin War of the 6th–7th months of the 1st year of Emperor Tenmu (672) was the largest civil war of ancient Japan, in which Prince Ōama (later Emperor Tenmu) and Prince Ōtomo (Emperor Kōbun) fought over the imperial throne. Prince Ōama rallied the powerful clans of Mino and Owari, overwhelmed Ōtomo's forces, and after his victory ascended the throne as Emperor Tenmu. The war became the impetus for pushing forward the building of the ritsuryō state.
27th–28th day of the 8th month, 2nd year of Emperor Tenji (663)
In the 2nd year of Emperor Tenji (663), Wa supported the restoration of Baekje, clashed with the combined forces of Tang and Silla on the Korean Peninsula, and suffered a catastrophic defeat. This battle, the largest overseas military expedition in Wa history, ended in failure, and it marked the turning point at which Japan abandoned continental expansion and shifted to building its own state.
9th month, Tenpyō-hōji 8 (764)
In 764, Fujiwara no Nakamaro (Emi no Oshikatsu), who held supreme power as Grand Minister (Taishi), rose in rebellion in an attempt to remove the monk Dōkyō, who had risen to prominence through the favor of Retired Empress Kōken. Nakamaro failed to seize the imperial seal and bell that symbolized sovereign authority, fled to Ōmi Province, and was hunted down and killed at Katsuno-onie in Takashima District. In the aftermath, Emperor Junnin was exiled to Awaji, Retired Empress Kōken resumed the throne as Empress Shōtoku, and Dōkyō's power grew further as Chancellor-Preceptor.
8th–11th month, Tenpyō 12 (740)
In Tenpyō 12 (740), Fujiwara no Hirotsugu, who had been demoted to Dazai no Shōni (junior assistant governor-general of Dazaifu), raised an army at Dazaifu. He demanded the expulsion of the monk Genbō and the scholar Kibi no Makibi, who held real power at court. This was a civil war of the Nara period. He led forces levied from the provinces of Kyushu, but he was defeated by court forces at the Battle of the Itabitsu River. Hirotsugu was captured in Matsura District, Hizen Province, and executed. Emperor Shōmu left Heijō-kyō before news of the suppression of the rebellion reached the capital. He then entered the "five years of wandering," during which he repeatedly moved the capital to Kuni-kyō, Naniwa-no-miya, and Shigaraki-no-miya.