* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Gokotai
五虎退
Also known as: Gokotai: The Short Sword That Drove Back Five Tigers
Description
Gokotai: A Masterwork Tantō by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu
Gokotai is a short sword forged by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu (known as "Tōjirō"), the master smith who represented Awataguchi in Yamashiro Province during the mid-Kamakura period, and is known as a celebrated treasure transmitted through the Uesugi clan. Yoshimitsu is regarded as the greatest tantō maker in Japanese sword history, and his works were treasured by the highest powers of the era, including the Ashikaga shoguns, the Toyotomi clan, and the Tokugawa shoguns. Gokotai was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1937 (Showa 12) and is currently in a private collection, on deposit and displayed at the Uesugi Museum in Yonezawa.
Origin of the Name: The Legend of Driving Back Five Tigers
The name "Gokotai" derives from the legendary tale of "driving back five tigers." According to tradition, an envoy sent to Ming at the command of an Ashikaga shogun was attacked by five tigers, and he is said to have driven them back using this short sword. Within the spiritual faith culture of Japanese swords that recognizes supernatural power in blades, this narrative has been widely transmitted as a classic example of the story structure where "a renowned blade saves one from peril."
Transmission to the Uesugi Clan
After being transmitted to the Ashikaga shogunal house, Gokotai is said to have been presented to Uesugi Kenshin, the Sengoku-period daimyo of Echigo who came to the capital, by Emperor Ōgimachi, and thereafter was carefully preserved as a treasure of the Uesugi clan. It is also counted as one of the "Thirty-Five Blades Selected by Uesugi Kagekatsu," said to have been chosen by Uesugi Kagekatsu himself, and is a particularly celebrated sword among the renowned blades connected to the Uesugi clan.
Awataguchi Yoshimitsu and the Beauty of the Tantō
Awataguchi Yoshimitsu was a sword maker who flourished in Awataguchi, Yamashiro Province, during the mid-Kamakura period, and received unparalleled recognition as a master of the tantō. His short swords reached the highest standards in all respects—"the refinement of the metal, the dignity of the blade pattern, and the harmonious proportions of form"—and were treasured as "Tōjirō works." The metal displays a tightly packed small mokume pattern with fine jinie, and the blade pattern, based on a restrained straight edge, manifests serene dignity. Among Yoshimitsu's tantō, Gokotai stands out as one of his most celebrated creations, cherished both for its legendary name and its distinguished provenance through the Uesugi clan. Through its appearance in the sword-themed video game Touken Ranbu, it has become widely known to younger generations as well.
The Kyōho Meibutsu-chō and Yoshimitsu's Celebrated Blades
The Tokugawa shogunal house's "Kyōho Meibutsu-chō" (Register of Famous Blades) records numerous works by Yoshimitsu, and alongside celebrated blades such as "Ichigoichifuri" and "Hirano Tōjirō," Yoshimitsu is positioned as the most celebrated tantō maker in Japanese sword history. Gokotai, as one of the swords standing in the lineage of Yoshimitsu's celebrated collection, continues to receive high esteem in the history of Japanese swords.
Legends & Stories
## The Spirit Blade That Drove Back Five Tigers: The Mystical Power of the Tantō The legend told by the name Gokotai—"When a bearer of this short sword was surrounded by five tigers, the tigers cowered and fled at the spiritual force of the blade"—stands out among Japanese celebrated-blade legends as a particularly exotic narrative. The tiger held a special place as the "King of Beasts" in Chinese and Korean culture, and tiger-slaying symbolized heroic prowess and mystical power, carrying special significance in samurai culture as well. The context for this tale lies in the interchange with the continent during the eras of the Ashikaga shoguns and Toyotomi Hideyoshi—the Korean campaigns, Chinese trade, and the passion for karamono (continental treasures)—and the legend of "a sword that drives back tigers" reflects the mystical awe that Japanese of that era felt toward the tiger. In reality, tigers do not inhabit Japan, and this legend should be understood not as an actual historical event but as a "symbolic expression of the spiritual power of the blade"; yet within Japanese sword-faith culture, which recognizes supernatural force in celebrated blades, legends of this sort have been transmitted earnestly through the generations. ## The Ten Disciples of Masamune and the Legacy of Master Kunimitsu Among the "Ten Disciples of Masamune" (Masamune Jittettsu) in sword lore are numbered those who achieved great renown in later ages, such as Gō Yoshihiro, Noroshige, and Akihiro. However, the master most revered as Masamune's own teacher is Shintogō Kunimitsu, and their master-disciple relationship—"Kunimitsu kindled the flame of the Sōshū tradition, and Masamune set it ablaze"—is transmitted as one of the most dramatic tales of technical transmission in Japanese sword history. However, the short sword known as Gokotai itself is not a work of Shintogō Kunimitsu, but a tantō forged by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu (Tōjirō Yoshimitsu). It is an Important Cultural Property transmitted through the Uesugi clan and counted as one of the "Thirty-Five Blades Selected by Uesugi Kagekatsu." While the master-disciple relationship between Kunimitsu and Masamune is indeed one of the foremost stories of technical transmission in Japanese sword history, Gokotai is positioned as a celebrated blade in a separate lineage from that tradition.