* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kashiwa Tachi
柏太刀
Also known as: Kashiwa Tachi; odachi dedicated at the Boys' Festival; sacred sword of Nikko Futarasan Jinja
- Smith
- Unknown (unsigned)
- Era
- Nanbokucho period (14th century)
- Type
- Ōdachi
- Designation
- Important Cultural Property
- Location
- Treasure Hall of Nikko Futarasan Jinja Chugu Shrine, Nikko, Tochigi
Description
Sacred Sword of Nikko Futarasan Jinja
Kashiwa Tachi is a great sword handed down at the Chugu shrine of Nikko Futarasan Jinja in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. Its formal designation is "Yamagane-forged odachi with black-lacquered hirumaki mounting, blade unsigned, named Kashiwa Tachi," and it was designated an Important Cultural Property on 15 June 1967. Together with Senobori Tachi and Nene-Kirimaru, it is counted among the three Nanbokucho-period odachi preserved by the shrine.
Construction and Dimensions
The blade itself bears no maker's signature, but the tang is inscribed with "Dedicated to Nikko-san, before the sacred treasure of the new shrine," followed by the name of the presumed donor. Including its mounting, the sword measures 194.5 cm in overall length, with a scabbard of 143.0 cm, a hilt of 51.1 cm, a curvature of 4.6 cm, and a base width of 3.8 cm, making it a valuable surviving example of the large odachi format fashionable in the Nanbokucho period.
Origin of the Name
The name Kashiwa Tachi is said to derive from the tradition that the sword was dedicated at the Boys' Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month, a season when kashiwa-mochi are eaten and wrapped in oak leaves. Because the oak does not shed its old leaves until new buds have grown, it was regarded as an auspicious symbol of an unbroken family line, and the dedication is understood to have carried a prayer for the continuation of the family line.
Role in the Yayoi Festival
At the Yayoi Festival, the annual rite of Nikko Futarasan Jinja, it is customary to lay Kashiwa Tachi, Senobori Tachi and Nene-Kirimaru together upon the fresh hide of a male deer taken on Mount Nantai and present them before the deity. Kashiwa Tachi remains on public display in the shrine's treasure hall today.
Legends & Stories
The name Kashiwa Tachi is traditionally explained by the tradition that the sword was dedicated at the Boys' Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month, a season when kashiwa-mochi are eaten. Because the oak does not shed its old leaves until new buds have grown, it symbolized the continuity of a family line, and the dedication is understood to have carried a prayer for the continuation of the family line.
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