* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Nami-oyogi Kanemitsu (Wave-Swimming Kanemitsu)
波游ぎ兼光
Also known as: Nami-oyogi Kanemitsu — Wave-Swimming Kanemitsu, sword used to behead Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Kyoho Meibutsucho, Recognized Art Object
Description
Osafune Kanemitsu and “Sōden Bizen”
Osafune Kanemitsu is a swordsmith who represented Osafune in Bizen Province during the Nanbokuchō period, and is regarded as the leader (sōryō) of the fourth generation of the Osafune school. After studying under his father, Kagemitsu, he actively adopted the style of Sōshū Masamune, with its majestic ground steel marked by deep nie and its vigorous hataraki. He fused the Sōshū spirit with the Bizen chōji-midare and established a distinctive style known as “Sōden Bizen.” His large, powerful sword form and distinctive hamon were widely praised by later generations as a style embodying the turbulent Nanbokuchō period.
Origin of the Name: A Ferry Crossing Story
The name of the sword, “Nami-oyogi,” originates from a legendary anecdote set at a ferry crossing. Because the tide was low, boats could not reach the shore, and passengers were attempting to swim across the river naked. A quarrel broke out between the passengers, and one of them struck the other with this sword. The person who had been struck kept swimming and reached the opposite bank, but the moment they came ashore, their body split in two and they died. Because of its astonishing cutting power, the sword was said to “swim across waves” (“wave-swimming”) and was given the name “Nami-oyogi.”
Kaishaku Sword of Toyotomi Hidetsugu
In Bunroku 4 (1595), Kampaku Toyotomi Hidetsugu was ordered to commit seppuku at Mount Kōya (Wakayama Prefecture) by his uncle, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At that time, Hidetsugu’s retainer Sasabe Shigemasa is said to have used this Nami-oyogi Kanemitsu to perform kaishaku, the act of beheading his lord. The sword then passed into the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in Keichō 2 (1597), during the Korean campaign (Keichō no Eki), it was bestowed on the warlord Kobayakawa Hideaki.
Listing in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō
It is a named famous sword (meibutsu) listed under the name “Tachibana Hida-no-kami” in the Kyōhō Meibutsuchō, a catalog of famous swords compiled by the Hon’ami family at the order of the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Yoshimune.
Present Location
It is designated as an Important Art Object (jūyō bijutsuhin), and is currently held by Brastsheave Co., Ltd. in Ibaraki City, Osaka Prefecture.
Legends & Stories
At a ferry crossing, a person who tried to swim across naked because of low tide was cut down, and according to the legend, his body split in two the moment he reached the opposite bank while swimming through the waves. This is the origin of its name. It has been passed down as an anecdote illustrating its almost uncanny sharpness.