* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Nukemaru
抜丸
Also known as: Nukemaru / Heike Treasure Sword / Kogarashi
Description
Overview of the Sword
Nukemaru is a treasure sword that the Taira clan carefully passed down, and it has a particularly mysterious origin and legends. Its name comes from a legendary spiritual quality: it draws itself out of its scabbard on its own. Sensing danger to its owner, the blade was said to leap from its scabbard to protect its master, and it has been revered since ancient times as a mysterious sword, as if a will dwelled within the blade. The name “Nukemaru” is one of the most mysterious among Japanese sword names, and it shows that the ancient Japanese belief that spirits dwell in swords extended even to the naming of the blade.
The Taira Clan and the Transmission of Nukemaru
Nukemaru is a treasure sword traditionally attributed to the smiths of Ko-Hōki, a group of swordsmiths of Hōki Province (present-day Tottori Prefecture) in the Heian period. The sword is said to have been held by Taira no Tadamori and later passed down to his son, Taira no Yorimori. The transmission after Yorimori's death is unclear, but in later times Nukemaru became a prized treasure of the Ashikaga shogunal family.
Nukemaru's Loss and Whereabouts
Nukemaru, transmitted to the Ashikaga shogunal family, is recorded as having been lost once from the shogun's residence in Eikyō 4 (1432) and found several days later in a dosō (moneylenders' storehouse) in Kyoto. However, it later vanished again, and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day. The ending, in which this spirit sword, said to draw itself out of its scabbard, vanished from history without a trace, combined with the legend that a will dwells in the blade itself, further heightens Nukemaru's mystique. Even today, now that the blade itself is lost, Nukemaru is passed down only through its name and legends, and its memory survives as a treasure sword that most directly embodies the ancient Japanese faith that finds spirituality in swords.
Legends & Stories
A Sword That Leaps from Its Scabbard: The Legend of a Spirit Blade
The legend that gave the name “Nukemaru” holds that when the sword senses danger to its owner, it draws itself from its scabbard to protect its owner. Since ancient times, the belief that a spirit dwells in a sword has been deep-rooted in Japan, and in particular, swords called famous blades were thought to hold divine spirits or supernatural power. Nukemaru's quality of “drawing itself out” is evidence that people revered it as a spiritual being, as if the sword itself had a will, and it shows part of the reason the Taira treasured this sword as a special treasure.
The Great Serpent at Ikedono and Kiyomori and Yorimori
According to Heiji Monogatari and Genpei Seisuiki, when Taira no Tadamori was napping at Ikedono in Rokuhara, a great serpent emerged from the pond and tried to attack him. The sword by his pillow then drew itself from its scabbard, and the serpent, frightened, sank to the bottom of the pond. This is said to be the origin of the name “Nukemaru.” Because Tadamori gave this sword to his fifth son, Yorimori, rather than to his eldest son, Kiyomori, it is also said to have been one of the causes of the discord between Kiyomori and Yorimori.
The Sea of Dan-no-ura and the Sword That Survived
The Taira's tragedy, along with the many lives lost in the waters of Dan-no-ura, also entombed many treasures on the seabed. The sea of Dan-no-ura, where the treasure sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, was lost, is the greatest site of loss in Japanese history. Yet Nukemaru did not sink into the sea at Dan-no-ura and was passed down to later generations. Originally a hereditary treasure of Taira no Tadamori, this sword later became a prized treasure of the Ashikaga shogunal family after the fall of the Taira. A record remains that it was briefly lost within the shogunal household in Eikyō 4 (1432), but its reliable whereabouts afterward are uncertain. As a blade that has been told alongside the rise and fall of the Taira, Nukemaru still resonates deeply with the world of Heike Monogatari.