* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ōdenta Mitsuyo
大典太光世
Also known as: Great Denta
Description
Overview of the Sword
One of the Five Greatest Swords and the most imposing in bearing among them, this renowned tachi commands a powerful presence. With a blade length of 2 shaku, 1 sun, 7 bu (approximately 65.8 cm), it is somewhat shorter than the other Five Greatest Swords; however, its broad blade and thick construction, commanding in appearance, impart an overwhelming sense of weight and presence to whoever grasps it.
The Craftsman
The maker, Miike Tenta Mitsuyo, was a swordsmith of the late Heian period who lived in Miike, Chikugo Province (in the vicinity of present-day Ōmuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture), and founded the Miike school. His work, while bearing regional characteristics, possessed a distinctive and powerful aesthetic sensibility. The 'Ō' (great) in 'Ōdenta' was added as an honorific to Mitsuyo's common name 'Tenta,' and also served to distinguish it from other works by Tenta Mitsuyo.
Manufacturing Method and Characteristics
The jigane exhibits an itame (wood-grain) surface with a flowing tendency; the jiganie is thickly applied, presenting a powerful dark-hued iron tone. The hamon interweaves a straight-edge pattern with undulating waves, displaying a rich and heavy temper line with deeply applied nie, while the nioi-guchi, though subdued, possesses profound character. The kissaki displays a characteristic shape with an undulating ridge that sweeps toward the tip. The nakago is in its original, unaltered state, bearing a three-character signature reading 'Mitsuyo saku' (made by Mitsuyo).
History of the Sword
Its provenance traces to the Ashikaga shogun house, where it was jealously guarded as a treasured blade throughout the Muromachi period. After coming into the possession of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi presented this tachi to Maeda Toshiie as a reward for his merit in the unification of the realm. For the Maeda clan of Kaga, ruling a domain of one million koku, Ōdenta Mitsuyo represented the supreme treasure demonstrating the clan's rank and status, and was thereafter carefully preserved and transmitted as the clan's most precious heirloom for more than four hundred years. Particularly noteworthy is that within the Maeda household, Ōdenta Mitsuyo was regarded not merely as a famous sword but as a sacred talisman against illness and pestilence. There was a custom that when the clan head or family members fell ill, this tachi would be placed at their bedside in prayers for swift recovery, and accounts of its miraculous efficacy were transmitted down through the generations.
Current Custody
The Maeda Ikutokukai Foundation currently holds the sword, which is deposited at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art. Designated a National Treasure in 1957, it continues to maintain its sacred presence as a cultural heritage treasure representative of Ishikawa Prefecture in the region of Kaga.
Legends & Stories
The core of the legends surrounding Ōdenta Mitsuyo lies in the spiritual power it is said to possess to dispel illness. Since Maeda Toshiie received this sword, the Maeda clan of Kaga has revered Ōdenta Mitsuyo not merely as a famous sword, but as a kind of sacred object. When the lord or family members fell ill, there was a custom of invariably placing this sword at the bedside to pray for recovery, and numerous records documenting its miraculous efficacy remain in the Maeda clan's documents. The most famous anecdote concerns the occasion when Tamagihime, the legitimate wife of third-generation lord Maeda Toshitsune, fell gravely ill. While no medical treatment bore signs of recovery, Toshitsune placed the family treasure Ōdenta Mitsuyo at Tamagihime's bedside. Thereupon, from the next day her condition improved dramatically, and soon after she recovered completely. This event deepened the Maeda clan's faith in Ōdenta Mitsuyo, and thereafter the saying "For illness, Ōdenta" became established among the Maeda clan. Moreover, the Maeda clan established extremely strict rules regarding the management of Ōdenta Mitsuyo. Only the lord and a very limited number of senior retainers were permitted to view this sword, and it is said that special rituals were required even to remove it from storage. The very fact that a daimyo house of a million koku maintained such respect for over four hundred years proves Ōdenta Mitsuyo's status as a spiritual sword. Among the Five Greatest Swords, if Mikazuki Munekika symbolizes "beauty" and Dōji Kiri Yasutsunga symbolizes "martial prowess," then Ōdenta Mitsuyo symbolizes "protection." Not a sword for cutting, but a sword for guarding—its serene yet powerful spirituality continues to live on even now, transcending four hundred years alongside the prosperity of the Maeda clan. The lineage it followed from the Ashikaga shogunate to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and then to the Maeda clan demonstrates that this sword was always under the protection of the highest authority, yet its treatment by the Maeda clan was based on a deeper spiritual bond unlike that of any other previous owner. At exhibitions at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum, documents from the Maeda family collection are sometimes presented together to show how carefully Ōdenta Mitsuyo was cherished in Kaga, allowing visitors to touch upon a four-hundred-year story shared between a great sword and a great clan.