* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune
大森彦七正宗
Also known as: Ōmori Hikoshichi — Sōshū Masamune Transmitted Through Nanbokuchō Warriors
Description
Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune is a tantō forged by Masamune, the founder of Sōshū-den, designated an Important Cultural Property and named for the Nanbokuchō-period warrior Ōmori Hikoshichi of Iyo Province (present-day Ehime Prefecture) who is recorded as having possessed it. Ōmori Hikoshichi is a colorful figure who appears in the Taiheiki with a ghost-story episode in which the spirit of Kusunoki Masashige demands death garments from him. The transmission of a Masamune blade through this warrior makes it a fascinating intersection of Masamune's artistry and the turmoil of the Northern and Southern Courts era. Among Masamune tantō, Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune is particularly noted for the beauty of its jigane. The complex steel surface, where mokume, itame, and flowing masame intermingle naturally, carries thick, even ji-nie and longitudinal chikei running in all directions, giving the entire blade a vivid, vital expression. The hamon, based on ō-gunome-midare with complex chōji-like forms mixed in, is described as a "storm of nie" — the characteristic Masamune abundance of nie making the blade interior a lively panorama. Appraisers particularly praise the richness of the hamon near the monouchi (striking section), where kinsuji, inazuma, and sunagashi interweave in complex patterns. The sword's provenance after Ōmori Hikoshichi passed through multiple samurai and court noble families before reaching a powerful daimyo household in the Edo period, though documentation for each period is limited. A Hon'ami family orikami (appraisal certificate) survives as authoritative evidence of Masamune's authorship. It has been publicly displayed at the Japanese Sword Museum (Ryōgoku, Tokyo) in special exhibitions, attracting wide attention from researchers and enthusiasts as an exemplar of "the essence of Masamune tantō." Among the approximately thirty authenticated Masamune works recognized by orikami, Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune holds a prominent place for its exceptional jigane beauty and distinguished warrior provenance.
Legends & Stories
The legend of Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune is connected to the supernatural experience of Ōmori Hikoshichi recorded in the Taiheiki. According to the Taiheiki, amid the upheaval of the Northern and Southern Courts, when Ōmori Hikoshichi was about to cross a river, a beautiful woman appeared and asked to be carried across. During the crossing, she transformed into a fearsome demon woman with horns. It is said that this was the spirit of Kusunoki Masashige appearing to reclaim the sword that Hikoshichi wore. When this demon tale became linked with the Masamune tantō that Hikoshichi carried, the legend arose that "the spirit of Kusunoki Masashige sought to dwell in the edge of the Masamune." From that time on, Ōmori Hikoshichi Masamune came to be specially regarded as "a sword in which heroic spirits gather," and it is said that the souls of generals of the Northern and Southern Courts period dwell within it. It is told that when drawing the blade from its scabbard, a custom of paying obeisance to Masashige was transmitted among Hikoshichi's descendants. Moreover, it is said that when the blade is held up to moonlight, a vision like the flames of a battlefield rises within the hamon—and the sword continues to be held in reverent awe as a blade that houses the memories of great warriors.