* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Otegine
御手杵
Also known as: One of the Three Greatest Spears Under Heaven · The Great Spear of the Yuuki Clan · The Legendary Spear Lost in the Tokyo Air Raids
Description
Overview
Counted among the Three Greatest Spears Under Heaven, this tragic spear was lost in the Tokyo Air Raids of 1945 and no longer exists. The blade was approximately 138 cm long (4 shaku 5 sun 6 bu), an exceptionally large size that far surpassed even the Tonbo-giri and Nihongo among the Three Greatest Spears. The overall length of the entire fitting, including the shaft and scabbard, is said to have reached approximately 3.8 meters.
The blade took the form of an ōmi-yari, with a nearly triangular cross-section, and is said to have had a practical, thrusting-focused construction. The name 'Otegine' derives from the fact that the scabbard's shape resembled a tegie (a mallet used for pounding mochi). Because the blade was so enormous that it could not fit in a standard scabbard, a custom scabbard was crafted, which came to resemble a mallet.
The Craftsman
The maker is believed to be Gojo Yoshisuke, though many details remain unclear. It is said that Yuuki Harutoyo (1534–1614) had it forged in Yuuki in Shimotsuke Province (present-day Yuuki City, Ibaraki Prefecture), and it served as a symbol to demonstrate the martial prowess of the Yuuki clan to the realm. The Yuuki clan was a distinguished house since the medieval period, known as a martial family for the Yuuki Campaign of 1441, and Harutoyo is renowned as the restorer of the Yuuki house.
Yuuki Hideyas (the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu), who became Harutoyo's adopted heir and succeeded to the Yuuki house, later took the Matsudaira surname and became the founder of the Echizen Matsudaira house. The Otegine became a Matsudaira family treasure as it passed from the Yuuki house to the Matsudaira, and was carefully preserved throughout the Edo period as a daimyo's prized possession.
During the sankin-kotai (alternate attendance), the enormous spear was displayed at the head of the procession, stunning spectators along the roads. However, in the Tokyo Air Raids of May 25, 1945, the Matsudaira's Tokyo residence was completely destroyed, and the Otegine was reduced to ashes. It is the only one of the Three Greatest Spears to no longer exist, and its loss is considered one of the greatest tragedies in Japanese sword history. Today, the city of Yuuki has created a precise replica that is displayed at the Yuuki Kuramikan Museum, preserving the memory of its former glory.
Legends & Stories
## Legends and Tales The stories surrounding Otegine are told along two axes: its exceptional size and its tragic end. The exceptional length of just the blade alone—138 cm—becomes clear when compared to the typical ōmi-yari blade of 30–80 cm. The total length from tip to butt, including the fitting, reached approximately 3.8 meters, easily exceeding the height of a modern building's first floor. Wielding such an enormous spear in actual combat would have been nearly impossible by human strength alone, and it is believed to have served primarily as a ceremonial and intimidating display piece. The most widely accepted theory for why Yuuki Harutoyo commissioned such a colossal spear is to display the martial prowess of the Yuuki clan to the realm. ## Into the Hands of Warriors The Yuuki clan was a prominent house since the Kamakura period, and in the Muromachi period was known as a warrior family for fighting against the shogunate forces in the Yuuki Campaign. Harutoyo inherited this martial tradition and likely had this unprecedented great spear forged to make the family name resound throughout the realm. ## Safekeeping by the Edo Shogunate During the Edo period when the sankin-kotai system became established, the Otegine was displayed at the head of the Matsudaira procession, and spectators along the Tokaido and Nakasendo highways were astounded to see the enormous mallet-shaped scabbard. The scabbard's shape was so distinctive that people could instantly recognize it as "the Matsudaira's Otegine," and it served as an identifying marker for the procession. However, the fate of this great spear darkened in 1945. On May 25, 1945 (Showa 20), in the final stages of the Pacific War, a massive incendiary bombing of Tokyo (the Yamanote air raid) by American B-29 bombers was carried out, and the Matsudaira residence in Tokyo was completely consumed by fire from direct hits by incendiary bombs. The Otegine vanished in the flames, never to be recovered. While the Tonbo-giri and Nihongo still exist, the fact that only the Otegine was lost forever is remembered as a symbol of the cultural destruction wrought by war. In 2003, the city of Yuuki in Ibaraki Prefecture undertook a restoration project for the Otegine, creating a precise replica based on surviving documents and historical records. Today, this replica is displayed at the Yuuki Kuramikan Museum, preserving the memory of the lost great spear for future generations. In the game 'Touken Ranbu,' it appears as a melancholic character embodying 'the lost spear,' capturing the hearts of many fans. The story of Otegine mirrors Japan's modern history, where the glory of a great spear, the tragedy of war, and the efforts of people to preserve memory converge.