* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Senobori Tachi
瀬登太刀
Also known as: Senobori; Nanbokucho-period odachi; sacred sword of Nikko Futarasan Jinja
- Smith
- Unknown (unsigned)
- Era
- Nanbokucho period (14th century)
- Type
- Ōdachi
- Designation
- Important Cultural Property
- Location
- Treasure Hall of Nikko Futarasan Jinja Chugu Shrine, Nikko, Tochigi
Description
Sacred Sword of Nikko Futarasan Jinja
Senobori Tachi is a great sword (odachi) handed down at Nikko Futarasan Jinja in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture. Its formal designation is "Odachi, unsigned (named Senobori Tachi), with gilt-bronze hirumaki hyogo-gusari tachi koshirae," and it was designated an Important Cultural Property on 18 December 1959 (Showa 34). It is judged to date from the Nanbokucho period, though it bears no signature identifying its maker.
Construction and Carving
The blade measures about 1.26 meters in length, with a koshizori curvature of about 5 cm, presenting a form both robust and elegant. It is of shinogi-zukuri construction with an iori ridge, itame forging mixed with masame, and a suguha temper line mixed with gunome. The obverse bears twin grooves and a kurikara dragon amid grass with a lightning motif, while the reverse bears twin grooves and a carving of bamboo and bamboo shoots, unusual for an odachi. The koshirae is a yamagane hirumaki hyogo-gusari tachi koshirae in gilt bronze.
Origin of the Name
According to tradition, a Nikko priest cast this sword into the Otani River to divine the outcome of a certain battle, and the blade climbed upstream against the current. Taking this as an auspicious omen, the priest went into battle and won a great victory, and the name Senobori Tachi was thereafter given to the sword. The carving of a dragon ascending the swift waters of the Otani River echoes this legend.
Role in the Yayoi Festival
At the Yayoi Festival, the annual rite of Nikko Futarasan Jinja, a custom is handed down in which the three great swords Senobori Tachi, Kashiwa Tachi, and Nene-Kirimaru are laid side by side on the fresh hide of a stag caught on Mount Nantai and presented before the deity. All three are odachi of the Nanbokucho period and stand as precious relics transmitting the martial faith of Mount Nikko.
Legends & Stories
The name Senobori Tachi comes from a legend in which a Nikko priest cast the blade into the Otani River to divine the outcome of a battle, and it climbed upstream against the current. Taking this as an auspicious omen, the priest is said to have gone into battle and won a great victory, and the blade's carving depicts a dragon ascending the rapids.
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