* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Yoshimoto Samonji
義元左文字
Also known as: Sōza Samonji / Okehazama Trophy Blade
Description
Overview
Yoshimoto Samonji is a sword forged by Samonji, a master craftsman of the Nanboku-chō period, and is a legendary blade deeply connected to one of the most dramatic scenes in the Sengoku period—the Battle of Okehazama. Cherished by Imagawa Yoshimoto, when he was defeated and killed at Okehazama by Oda Nobunaga, the sword was taken as a war trophy. The blade, which Nobunaga had previously called "Sōza Samonji," was renamed "Yoshimoto Samonji" after Nobunaga inscribed a gold-inlaid inscription recording his exploits, transforming this blade into a living witness of Sengoku history itself. With a blade length of 2 shaku 2 sun 1 bu (approximately 67.0 cm), it embodies the practical form of a uchigatana with the magnificent style of the Nanboku-chō period. Currently designated as an Important Cultural Property, it is held by Takeda Shrine (Kita Ward, Kyoto) and on loan to the Kyoto National Museum, continuing to shine as a famous sword where Japanese sword history and Sengoku history intersect most vividly.
The Samonji School and the Craftsman Samonji
The maker, Samonji, was a master craftsman of the Nanboku-chō period who lived in Chikuzen Province (present-day Fukuoka Prefecture). His personal name is also transmitted as "Yasukichi," but he is widely known by the single-character signature "Sa." The Samonji school was a group of craftsmen representing northern Kyushu, developing the magnificent style of the Sōshū tradition (the sword-forging technique of Kamakura and Sagami) uniquely through the rich iron sand of Kyushu and distinctive forging techniques. The steel features a large board-grain pattern with mokume (wood-grain effect) interspersed, with abundant surface patterns creating a rough yet powerful iron color. The blade pattern is a curved large-crossing random pattern with vigorous activity, displaying gold lines and sand streaks dramatically and brilliantly, typifying the magnificent Nanboku-chō style. The point is large and irregular with deep reversion, presenting overall a bold and overwhelming presence. The Nanboku-chō period was an era when external pressure from the continent (aftermath of the Mongol invasions) overlapped with intense internal conflict, creating demand for large and magnificent blades, and the Samonji style perfectly answered these era demands. Several extant Samonji works exist, all designated as Important Cultural Properties or National Treasures, receiving the highest evaluation among Kyushu swordsmiths.
The Battle of Okehazama—Yoshimoto's Blade Falls to Nobunaga
The most important and dramatic event in the provenance of Yoshimoto Samonji is the Battle of Okehazama, which occurred on the 19th day of the 5th month of Eiroku 3 (1560). Imagawa Yoshimoto, as the most powerful daimyo of the Tōkaidō, led a great army said to number 25,000 and invaded Owari Province on his way to an assault on the capital (advance to Kyoto). Against the overwhelming scale of the Imagawa forces, the small daimyo of Owari, Oda Nobunaga, could assemble only some 2,000 troops. However, on the afternoon of the 19th day of the 5th month, a violent storm accompanied by heavy rain struck the Okehazama area. Seeing this meteorological phenomenon as an opportunity, Nobunaga ordered a full-scale charge through the storm. With visibility obscured and the Imagawa forces in chaos, the Oda army drove into their midst, and Yoshimoto's main headquarters was overrun in moments. Yoshimoto was cut down by Hattori Kazutada and Mōri Yoshikatsu, and with his severed head, this sword became Nobunaga's war prize.
Nobunaga's Gold-Inlaid Inscription—A Victory Declaration Carved in History
Nobunaga did not treat this blade merely as a weapon or work of art. On the tang (nakago), at the flat (hira), he had inscribed in gold inlay: "Eiroku 3, 5th month, 19th day, Yoshimoto captured and slain; blade formerly possessed, Oda Owari-no-kami Nobunaga." This gold-inlaid inscription is testimony to Nobunaga's intense self-expression and historical consciousness. The victory at Okehazama was for Nobunaga not merely a single battle victory, but a turning point that became the departure point for his conquest of the realm, and by permanently engraving this commemoration on Yoshimoto's most beloved blade, Nobunaga carved his own existence deeply into history. The former name "Sōza" is said to derive from the Buddhist name "Sōza" of Hosokawa Harumoto's close retainer Miyoshi Masanaga, but Nobunaga abolished this name and transformed the blade into a famous sword bearing witness to his victory alongside Yoshimoto's name.
From Toyotomi and Tokugawa to the Modern Era
After the Incident at Honnō-ji (1582), Yoshimoto Samonji passed into the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and further came into the possession of Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Edo period, it was preserved as an honored blade (oshin-mono) of the Tokugawa shogunal house and was treasured as a celebrated blade of the realm, recorded in the "Kyōhō Meimotsucho" (Register of Famous Objects of the Kyōhō Era). It later remained in the possession of the Tokugawa shogunal house, and is now held by Takeda Shrine (Kita Ward, Kyoto) and on loan to the Kyoto National Museum. Designated as an Important Cultural Property, Yoshimoto Samonji is unique in Japanese sword history in possessing a concrete historical testimony—the gold-inlaid inscription—carved upon its blade. As both a work of art and a historical document bearing witness to the most critical moment in Sengoku history, it remains an incomparable famous blade, continuing to captivate history enthusiasts and sword connoisseurs to this day.
The Form and Artistic Value of the Blade
The blade of Yoshimoto Samonji embodies the magnificent style of the Nanboku-chō period while maintaining practical beauty suited for actual combat. The blade length of 2 shaku 2 sun 1 bu (approximately 67.0 cm), slightly long for a uchigatana, is a practical length suited to both mounted sword-drawing and standing sword combat. The steel is primarily composed of a large board-grain pattern, with mokume interspersed in the grain and abundant surface patterns showing powerful force. The blade pattern is a curved crossing-line random pattern with vigorous activity visible on the blade edge, with gold lines and sand streaks appearing throughout, displaying the magnificent appearance of the Nanboku-chō period. The point is large and irregular with deep reversion. The tang is forged from iron of such quality that magnets adhere to it, and the gold-inlaid inscription carved upon it remains clearly legible even after the passage of ages. Currently designated as an Important Cultural Property and held by Takeda Shrine (Kita Ward, Kyoto) on loan to the Kyoto National Museum, the preservation condition of the blade is excellent, and it is said that when polish is reapplied, the original brilliance of Samonji craftsmanship is restored. The reason this blade is a first-class treasure both as a work of art and as historical testimony lies in the fact that the forging technique of Samonji and the historical will of Nobunaga are concentrated in a single blade.
The Intersection of Japanese Sword and Sengoku History
The reason Yoshimoto Samonji continues to hold special significance in the modern era is that this blade most directly embodies "the moment where Japanese sword and history intersect." While many famous blades, cherished by emperors, shoguns, and daimyo, possess vague provenance—"treasured by someone, at some time"—Yoshimoto Samonji has a specific date (19th day of the 5th month of Eiroku 3), a specific place (Okehazama), and specific historical facts (Yoshimoto's death and seizure by Nobunaga) inscribed upon its blade as a gold-inlaid inscription. This is extremely rare in sword history. The Battle of Okehazama is one of the turning points in Japanese history, and Yoshimoto Samonji, transmitting that turning point as material evidence, most powerfully demonstrates that a Japanese sword can be more than a mere weapon or work of art—it can be a "witness to history itself."
Legends & Stories
## The Night Before Okehazama — Imagawa Yoshimoto and His Beloved Sword In the 5th month of Eiroku 3 (1560), Imagawa Yoshimoto, the most powerful daimyo of the Tokaido, invaded Owari Province at the head of a massive army said to number 25,000 soldiers. Yoshimoto was renowned as an accomplished military commander excelling in both literary and martial arts and was a highly cultured man who loved linked-verse poetry and court culture. While the tradition that he wore light makeup in courtly fashion and rode in an imperial carriage to the battlefield is considered a later fabrication, it is historically established that Yoshimoto was a man who combined cultural refinement with genuine warrior prowess. This Samonji blade was one of Yoshimoto's most treasured swords and, as a masterwork of the renowned smith Samonji, was known as a supreme national treasure of its time. While there is no clear record of when or from whom Yoshimoto obtained it, it is said that it had been owned by Miyoshi Masanaga (also called Sozo), passed through Takeda Nobutorawara, and came into Yoshimoto's hands, earning the name "Sozo Samonji" from its previous owner. Yoshimoto set out toward the capital with this blade at his side—but his fate would change dramatically in the torrential rain of Okehazama. ## The Miracle of Okehazama — History Born of a Storm On the 19th day of the 5th month of Eiroku 3, it is said that Oda Nobunaga recited a passage from the Kokyoku dance "Atsumori" at Kiyosu Castle—"Fifty years in a human life, if compared to the span of Heaven above, are but a fleeting dream"—before setting out to battle. Nobunaga could muster no more than 2,000 soldiers. In a fair field battle, he would be utterly annihilated before Imagawa's 25,000. But in the afternoon, a torrential downpour and gale struck the Okehazama area. Obscured by the blinding rain, Nobunaga ordered his entire army to charge. The Imagawa forces, caught resting at their main camp, were suddenly attacked and fell into chaos. Yoshimoto fought valiantly but was struck by Hattori Kazutada's blade, lost fingers to the wound, and was finished off by Mouri Yoshikatsu. In mere minutes of fighting, the renowned commander who had aspired to rule Japan met an untimely end. The Sozo Samonji at his side passed into Nobunaga's hands as a spoil of war. ## Nobunaga's Gold-Inlaid Inscription — Etching Victory in Perpetuity Nobunaga did not treat this blade as a mere spoil of war. He had a gold-inlaid inscription engraved on the tang of the blade reading: "On the 19th day of the 5th month of Eiroku 3, Yoshimoto was struck down. I have engraved this on the blade he possessed—Oda Owari no Kami Nobunaga." This act is one of the most eloquent examples of Nobunaga's historical consciousness and his fervent self-expression. For Nobunaga, the victory at Okehazama was not merely a single battle won, but the starting point of his grand ambition to unify Japan. By engraving his name and the date of victory in perpetuity upon his enemy's most cherished blade, Nobunaga demonstrated his fierce will to rewrite the course of history with his own hands. The old name Sozo Samonji faded away; the blade took on new meaning as the "Yoshimoto Samonji," bearing testimony to both Yoshimoto's name and Nobunaga's victory. ## From One Heavenly Ruler to the Next — The Sword's Journey Through History After Okehazama, Nobunaga steadily walked the path toward unification. Though the blade remained one of Nobunaga's most treasured monuments in his hands, it lived on even after his death at the hands of Akechi Mitsuhide in the Honnō-ji Incident of Tenshō 10 (1582). It passed into the hands of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and, after Sekigahara, came down to Tokugawa Ieyasu. In the Edo period, the blade was recorded in the "Kyōhō Meibutsu-chō" (Registry of Famous Objects of the Kyōhō Era) as a treasure of the Tokugawa shogunal house and was prized as a supreme national treasure. The provenance of this blade—having passed through the hands of all three great unifiers of the Sengoku period—is without parallel in the history of Japanese swordsmanship. Currently housed at the Kenkun Shrine in Kyoto (on long-term loan to the Kyoto National Museum), the gold-inlaid inscription continues to vividly speak of the "memory of Okehazama" to this day. ## The Blade Speaks: The Inevitability of History The greatest reason the story of the Yoshimoto Samonji speaks to people today is that this blade is not a product of chance but rather embodies the inevitability of history. Yoshimoto's selection of the finest blade, Nobunaga's greatest victory carved upon it, and the proof of rulership inherited by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu—all of these are layered upon a single sword. No other example demonstrates so eloquently as the Yoshimoto Samonji that the Japanese blade transcends a mere weapon or artwork to become a "vessel bearing history." ## Hideyoshi and Ieyasu — The Yoshimoto Samonji Witnesses the Unification of Japan The blade's journey after it left Nobunaga's hands equally reflects the course of Japanese history itself. After Nobunaga fell in the Honnō-ji Incident (1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi inherited this blade. Hideyoshi treasured it as "proof of rulership," and it is said that among his collection of swords kept at Fushimi and Osaka castles, it held a place of special honor. After Hideyoshi's death (1598) and following the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), Tokugawa Ieyasu acquired the blade. Ieyasu is believed to have fully understood the blade's provenance—how the beloved sword of Yoshimoto, the master of the Eastern regions, had come into Nobunaga's hands through victory and had passed down through Toyotomi and Tokugawa. Upon entering the Edo period, the Yoshimoto Samonji was carefully preserved as a shogunal treasure (gokoshipmono) of the Tokugawa house and became a supreme national treasure, duly recorded in the "Kyōhō Meibutsu-chō" (Registry of Famous Objects) compiled under the orders of the 8th Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune (Kyōhō 6, 1721). The provenance of being possessed by all three great unifiers of the Sengoku period is without parallel and further elevates the historical significance of the Yoshimoto Samonji. ## The Spirit of the Yoshimoto Samonji in the Modern Age After the Meiji Restoration, the Yoshimoto Samonji was continuously passed down even through the era of the Sword Ban and the drive to enrich the nation and strengthen the military. When the Kenkun Shrine was constructed in Meiji 13 (1880), it was donated by the Tokugawa family and is now housed at the Kenkun Shrine in Kita Ward, Kyoto (on long-term loan to the Kyoto National Museum). Protected as an Important Cultural Property, the blade undergoes regular maintenance and conservation, with the gold-inlaid inscription remaining in excellent condition. In modern times, the Yoshimoto Samonji remains one of the most celebrated blades among history enthusiasts and sword lovers, and its name is mentioned whenever Nobunaga and Yoshimoto are depicted in historical dramas or novels. In the sword-themed game "Touken Ranbu" (Sword Dancers), the Yoshimoto Samonji appears as a popular character, introducing its name to younger generations. Nearly five centuries later, the Yoshimoto Samonji continues to speak of the storm of Okehazama and the inseparable bond between Japanese history and the blade.