* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō
鬼人幻燈抄
An anime television series based on the novel by Moto'o Nakanishi, broadcast from March to September 2025. In the Tenpō era of the Edo period, Jinta, a young man serving as guardian of the shrine maiden in the mountain village of Kadono, becomes an oni himself to stop his sister, who has turned into an oni. He then spends many years hunting oni with the treasure sword Yarai in hand.
Description
Work Overview
Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō is based on the novel by Moto'o Nakanishi and was broadcast on television from March to September 2025. The animation was produced by Yokohama Animation Laboratory. The story begins in the Tenpō era of the late Edo period. Jinta, who had served as guardian of the shrine maiden in the village of Kadono, becomes an oni himself to stop his sister Suzune, who had turned into an oni. He takes the name Jin'ya and keeps hunting oni across the eras: Edo, the Bakumatsu, Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa.
Depiction of Swords and Swordsmanship
The sword Jinta uses is a central element of the story. His beloved sword is the treasure blade Yarai, which is passed down in the village of Kadono as a sacred divine sword. Within the story, it is said to have been forged by a Kadono swordsmith in the Sengoku period, and the village headman entrusts it to Jinta.
Worldview and Historical Background
The Edo period is officially regarded as a peaceful era, but in this work's setting, oni lurk in the shadows of the human world. Jin'ya's journey to hunt oni continues from Edo through the Bakumatsu and into the Meiji period and beyond.
Real Swords Featured
Yarai (Jinta's sword)
A treasure sword passed down in the village of Kadono as a sacred divine sword. The protagonist Jinta receives it from the village headman and makes it his beloved blade for his journey to hunt oni. It forms the core of the work.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsRelated Content
Seven Samurai
Film七人の侍
Akira Kurosawa's 1954 enduring masterpiece, one of the most influential works in the history of world cinema. Set in the late Sengoku period, its story of seven masterless samurai gathered to protect a village from bandits vividly depicts the social role of the samurai and the practical side of the sword. It is a monumental work that made Japanese swordcraft known to the world, and it influenced countless films, including The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, and Mad Max.
Nioh 2
Video Game仁王2
A Sengoku-period action RPG released in 2020, developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo Games. As a prequel to the earlier "Nioh," it stars a half-yokai protagonist with yokai blood, who crosses swords with demons while encountering real Sengoku-period warlords.
Lupin III (Goemon Ishikawa & Zantetsuken)
Anime & Mangaルパン三世（石川五ェ門・斬鉄剣）
A franchise created by Monkey Punch in 1967 that has spread worldwide as a long-running anime series. The Zantetsuken sword carried by Goemon Ishikawa XIII—capable of cutting through anything—became an iconic symbol of Japanese swords in pop culture. Ranked 3rd in a 2025 anime sword popularity poll.
Nobunaga's Ambition
Game信長の野望
A historical simulation game series developed and sold by Koei Tecmo Games since 1983. It is a national-favorite series in which players control Sengoku daimyo, including Oda Nobunaga, in pursuit of unifying the country. Depending on the title, famous swords also appear as items, making it a historical game series that touches on the bond between Japanese swords and warlords.
This page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.