* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Kirin ga Kuru (NHK Taiga Drama, 2020–2021)
大河ドラマ 麒麟がくる
The 59th NHK Taiga Drama, broadcast from January 19, 2020 to February 7, 2021 (script by Shunsaku Ikehata; lead role of Akechi Mitsuhide played by Hiroki Hasegawa). An ambitious drama that places "Why did Mitsuhide strike down Nobunaga?" at its narrative core. Historical supervision by Tetsuo Owada. The drama is set against the backdrop of pivotal Japanese sword history, including blades associated with Mitsuhide and famous swords lost in the fire of the Honnō-ji Incident.
Description
Overview
"Kirin ga Kuru" was the 59th NHK Taiga Drama, broadcast from January 19, 2020 to February 7, 2021, with script by Shunsaku Ikehata and Hiroki Hasegawa in the lead role of Akechi Mitsuhide. The drama is an ambitious work that centers on one of the greatest mysteries of Japanese history—"Why did Mitsuhide strike down Nobunaga?"—depicting Mitsuhide's life carefully from his early years onward. The supporting cast included Masamichi Motoiki as Saitō Dōsan, Shōta Sometani as Oda Nobunaga, Osamu Mukai as Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and Shunsuke Kazama as Tokugawa Ieyasu. Due to COVID-19, filming was suspended and the broadcast was extended to February 2021.
Akechi Mitsuhide and the Sword
Akechi Mitsuhide (c.1528–1582) occupies a unique position among Sengoku warriors as an "intellectual warrior of the two ways of civil and military arts." Combining the sensibilities of a renga poet and cultural figure with those of a brilliant military commander, his relationship with the sword was presumably one that transcended the purely martial. Actor Hiroki Hasegawa has spoken of his deep commitment to depicting Mitsuhide's experience of wielding a sword with authenticity, and the character's inner conflict about drawing his blade shapes the drama's overall tone.
Swords Associated with Mitsuhide—Historical Records
Multiple historical sources record swords connected to Akechi Mitsuhide: - **"Akechi Chikakage" (sword name)**: An unsigned sword said to be Mitsuhide's beloved blade, which attracted significant attention in 2019 as a newly identified Mitsuhide relic. - **Wakizashi passed from Mitsuhide via Hosokawa Tadaoki to Hideyoshi**: A short sword said to have passed through Hosokawa Tadaoki to reach Toyotomi Hideyoshi, recorded in sword catalogues as a Taikō possession; currently preserved at Kagawa Prefectural Museum as an Important Cultural Property. - **Sword dedicated at Atago Shrine**: The sword Mitsuhide dedicated at Atago Shrine just before the Honnō-ji Incident was later retrieved by Hideyoshi and passed through Aoki Kazunori, Katō Yoshiaki, and Niwa Nagashige.
The Honnō-ji Incident and Sword History
The Honnō-ji Incident (1582) was also a pivotal event in the history of Japanese swords, because much of Oda Nobunaga's sword collection, gathered at Honnō-ji, was either lost in the fire or went unaccounted for. Famous swords said to have been in Nobunaga's collection—such as "Yagen Tōshirō" and "Jikkyū Mitsutada"—have legends both of burning in the fire and of being rescued. Honnō-ji Temple in Kyoto currently exhibits restorations of Nobunaga's lost swords, and "Kirin ga Kuru," which depicts the Honnō-ji Incident as its climax, places this turning point of sword history at the very core of its narrative.
The Mino Sword Tradition and Mitsuhide's Background
Mitsuhide's origins are associated with the Toki clan of Mino Province (Gifu Prefecture), a major center of the "Mino-den" sword tradition. Mino-den, centered on the Seki smiths, was the most prolific supplier of practical swords in the Sengoku period, producing master smiths including "Seki no Magoroku." Mitsuhide's early life, based in Mino Province, can be understood against the backdrop of this vibrant Mino sword culture.
Real Swords Featured
Akechi Chikakage (unsigned) — Mitsuhide's beloved sword
The sword known as "Akechi Chikakage" is said to be the sword Akechi Mitsuhide treasured, attracting scholarly attention in 2019 as a newly identified Mitsuhide relic. Though unsigned, it is attributed to the swordsmith Chikakage, and is studied as a surviving artifact that speaks to the spiritual depth with which Mitsuhide related to his sword.
Yagen Tōshirō — Nobunaga's famous sword, lost (or rescued) at Honnō-ji
A tantō by Tōshirō Yoshimitsu (Awataguchi Yoshimitsu) that Oda Nobunaga treasured deeply. Legends conflict on whether it burned in the Honnō-ji fire or survived; it remains celebrated as a "phantom masterpiece," and a restoration is displayed at Honnō-ji Temple in Kyoto. Mitsuhide's Honnō-ji Incident was a historical moment that determined the fate of such priceless blades.
See authentic Japanese swords
See authentic Japanese swordsThis page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.