* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin
An open-world action RPG developed by Koei Tecmo and Team NINJA, released for PS5 in 2024, set during the Bakumatsu period. As a wandering ronin navigating the turbulent era from the arrival of the Black Ships through the eve of the Meiji Restoration, you encounter real historical figures like Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsura Kogoro, and Kondo Isami as their stories intertwine with Japan's transformation. A cinematic period-action game featuring diverse katana schools and sword styles, rendered with authentic attention to Bakumatsu blade culture.
Description
The Bakumatsu as Stage and Rise of the Ronin
Rise of the Ronin is an open-world action RPG developed by Koei Tecmo Games and Team NINJA, released for PS5 in March 2024. Its setting is the Bakumatsu—one of the most dramatic periods of upheaval in Japanese history, spanning from the arrival of Commodore Perry's fleet in 1853 (Kaei 6) through the Boshin War (1868–69).
The Bakumatsu marked both the twilight of the samurai era and a decisive turning point for katana culture. As Western firearms diminished the sword's practical battlefield advantage, samurai grew increasingly conscious of the spiritual and cultural values embedded in the blade. Over the two decades preceding the Sword Abolishment Edict of 1876, Bakumatsu idealists carried their swords as the boundary between life and death, pushing forward through the tempests of their age. This game recreates that era's atmosphere with extraordinary precision.
Sword Schools and the Diversity of the Katana
One of the game's greatest strengths is the abundance of sword schools (martial styles) and the diverse ways to wield the katana corresponding to each tradition. Historical Bakumatsu schools such as Tennen Rishin-ryū, Shinto Munen-ryū, Hokusin Itto-ryū, and Ryūgō-ryū are authentically recreated, allowing players to switch between schools as circumstances demand.
Tennen Rishin-ryū is renowned as the sword school of the Shinsengumi, and the game depicts deep connections to Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo. It is characterized by direct, straight-blade technique aimed at one decisive stroke. Hokusin Itto-ryū is known through its connection to Sakamoto Ryoma and the Chiba Dojo, and became widely adopted among Bakumatsu idealists. The game allows players to experience, in interactive form, how these schools are deeply rooted in actual sword technique and application.
The game further features various polearms including uchigatana, tachi, naginata, and spear, with each weapon's optimal range and tactical characteristics reflected in the game system. The uchigatana, the standard close-combat weapon of the early-modern samurai, combines portability with speed, while the tachi embodies the ancient weight and power of older traditions. By experiencing these differences firsthand, players naturally deepen their understanding of katana types and their battlefield applications.
Historical Bakumatsu Figures and Sword Culture
The game features numerous historical figures who seem to have stepped from the pages of history—Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsura Kogoro, Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Katsu Kaishu, Yoshida Shoin, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and Commodore Matthew Perry, among others. The blades these figures actually carried are documented in historical records, and experiencing them through the game is expected to deepen players' interest in these artifacts.
Sakamoto Ryoma's treasured sword was the Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki, forged by Tosa-domain swordsmith Yoshiyuki. It is said Ryoma carried this blade even when surrounded by bakufu officials at the Teradaya Incident in 1866, and it is now housed in the Kyoto National Museum. Hijikata Toshizo's cherished blade, the Izumi no Kami Kanesada, was crafted by a renowned Aizu master and is famous as the symbol of the Shinsengumi vice-commander.
Impact on Bakumatsu Sword Culture
The Bakumatsu was also a pivotal moment for katana forging technique. The so-called "Three Great Smiths of the Bakumatsu"—Minamoto Kiyomaro, Hosokawa Masayoshi, and Kurihara Nobuhide—studied ancient blade-forging methods while creating superior swords to meet the demands of Bakumatsu warriors. Kiyomaro's works in particular are celebrated for their bold hamon influenced by the Soshu tradition, and his blades remain highly regarded today as masterpieces of the Bakumatsu period.
After the Sword Abolishment Edict, the katana transformed from weapon into art object and cultural heritage. Bakumatsu swords occupy a unique place in modern sword appreciation, embodying both the historical weight of being the last practical blades on which samurai staked their lives and the artistic value of works representing the pinnacle of modern blade-forging craftsmanship.
Rise of the Ronin and Toukenza
Rise of the Ronin is a rare work that allows players to experience the relationship between the Bakumatsu era and the katana on the grand canvas of an open world. The role of Toukenza is to bridge the emotional resonance players gain from "living an era while bearing a sword" on screen to actual encounters with authentic Japanese blades. The spirit of the shinkatana and Bakumatsu blades that idealists of the era carried lives on in the genuine swords that endure today.
Real Swords Featured
Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki (Sakamoto Ryoma's Treasured Blade)
An uchigatana by the Tosa swordsmith Yoshiyuki, said to have been cherished by Sakamoto Ryoma, a bakumatsu patriot. During the Teradaya Incident of 1866, when Ryoma was surrounded by bakufu forces, he is recorded to have worn this blade. It is renowned as the emblematic sword of the Restoration loyalists. Currently housed at the Kyoto National Museum (donated by Ryoma's descendants in 1931), with related materials also displayed at the Kochi Prefectural Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Hall. Yoshiyuki was known as an official swordsmith of the Tosa domain, exemplifying the typical craftsmanship of bakumatsu swords that unite practical functionality with elegance.
Izumi no Kami Kanesada (Hijikata Toshizo's Treasured Blade)
An uchigatana by the eleventh-generation Aizu master swordsmith Izumi no Kami Kanesada, famously wielded by Hijikata Toshizo, vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. Kanesada was among the foremost swordsmiths of the bakumatsu period, and his works answered the demands of bakumatsu warriors through their magnificent hamon and robust forging. Hijikata's blade is recorded to have remained at his side through his final moments at Goryokaku in Hakodate, and after his death was passed to his disciples before dispersing among multiple collections. The bond between the Shinsengumi and Hijikata Toshizo is depicted with deep resonance in "Rise of the Ronin," and the fame of this sword reverberates profoundly with the game's artistic world.
Blade by Minamoto Kiyomaro (Representative Work of the Three Great Smiths of the Bakumatsu)
Minamoto Kiyomaro (1813–1854), one of the three great smiths of the bakumatsu, was a prodigious swordsmith active in Edo who researched the Soshu tradition of ancient blades and revived its techniques during the new sword period. His magnificent hamon marked by profuse nie and refined jigane embody the spiritual fervor of the turbulent bakumatsu era. Many of Kiyomaro's works have been designated as Important Cultural Properties and are viewable at the Tokyo National Museum and the Swords Museum. The martial aesthetics of "Rise of the Ronin" resonate deeply with the refined essence of bakumatsu sword culture.
Tennen Rishin-ryū Uchigatana—The Blades of the Shinsengumi
The uchigatana wielded by Kondo Isao, Hijikata Toshizo, Okita Soji, and other Shinsengumi members were primarily practical, sturdy blades embodying the philosophy of Tennen Rishin-ryū, a martial tradition grounded in real combat. Related materials are preserved at Mibudera temple near the Shinsengumi headquarters in Mibu, and at the gravesite of Kondo Isao in Chofu, his birthplace. Tennen Rishin-ryū materials are housed at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Tama. Compared to earlier new sword period works, bakumatsu uchigatana prioritize practical combat effectiveness with robust construction, and the tension of the era is evident in the very form of the blades themselves.
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.