* Image is for illustrative purposes only.SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice
SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice
A Sengoku-era action game released by FromSoftware in 2019. Centered on two iconic blades—Kusabimaru, companion to the protagonist Sekiro, and Mortal Blade, which holds the narrative's key—it weaves a richly detailed world of shinobi and samurai. The game reproduces Japanese sword combat with remarkable precision as core gameplay, inspiring worldwide gaming enthusiasts to discover authentic swordsmanship and Japanese blade culture.
Description
Overview
SEKIRO: Shadows Die Twice (hereafter Sekiro) is an action-adventure game released by FromSoftware, known for the Dark Souls series, in March 2019 and achieved the distinction of winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2019. The setting is a dark fantasy reinterpretation of late-Sengoku-era Japan, and the story follows Sekiro, a shinobi tasked with protecting a young nobleman bearing immortal blood, as he wields his prosthetic arm tools and two signature blades in battle.
The Reality of Swordsmanship
Sekiro's defining feature is its combat system, which faithfully reproduces Japanese sword combat to the limits of modern gaming technology. While conventional action games focus on 'reducing hit points' with a blade, Sekiro's combat is founded on the principle of breaking an opponent's 'posture'—a concept remarkably close to actual swordsmanship, particularly as taught in schools like Jigen-ryū, Shin'in-ryū, and Hokusin Ittō-ryū, which emphasize 'achieving victory by disrupting balance.' The guard and counterattack known as 'deflection' corresponds to swordsmanship concepts of 'parrying' and 'striking back,' allowing players to naturally experience the essence of one-on-one blade engagement.
Kusabimaru and Mortal Blade
The two blades central to Sekiro are Kusabimaru and Mortal Blade. Kusabimaru serves as Sekiro's primary weapon, depicted as a battle-hardened practical blade honed for shinobi use. Its uchigatana form—balanced in blade length, curvature, and thickness for maximum combat practicality—admirably embodies the rationality of genuine Edo-period combat blades. Mortal Blade is a special weapon tied to the narrative's core; its power to sever immortality resonates deeply with the Japanese sword-faith tradition of blades enshrined in temples and shrines possessing spiritual power. In Japanese blade culture, swords have long been objects of faith rather than mere weapons, understood as vessels for divine spirits. In this sense, Mortal Blade successfully embodies that tradition within a modern gaming context.
The Sengoku Worldview and Schools of Swordsmanship
Sekiro's world is grounded in the atmosphere of the late Sengoku period, with the narrative centered on the exemplary swordsman embodied by Ashina Isshin, called the 'Sword Saint'—the mightiest warrior. While the 'Ashina-ryū' used by Genichirō is a fictional school, its techniques and swordsmanship descriptions bear heavy influence from real schools: Niten'ichi-ryū, Shin'in-ryū, and Jigen-ryū. The diversity of Japanese swordsmanship, with each school possessing distinct stances, techniques, and sword philosophy, is skillfully leveraged in the game's technical presentation, allowing players to experience fragments of genuine swordcraft ideology through the medium of gaming.
Global Impact
Sekiro's worldwide success dramatically heightened overseas gaming enthusiasts' interest in Japanese blades and swordsmanship. Japanese martial terminology—such as 'deflection,' 'posture,' and 'shinobi'—became established gaming vocabulary worldwide, and social media filled with comparisons between actual iaido and kendo videos and Sekiro gameplay. At TOUKENZA, we handle authentic Japanese swords carrying forward the traditions of Japanese swordsmanship and blade culture that inspired Sekiro's world. We invite you to experience the world of the blade firsthand with a genuine sword.
Real Swords Featured
Uchigatana and Shinobi Blade
The swords used by shinobi during the Sengoku period are believed to have often been shorter and lighter than standard samurai uchigatana, with structures prioritizing mobility. Short uchigatana with blade lengths around 50–60 cm were well-suited for combat in confined indoor spaces and among trees, and Sekiro's Kusabimaru embodies a 'shinobi blade' concept that resonates with historical records of actual ninja sword usage. The shorter length compared to Edo-period samurai uchigatana (blade length 60–70 cm) reflects the practical diversity of Sengoku-era blades.
Jigen-ryū
One of Japan's strongest schools of swordsmanship, transmitted through the Satsuma domain. Founded by Tōgō Shigenari, it is characterized by striking practice using wooden swords and the principle of staking everything on a single decisive blow from the 'dragonfly stance'—a technique so definitive it is said 'there is no need for a second strike.' Valued for the destructive power of the initial attack, it struck fear into government troops through Satsuma forces' close-quarters combat during the Boshin War. In Sekiro, Genichirō Ashina's combat techniques reflect the resolute striking philosophy of Jigen-ryū throughout.
Mortal Blade and Blades Dedicated to Shrines and Temples
Since ancient times in Japan, it has been customary to dedicate special blades to shrines and temples. Such dedicated blades were believed to be vessels for divine spirits, whose power warded off evil and provided protective blessings—a widely shared belief. Numerous dedicated blades are preserved at major shrines and temples such as Kasuga Taisha, Ise Shrine, and Atsuta Shrine, some designated as National Treasures or Important Cultural Properties. The special spiritual power of Sekiro's Mortal Blade can be understood as a modern fantasy adaptation of this tradition of dedicatory and prayer blades.
Shin'in-ryū
A school of swordsmanship representative of Japan, founded by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and established during the Sengoku period. Known for its principle of the 'sword of life'—emphasizing the control of one's opponent rather than killing—it is characterized by spiritual restraint. Spread throughout the Edo period by the Yagyū family, who served the Tokugawa shogunate, it became the representative martial art of the era. The characterization of Sekiro's Sword Saint Genichirō reflects Shin'in-ryū's ideals of perfecting one's technique to achieve spiritual mastery, depicting him not merely as a powerful combatant but as one embodying the spiritual completion of a swordmaster.
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See authentic Japanese swordsThis page is intended to introduce Japanese sword culture and is not affiliated with any of the works mentioned.