Taiga Drama: How Will You, Ieyasu? (Dōsuru Ieyasu)

Taiga Drama Dōsuru Ieyasu — Tokugawa Ieyasu, the "Weak Hero," and the Foundation of Edo Sword Culture Embodied in Monoyoshi Sadamune

Dōsuru Ieyasu (NHK Taiga Drama No. 62, 2023, screenplay Furusawa Yoshita, lead Matsumoto Jun) depicts the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) through the fresh interpretation of "a timid, cowardly young man surviving the age of war to become the lord of the realm." The intense presence of Okada Junichi as Oda Nobunaga and the growth of Matsumoto Jun's "weak Ieyasu" form the drama's core, with Furusawa Yoshita's (known for Legal High and Confidence Man JP) modern comedic screenplay reinterpreting the Sengoku period in a pop-culture key. From the perspective of Japanese sword culture, the work's special significance lies in the historical fact that Tokugawa Ieyasu was a warrior with a notable dimension as a "sword collector," and that his symbolic beloved sword "Monoyoshi Sadamune" is deeply connected to his strategic and spiritual character.

### Tokugawa Ieyasu and Japanese Swords — Founder of the "Heavenly Lord's Sword Collection"

Among Sengoku warriors, Ieyasu is particularly known as a "sword enthusiast," with records documenting his collection of many blades possessed by powerful warlords including Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Ieyasu's sword collection was passed down as "gomostu" — family treasures of the Tokugawa shogunal house — and many pieces are now preserved at the Tokugawa Art Museum (Nagoya, Aichi) and other institutions. In this sense, Ieyasu played an important historical role as a "preserver and transmitter of Japanese sword culture," as this accumulated cultural patrimony forms one of the foundations of modern Japanese sword museum collections.

### Monoyoshi Sadamune — Ieyasu's Beloved Sword With the Legend of Guaranteed Victory

The most famous sword associated with Ieyasu is "Monoyoshi Sadamune" — a wakizashi by the Sōshū master Sadamune. Sōshū Sadamune was a master of the Southern Court period (14th century), a student of Masamune, and the pairing of "Masamune and Sadamune" occupies one of the highest peaks in Japanese sword history. The name "Monoyoshi" (Things Will Go Well) derives from the tradition that "in every battle Ieyasu fought while wearing this wakizashi, he was victorious" — giving the blade the appellation "monoyoshi" (things going well). The legend of "a sword that guarantees victory when worn" embodies a core dimension of Japanese sword culture: the sword's function as "a symbol of spiritual protection" transcending its practical utility as a weapon.

### The "Weak Ieyasu's" Growth and Swords — The Philosophy of the Sword as Protector

Dōsuru Ieyasu's protagonist is depicted not through the conventional hero narrative of "the weak becoming strong" but through the new interpretation of "surviving through wisdom and strategy while maintaining weakness." This image of Ieyasu as "wisdom of the weak" resonates with the philosophy in Japanese sword culture of "the defending sword" rather than "the attacking sword" — "fighting to protect, achieving victory through minimum necessary force." Just as Monoyoshi Sadamune is transmitted not as "a sword for winning" but as "a sword toward which victory comes of itself," Ieyasu's "relationship between sword and strategy" presents a vision of the sword as "a symbol of wisdom that attracts good fortune" rather than "domination through force." This resonates deeply with the philosophy of "katsujinken" (the life-giving sword) in Japanese swordsmanship — the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu philosophy of "the sword that kills / the sword that gives life."

### For Sword Collectors

Taiga Drama Dōsuru Ieyasu is an important work for sword collectors from four perspectives: "the history and significance of Monoyoshi Sadamune by the Sōshū master Sadamune," "the historical fact that Tokugawa Ieyasu's sword collection became the foundation of modern Japanese sword museum collections," "the decisive influence of the Edo shogunate's institutionalization of sword-bearing on Japanese sword culture," and "the philosophical difference between two types of sword culture and power shown through the contrast between Nobunaga and Ieyasu."