New Arrivals — Browse our catalog for the latest authentic Japanese sword arrivals. Browse →
Famous Swords ・ Beginner
Ten questions on the fundamentals of Japanese swords: the Tenka Goken (Five Greatest Swords), the Tenka Sansaku (Three Greatest Smiths), and the museums that hold Japan's most famous blades. All choices refer to real swords, smiths, and institutions.
The Tenka Goken consists of: Mikazuki Munechika, Dojigiri Yasutsuna, Onimaru Kunitsuna, Odenta Mitsuyo, and Juzumaru Tsunetsugu. Heshikiri Hasebe is a famous National Treasure sword but is not among the Five. This classification dates to Edo-period sword catalogues such as the Shoke Meiken-shu.
Mikazuki Munechika is held at the Tokyo National Museum as a National Treasure (tachi, inscribed Sanjō). It was crafted by Heian-period smith Sanjō Munechika and takes its name from the crescent-moon-shaped markings in the hamon. It was donated to the museum in 1992.
The Tenka Sansaku are: Awataguchi Yoshimitsu (Fujirō), Masamune (Sōshū school), and Go Yoshihiro (Etchū). They are recorded in the Kyōhō Meibutsu-chō, compiled by order of the eighth shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune, as the supreme trio of swordsmiths.
Dojigiri Yasutsuna (National Treasure) is housed at the Tokyo National Museum. It was made by Heian-period smith Yasutsuna of Hōki Province and is named after the legend of slaying the demon Shuten-dōji. The Agency for Cultural Affairs purchased it in 1962 for the museum.
Heshikiri Hasebe (National Treasure, Fukuoka City Museum) is famous for Oda Nobunaga's story: he killed an impertinent tea attendant who had hidden under a shelf by pressing the blade down — hence "heshikiri" (pressed cut). It was made by Hasebe Kunishige of the Nanbokucho period.
Shokudaikiri Mitsutada is closely associated with Date Masamune and later passed to the Mito Tokugawa family. It is now an Important Cultural Property held at the Tokugawa Museum in Mito. Its name comes from the legend that Masamune cut through a candlestick while killing a retainer.
Odenta Mitsuyo (National Treasure) has been in the Maeda clan's collection since the Sengoku period and is now held by the Maeda Ikutokukai Foundation (on loan to Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art). It is said to have been presented by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to Maeda Toshiie.
Juzumaru Tsunetsugu (Important Cultural Property) is held at Honkōji Temple in Amagasaki, Hyōgo. It is known as the personal sword of Nichiren, founder of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, who is said to have wrapped prayer beads (juzu) around the hilt. It is publicly displayed only once a year, on November 3rd.
Onimaru Kunitsuna is an imperial treasure (gyobutsu) managed by the Imperial Household Agency. It is the only one of the Five Great Swords not designated as a National Treasure or Important Cultural Property, as imperial treasures are exempt from such classifications. It is attributed to Awataguchi Kunitsuna.
Ichigo Hitofuri ("Once in a Lifetime Sword") is traditionally held to be the sole tachi forged by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, one of the Tenka Sansaku. Beloved by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it is now an imperial treasure (gyobutsu). The name is attributed to Hosokawa Yūsai; the blade was re-tempered by Echizen Yasutsugu I after fire damage.