[Part 1] Who is the Oshu "Maikusa Blacksmith"? Explaining the influence they had on the development of Japanese swords!

Introduction

Japanese swords have always pursued superior functionality, such as not breaking, not bending, and cutting well

As the world's most advanced forging technology, it continues to captivate many people not only for its martial arts skills but also for its beauty

The Japanese sword itself refers to a single-edged, curved sword that appeared towards the end of the Heian period, and these are made by specialized craftsmen called "swordsmiths," "sword artisans," or "swordsmiths."

Forging, the process of hammering heated iron to form it, requires a special technique that combines boldness and delicacy, as well as a high level of craftsmanship that requires chemical knowledge of how to handle iron

Speaking of swordsmiths, one of the oldest groups of swordsmiths was located in the Tohoku region

which is believed to have been based in the area around present-day Ichinoseki and Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecturethe "Mokusa school,".

In fact, it is believed to have had a major influence on the development of Japanese swords from their birth, and many excellent examples of these swords are featured in ancient documents

On the other hand, the oldest surviving Maikusa sword was made in the late Kamakura period, and details about the early swords made by the Maikusa school are unknown, making it one of the historical mysteries

In this article, we will take a look at the mysterious Maikusa school of swordsmiths from Tohoku

What is Maikusa School?

First, let's take a look at what kind of swordsmith group the Maikusa school was and what we currently know about it

The name "Maikusa" appears in the oldest sword book

The oldest known book on swords is"Meijin,". Although the original has not been found, several later copies have survived, and the name of the Maikusa school is recorded in them.

The most famous copy is the Kanchiin version, dated 1423 during the Muromachi period, and an even older copy, the Ryuzoji version, dated 1351 (Northern Court era; Shohei 6 in the Southern Court era), has been discovered, but this article will refer to the description of the former Kanchiin version

According to this, 42 swordsmiths are particularly noted as "skilled from the Age of the Gods to the present day," and it is noteworthy that eight of them are Oshu blacksmiths, that is, swordsmiths of the Maikusa school

Specific swordsmith names include:

• Mt. Gassan
• Recitation
• Houji (Hoju)
• Toshiyasu
• Morifusa
• Moufusa
• Masayasu
• Onimaru

It is no exaggeration to say that the name "Gassan" in particular is one of the most famous names even today

Tsukiyama Oyasu Kunimune, Muromachi period, Eisho 18 (1521) Source:ColBase (National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Integrated Search System)

Southern Iwate Prefecture has been a source of high-quality iron since ancient times

The region where the Maikusa school was active has been known since ancient times for its availability of high-quality iron raw materials, and it"warabite-to."is believed that before the invention of the Japanese sword, the Emishi people wielded a distinctive iron sword called the

The Warabite sword gradually acquired a curved blade and openwork on the handle, and this is now thought to be the form that led to the "curved sword" of Japanese swords, a long-standing mystery

The Maikusa school is thought to be a group of swordsmiths that descends from the Warabite sword, and this was greatly influenced by the long-running conflict between the Emishi and Yamato in the Tohoku region known as the "Thirty-eight Years' War."

worn by military officers of the "Efu" (Imperial Guard) who were responsible for guarding the imperial court"Efu no Tachi" (Efu's swords),can be found in the form of

Many samurai preferred to use Oshu swords, and it can be said that the Maikusa school, which originated in Tohoku, played a fundamental role in the birth and spread of Japanese swords

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

The missing link in the birth of the Japanese sword? What is the "Warabito" wielded by the Emishi? [Part 1]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/44354

First, the "Emishi," a people primarily from the ancient Tohoku region, lived under a different order from the Yamato royal authority. They excelled in horseback archery and were brave, and were revered, said to have the strength of a hundred soldiers. This can be inferred from the fact that they were used in Yamato names such as "Soga no Emishi" and "Saeki no Imae-hito." However, in order to expand its territory, Yamato had been conducting military operations since ancient times to bring the Emishi under its influence. Large-scale conflicts, particularly from the late Nara period to the early Heian period...

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The oldest example of a Maikusa sword and a treasured sword of the Genji clan

It is no exaggeration to say that the Maikusa sword is one of the roots of the Japanese sword, and the oldest surviving example is held at the Ichinoseki City Museum in Ichinoseki City, Iwate Prefecture

"Tachi, inscribed 'Maigusa'," exudes a simple yet magnificent elegance, and is characterized by the "hammered finish" treatment of the tang (nakago), the core part that fits into the handle.

Tsuchi means hammer, and since swords are shaped by hammering, the marks left by the hammering give them the appearance of a katana

Unfortunately, no older Maikusa swords have been found, but the presence of this sword, with the two-character inscription "Maikusa" carved into the tang, can be said to be in a class of its own

The relationship between Maikusa swords and the samurai masters, the Minamoto clan

Another point worth mentioning is the relationship between Maikusa swords and the head of the samurai clan, the Minamoto clan

treasured swords passed down through the Minamoto clan"Higekiri"is famous. According to the "Sword Chapter" of the Tale of the Heike, it is said to be one of the swords that Minamoto no Mitsunaka, considered the founder of the Minamoto clan, had forged by a Chinese craftsman living in Chikuzen.

The other sword"Hizamaru,"is a tachi called

The name "Higekiri" is said to have come from the fact that Minamoto no Yoshiie wielded this sword during the Battle of Oshu (the Nine Years' War) in the early 11th century, when he struck the heads of 1,000 prisoners, even cutting their beards in half

In the Tale of the Heike, Higekiri is said to have been made by a craftsman from the Tang Dynasty, but in the Tale of the Heiji, which is also a military tale,

The work was by a blacksmith named Bunju, who lived in Oshu

It is written:

Furthermore, in the section on the Taiho era in "Meijin (Kanchiin version),"

Bunju, a resident of Mutsu Province, made a sword called Kenshichudaihi□ki□

It is acknowledged that there is

"Mutsu Province" refers to "Mutsu," or Oshu, and "Kenshichudai" refers to the "repeated generations of the Genji clan," so it can be assumed that "Hi□ki□" probably refers to "Hikekiri (Hikekiri)."

And this"Bunju"who is listed in the same book as a master craftsman of Oshu"Hoju,"refers to the swordsmith who is said to be the father of

Oshu Hoju (a type of lacquerware), Kamakura period, 13th century. Source:ColBase (National Institutes for Cultural Heritage Integrated Search System).

Therefore, it is noteworthy that the story contains the legend that the Genji's treasured sword was made by a blacksmith of the Maikusa school

In connection with this, the section "Sword-making and blacksmithing differs before and after" in the "Meijin" also states that the maker of Higekiri"Fushu." He is also one of the master craftsmen listed in the same book, and the scholar of Japanese literature, Junko Watase, has proposed that "Fushu" and "Monju" are the same person based on the sound and spelling.

On the other hand, some have pointed out that the Emishi who came under the control of Yamato were called "prisoners of war," and that this may be related to the meaning of the word, but this is not clear

It is important to note that Meijin introduces swordsmiths by era and that different traditions are mixed together in each era, but in any case, it is clear that Oshu swords had a special position among the samurai of the time, especially the Minamoto clan, who held a central position

The sharpness of the Maikusa sword as seen in sword books and stories

We have seen that Maikusa swords, or Oshu swords, were favored by samurai including the Minamoto clan, but why did they enjoy such popularity?

The simplest and most fundamental reason for this is probably its sharp cutting edge

In this case, the sharpness naturally refers to the weapon's performance based on its toughness, and it can be imagined that combining high cutting power with durability was an urgent need during the fierce battles of the day

As mentioned above, there is another legend that says that a swordsmith of the Maikusa school named "Fushu" was the creator of the Genji's treasured sword, Higekiri, but here we will introduce an interesting description of the making of this sword

The following is recorded in "Kaji Myoji Ko," a sword book from the late Muromachi period with a colophon dated 1452:

The author of the sword called Kogarasu of the Taira clan is this small crow, which is held in the Hokke-do shrine of Kamakura. He is also said to be the author of the sword called Kiri-i, which is said to cut down the warriors, so it is called "Kirisuhe." He is also said to be the author of the Hike-giri swords of the successive generations of the Genji clan, Shirasuto, but in fact it is a work of fiction

Roughly translated,

"He is the creator of the Taira sword Kogarasu. Kogarasu is kept in the Hokkedo shrine in Kamakura. He is also said to have made a sword called "Kirii," so named because it was used to cut down armored warriors. The creator of Higekiri, a treasured sword passed down through the generations of the Genji clan, is unknown, but it is said to have been made by Fujoshi."

The story is about the sharpness of the Maikusa sword and recitation

Here,"Kirisue" (meaning "cutting and fixing")it is said that the sword made by Fujō was given the name

This episode shows the incredible sharpness of the chant, but in reality, is it possible to cut through an armored warrior through his armor?

This issue has been frequently discussed among samurai since ancient times, and it appears to have been discussed as an important issue in warfare

In conclusion, there have been successful examples in history of so-called "kabuto-wari" (splitting helmets), so it is likely that it is not impossible depending on the performance difference between the sword and armor and the cutting method

As a result, the sword became stronger and sharper, and the armor became more durable, and they developed in a way that mutually enhanced each other

Of course, it is not difficult to imagine that there were various conditions at the time, such as the poor rigidity of the iron material used in the armor

However, since there would have been a desire for a sword with a sharpness that could nullify defenses, it is not surprising that such phenomena have been passed down as legends

Incidentally, when the Taira clan's treasured sword, Kogarasumaru, was investigated by Honami Koetsu in the early Edo period, it is said to have had the inscription "Amakuni" (Heaven), a legendary name given to an early swordsmith, but the existing example is uninscribed

Furthermore, the characteristic structure of the Kogarasumaru, where the blade becomes double-edged from the middle to the tip, is called "double-edged blade" and is also called "Koi-garasu" after the name of this sword.It is striking that among the Warabite swords, which are the origin of the Maikusa sword, there are swords with double-edged blades like other ancient swords

The sharpness of the Maikusa sword, which also appears in the military tale "Gikeiki"

Furthermore,"Yoshitsune-ki,"in the sixth volume of"The Last Moments of Tadanobu,"there is a scene that describes the sharpness of the Maikusa sword.

This is the scene where Yoshitsune's chief retainer, Sato Tadanobu, acts as a decoy to allow his lord to escape, and although the details differ from historical fact, the sword used in his final suicide is a maikusa sword

The following is an excerpt from the relevant section of the Gikeiki

What a pitiful sword, made to order by Maifusa, and with the words "make it well, make it well," it has the effect of being very effective

The "Maibō" mentioned here is"Maikusa Takebō"believed to refer to"Moribō"and"Mōfusa,"which brings to mind other names with a similar sound, such as

Tadanobu's lines reveal that he praises the sword, which was carefully custom-made by a swordsmith in Maikusa, for its sharpness, which means that he feels almost no resistance when committing seppuku

Although the dates of Maifusa and Tadanobu do not match, it is quite possible that swordsmiths who inherited the name continued for several generations

The Gikeiki is thought to have been written sometime between the Northern and Southern Courts period and the early Muromachi period, but even in that period, the Maikusa sword was recognized as an extremely renowned work of art, as it praises its sharpness as far back as the time of the Genpei War

List of articles about the oldest swordsmith group in Oshu, "Maikusa Blacksmiths"

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Part 1] Who is the Oshu "Maikusa Blacksmith"? Explaining the influence they had on the development of Japanese swords!

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/45399

Japanese swords have always pursued superior functionality, being unbreakable, unbendable, and cutting well. As the pinnacle of world-class forging techniques, they continue to captivate many people not only for their martial arts skills but also for their beauty. Japanese swords are single-edged, curved blades that appeared around the end of the Heian period, and are crafted by specialized craftsmen known as "swordsmiths," "swordworkers," or "swordsmiths." Forging, or hammering heated iron to form a shape, requires a special technique that combines boldness and delicacy, as well as a deep understanding of the chemistry of working with iron, making them highly skilled artisans. Such...

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Part 2] Who is the Oshu "Maikusa Blacksmith"? Explaining the influence they had on the development of Japanese swords!

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/45401

We've seen how Maikusa swordsmiths and Oshu swords gained high acclaim and credibility throughout the country, but in fact, swordsmiths did not continue to work in the Maikusa region, which is considered their base. This is thought to be related to the Oshu War of 1189 (Bun'ei 5), in which the powerful Oshu Fujiwara clan in the Tohoku region was wiped out by Minamoto no Yoritomo. It is believed that around the time of the founding of the Kamakura Shogunate, skilled Oshu blacksmiths, such as those from the Maikusa school, were poached to the central government and sword-producing regions throughout the country. For example, the samurai government that emerged in Kamakura sought the services of skilled local swordsmiths...

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Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

[Part 2] Who is the Oshu "Maikusa Blacksmith"? Explaining the influence they had on the development of Japanese swords!

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/45403

Why did Maikusa swords have such sharp edges? Are old swords a lost technology that cannot be replicated? We've looked at the legends surrounding the Maikusa sword's superior sharpness, but how did it come to have such high cutting power? To explain, we must first discuss the historical classification of swords known as "old swords" and "upper-class old swords." "Old swords" refer to swords forged from the early Kamakura period to the end of the 16th century, while swords made before that are called "upper-class old swords." A distinctive feature of old sword construction is that the blade is often formed by kneading soft and hard iron together, while soft iron is often used...

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Koroku Taito( History writer and novelist )

to Enjoying Life.
" - Honorable Mention for "The Land of Star Readings" at the 3rd Misato Western Treasury Literary Awards.
A Visual Guide
competition. - "Swordsman's Communications" at the 9th Historical and Period Novel Grand Prizes, "Exhilarating! Entertainment Swordsman Award" (book publication project in progress).
- 5th Dan in Iaido, 4th Dan in Jodo.

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