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{{Era|Weapons}}
{{Era|Weapons}}{{WP-REAL|Masamune#Musashi Masamune}}
{{Sourceless}}
The '''Musashi Masamune''' was the signature ''{{Wiki|tachi}}'' of the legendary [[Japan]]ese ''[[rōnin]]'' [[Miyamoto Musashi]] who lived in the 17th century. Musashi used it throughout the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], most famously in his record of 61 undefeated duels with other contemporary swordsmasters, earning him the honorary title of ''{{Wiki|Kensei (honorary title)|kensei}}'' (剣聖), or "sword saint".<ref name="MusashiWP">{{WP|Miyamoto Musashi}}</ref>
{{Quote|正宗の刀も使い手次第 - Even a Masamune sword needs a master swordsman|Japanese proverb}}
The '''Musashi Masamune''' was the signature [[katana]] of the legendary [[Japan]]ese ''{{wiki|ronin}}'' [[Miyamoto Musashi]] who lived in the 17th century. Appropriate to its ownership, the blade would come to be in the possession of Musashi by the dawn of the Tokugawa Regime, who used this legendary blade in his lifetime as a prodigal swordsman, from fighting in wars and civil disturbances, to his 61 lossless duels between other master warriors of his time, cementing him as his own legend to the end of his life.  


After his death, the blade passed onto the Saigo Clan who kept it as a family heirloom. By the time of the [[Boshin War]], [[Saigo Kayano]] was the owner of the blade but his incompetence in battle led him to being killed. The Masamune was later claimed by [[Matsudaira Katamori]] after [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Japanese Assassins]] [[Shiba Atsuko]] and [[Nakano Takeko]] protected it from [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templar]] [[William Lloyd]], who was tasked with stealing the blade for [[Emperor Meiji]]. During the [[Battle of Aizu]], Lloyd finally took possession of the blade, but he was later killed by Ibuka and the sword was brought back to the Assassins.<ref name="ACF">''[[Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu]]'' – {{Cite|16 Apr 2021. Chapters needed}}</ref>
==History==
After his death, the blade passed to the Saigo family, who kept it as a family heirloom. By the time of the [[Boshin War]], [[Saigo Kayano]] was the owner of the blade but his incompetence in battle led to him being killed. The Masamune was later claimed by [[Matsudaira Katamori]] after [[Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins|Japanese Assassins]] [[Shiba Atsuko]] and [[Nakano Takeko]] protected it from falling into the hand of [[British Rite of the Templar Order|British Templar]] [[William Lloyd]], who was tasked with stealing the blade for Emperor [[Mutsuhito|Meiji]]. During the [[Battle of Aizu]], Katamori brushed aside Ibuka to fight William Lloyd with the Masamune Sword after Lloyd already defeated Atsuko into unconsciousness. Despite his skill and overblown courage, Katamori was quickly decapitated in a very short lived duel with only two blows form a highly skilled warrior like Lloyd. The Masamune was later picked up by Ibuka who, being mortally wounded finally developed an immunity to the fear of death, managed to outwit and decapitate Lloyd before fleeing the area with Atsuko before passing away himself. After a week, the Assassin Matsuo retold the events of that battle to Atsuko, especially Ibuka's courage and victory over Lloyd, before judging her to be a worthy successor to Takeko before handing Atsuko the Masamune, believing she is a worthy of the sword.<ref name="ACF">''[[Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu]]'' – {{Cite|16 Apr 2021. Chapters needed}}</ref>


==Behind the Scenes==
==Behind the scenes==
The Musashi Masamune is a real life katana, given to the Kii Domain branch of the Tokugawa Shogunate at an unspecified date, and was prominently documented upon the Meiji Restoration by its ownership by Yamaoka Tesshu, the elite bodyguard of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu and pacifist civil rights advocate samurai Kaishu Katsu, and supervisor of the Shinsengumi. Unknown to how it was found, the sword itself bears all known metallurgical trademarks signature of the Late Kamakura era swordsmith Goro Nyudo Masamune, who would be known as the greatest smith of the katana in history for creating such blades of penultimate reputation that they would be the bar for future swordsmiths to aim for. Having lived through the Mongol Invasions of 1264 and 1278 in his youth, and in the era where the Kikuichimonji collaboration began, Masamune's study of smithing katana under the Kamakura Shogunate lead him to forge blades that meshed attributes of beauty as synonymous of their quality, crystalizing martensite and pearlite with higher heat for extremely tensile and enduring blades that could hold unyielding cutting edges, and the legends of his life and of the swords he wielded eventually came to blossom further reputation of his works being sacred and pure works meant to be beheld by the fair and just, from the exorcism of a demon witnessed as a child, to his contest against the wicked smith Muramasa.
The Musashi Masamune is a real life ''tachi'' given to the Tokugawa family by the clan's {{Wiki|Kishū Domain}}. When the shogunate ended in the mid-19th century under the ''{{Wiki|Bakumatsu}}'' (幕末) period, {{Wiki|Tokugawa Iesato}} gifted the blade to samurai {{Wiki|Yamaoka Tesshū}},<ref name="MasamuneWP">{{WP|Masamune}}</ref> the former bodyguard of the last shōgun [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]],<ref name="TesshuWP">{{WP|Yamaoka Tesshū}}</ref> for his role in facilitating the Boshin War's peace talks between statemen {{Wiki|Katsu Kaishū}} and {{Wiki|Saigō Takamori}}. However, Tesshū turned down the honor and passed the blade to statesman {{Wiki|Iwakura Tomomi}}.<ref name="MasamuneWP"/>


Believed to have been wielded by Miyamoto Musashi himself, this is a fanciful, if believable rumor of legend, as it is weighted out by the possibility of its namesake instead coming to be named in honor of Musashi Province, where current day Tokyo stands. Some records and other tellings state that he preferred blades made by the Mino school of swordsmithing or Soshu/Sagami stemmed schools of swords more reputed for their cutting power and durability, from Shizu Kaneuji to Kinju/Kaneshige, respectively. Even then, Musashi did not seek the life of his opponents and sought to spare them if he could, and opted for using bokken, or wooden swords for his battles. Due to his inspiring and prodigious life and ways as a kensei, or sword saint, however, it is not out of the question that Musashi did bear a Masamune, as in context of the spiritual and philosophical of bushido and samurai, that "the soul of the sword matches the soul of its user", and that Musashi may have given the Musashi Masamune as tribute to the Kii Domain, which the practice of giving powerful and famous weapons was not an uncommon one during his time.
The sword continued exchanging hands until it reached the {{Wiki|Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai}} (日本美術刀剣保存協会) foundation in 2000, where it is currently kept. Although its full history remains unknown—some stories hold that the weapon was named for {{Wiki|Musashi Province}} that contains [[Tokyo]] rather than for the swordsmaster's ownership—it bears most of the metallurgical trademarks associated with the famed [[Blacksmith|swordsmith]] {{Wiki|Masamune|Gorō Nyūdō Masamune}}. Specifically, it is most similar with blades made in his later career that show a distinct style change, transitioning from the 12th to 13th century {{Wiki|Kamakura period}} designs to those from the subsequent 14th century {{Wiki|Nanboku-chō period}}.<ref name="MasamuneWP"/>


==Appearances==
==Appearances==
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[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[Category:Swords]]
[[Category:Personal weapons]]

Latest revision as of 18:37, 28 October 2025

The Musashi Masamune was the signature tachi of the legendary Japanese rōnin Miyamoto Musashi who lived in the 17th century. Musashi used it throughout the Tokugawa shogunate, most famously in his record of 61 undefeated duels with other contemporary swordsmasters, earning him the honorary title of kensei (剣聖), or "sword saint".[1]

History[edit | edit source]

After his death, the blade passed to the Saigo family, who kept it as a family heirloom. By the time of the Boshin War, Saigo Kayano was the owner of the blade but his incompetence in battle led to him being killed. The Masamune was later claimed by Matsudaira Katamori after Japanese Assassins Shiba Atsuko and Nakano Takeko protected it from falling into the hand of British Templar William Lloyd, who was tasked with stealing the blade for Emperor Meiji. During the Battle of Aizu, Katamori brushed aside Ibuka to fight William Lloyd with the Masamune Sword after Lloyd already defeated Atsuko into unconsciousness. Despite his skill and overblown courage, Katamori was quickly decapitated in a very short lived duel with only two blows form a highly skilled warrior like Lloyd. The Masamune was later picked up by Ibuka who, being mortally wounded finally developed an immunity to the fear of death, managed to outwit and decapitate Lloyd before fleeing the area with Atsuko before passing away himself. After a week, the Assassin Matsuo retold the events of that battle to Atsuko, especially Ibuka's courage and victory over Lloyd, before judging her to be a worthy successor to Takeko before handing Atsuko the Masamune, believing she is a worthy of the sword.[2]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

The Musashi Masamune is a real life tachi given to the Tokugawa family by the clan's Kishū Domain. When the shogunate ended in the mid-19th century under the Bakumatsu (幕末) period, Tokugawa Iesato gifted the blade to samurai Yamaoka Tesshū,[3] the former bodyguard of the last shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu,[4] for his role in facilitating the Boshin War's peace talks between statemen Katsu Kaishū and Saigō Takamori. However, Tesshū turned down the honor and passed the blade to statesman Iwakura Tomomi.[3]

The sword continued exchanging hands until it reached the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai (日本美術刀剣保存協会) foundation in 2000, where it is currently kept. Although its full history remains unknown—some stories hold that the weapon was named for Musashi Province that contains Tokyo rather than for the swordsmaster's ownership—it bears most of the metallurgical trademarks associated with the famed swordsmith Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. Specifically, it is most similar with blades made in his later career that show a distinct style change, transitioning from the 12th to 13th century Kamakura period designs to those from the subsequent 14th century Nanboku-chō period.[3]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Miyamoto Musashi on Wikipedia
  2. ↑ Assassin's Creed: Fragments – The Blade of Aizu – [citation needed]
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Masamune on Wikipedia
  4. ↑ Yamaoka Tesshū on Wikipedia

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