にっかり青江

Nikkari Aoe is a wakizashi (short sword) forged by a smith of the Aoe school of Bichū Province (present-day western Okayama), dating to the late Heian or early Kamakura period. Its unusual name — 'nikkari' means 'grinning' or 'smirking' — derives from a famous legend in which a swordsman used this blade to cut down a grinning female ghost who appeared before him in the night. The blade is renowned for the characteristic 'midare utsuri' (reflected patterns in the steel) of the Aoe school, which creates a distinctive, misty glow in the body of the blade. Designated an Important Cultural Property, it was owned by the Kyōgoku clan (lords of Ōmi Province) and passed to the Kyōgoku domain of Marugame in Shikoku, where it remains today at the Marugame City Museum. In Touken Ranbu, Nikkari Aoe is depicted as a gracefully smiling figure whose composed exterior belies a sword that has literally cut through the supernatural — a character whose quiet elegance and mysterious legend have made it one of the game's most beloved swords.