Famous Swords

The legendary blades that shaped Japanese sword history

★Tenka Goken — Five Greatest Swords

The five swords regarded as the supreme masterpieces of Japanese swordmaking

National TreasureTachi

三日月宗近

Mikazuki Munechika

Sanjō Munechika

Regarded as the foremost of the Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven, Mikazuki Munechika is considered …

National TreasureTachi

童子切安綱

Dōjigiri Yasutsuna

Ōhara Yasutsuna

One of the Five Greatest Swords, Dōjigiri Yasutsuna has been revered and feared for a millennium as …

Gyobutsu (Imperial Collection)Tachi

鬼丸国綱

Onimaru Kunitsuna

Awataguchi Kunitsuna

One of the Five Greatest Swords, Onimaru Kunitsuna served as the guardian blade of the Hōjō clan and…

National TreasureTachi

大典太光世

Ōdenta Mitsuyo

Tenta Mitsuyo

One of the Five Greatest Swords, Ōdenta Mitsuyo is distinguished by its imposing proportions and pow…

Important Cultural PropertyTachi

数珠丸恒次

Juzumaru Tsunetsugu

Aoe Tsunetsugu

One of the Five Greatest Swords, Juzumaru Tsunetsugu is famed as the sword carried by the Buddhist m…

★Tenka San Meisō — Three Great Spears

The three spears regarded as the finest in all of Japan

Important Art ObjectYari (large sasa-ho spear)

蜻蛉切

Tonbokiri

Fujiwara Masazane

Counted among Japan's Three Great Spears, Tonbokiri was the beloved weapon of Honda Tadakatsu — the …

Important Cultural PropertyYari (large-bodied spear)

日本号

Nihongō

Attributed to Fujiwara Kanemoto (debated)

One of the Three Great Spears of Japan, Nihongō is hailed as 'the finest spear in all Japan.' Origin…

Lost in fire (replicas exist)Yari (large-bodied spear)

御手杵

Otegine

Gojō Yoshisuke

One of the Three Great Spears of Japan, Otegine was commissioned by Yūki Harutomo. Its spearhead mea…

☆Other Famous Swords

Legendary blades and spears renowned throughout the land

Important Art Objects and others (individually designated)Katana / Tantō

村正

Muramasa

Sengo Muramasa (1st–3rd generation)

Known as 'yōtō' (cursed blade), 'Muramasa' refers collectively to the swords made by the Sengo Muram…

National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties (multiple works)Katana / Tantō

正宗

Masamune

Okazaki Masamune (Gorō Nyūdō Masamune)

Masamune — widely regarded as the greatest swordsmith in Japanese history — perfected the Sōshū trad…

Important Cultural Properties and Important Art Objects (multiple works)Katana

長曽祢虎徹

Nagasone Kotetsu

Nagasone Okisato (Kotetsu)

Rated among the supreme masters of the shintō era, Nagasone Kotetsu had the unusual background of be…

National TreasureTachi

大般若長光

Daihannya Nagamitsu

Osafune Nagamitsu

Considered the supreme masterpiece of Osafune Nagamitsu, founder of the Bizen Osafune school. During…

National TreasureTachi

日光一文字

Nikkō Ichimonji

Fukuoka Ichimonji school

Hailed as the supreme masterpiece of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school, this National Treasure tachi take…

National TreasureTachi

大包平

Ōkanehira

Kanehira

Called 'the yokozuna of Japanese swords' — the very highest rank — Ōkanehira is considered one of th…

Legendary blade (no confirmed extant example)Tachi

小狐丸

Kogitsune-maru

Sanjō Munechika

A legendary tachi said to have been forged by Sanjō Munechika with the divine assistance of a fox sp…

Gyobutsu (Imperial Collection)Tachi

鶴丸国永

Tsurumaru Kuninaga

Gojō Kuninaga

Forged by Gojō Kuninaga of the Heian period, Tsurumaru takes its name from the crane-circle crest (t…

Lost (believed destroyed in the Honnō-ji Incident)Tantō

薬研藤四郎

Yagen Tōshirō

Awataguchi Yoshimitsu

A tantō by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu — one of the 'Three Greatest Smiths' — and among his most celebrate…

Important Cultural PropertyWakizashi (originally a converted naginata)

骨喰藤四郎

Honebami Tōshirō

Awataguchi Yoshimitsu

A wakizashi by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, believed to have been originally forged as a naginata and late…

Gyobutsu (Imperial Collection)Tachi (kissaki-moroha-zukuri, double-edged tip)

小烏丸

Kogarasu-maru

Attributed to Amakuni

Often called the origin of the Japanese sword, Kogarasu-maru features the extraordinarily rare kissa…

Important Cultural Property (Daikaku-ji collection)Tachi

膝丸

Hizamaru

Unknown (legendary blade)

The 'brother blade' paired with Higekiri, Hizamaru was passed down as a guardian sword of the Minamo…

Important Cultural PropertyTachi

獅子王

Shishiō

Unknown (attributed to Yamato tradition)

A famed tachi said to have been bestowed upon Minamoto no Yorimasa by Emperor Konoe as a reward for …

Important Cultural Property (Kitano Tenmangū collection)Tachi

髭切

Higekiri

Unknown (legendary blade)

The 'elder brother' of the paired Genji clan treasure swords, complementing Hizamaru. Named 'Higekir…

Gyobutsu (Imperial Collection)Tachi

一期一振

Ichigo Hitofuri

Awataguchi Yoshimitsu

Named 'Ichigo Hitofuri' (Once in a Lifetime) because it is the only tachi ever forged by Awataguchi …

Important Cultural Properties and others (individually designated)Katana

和泉守兼定

Izuminokami Kanesada

Kanesada (2nd generation 'Nosada' / 11th generation)

Izuminokami Kanesada refers to the lineage of famed smiths named Kanesada from Seki in Mino Province…

Not designated (private collection)Katana

加州清光

Kashū Kiyomitsu

Kashū Kiyomitsu (6th generation and others)

Kashū Kiyomitsu refers to the generations of smiths named Kiyomitsu from Kaga Province (present-day …

Important Art ObjectKatana

歌仙兼定

Kasen Kanesada

Kanesada (2nd generation, 'Nosada')

A celebrated blade wielded by Hosokawa Tadaoki (Sansai), forged by the second-generation Kanesada ('…

Various designationsKatana

同田貫正国

Dōtanuki Masakuni

Dōtanuki Masakuni (Higo Dōtanuki school)

Dōtanuki Masakuni represents the Dōtanuki school of Higo Province (present-day Kumamoto Prefecture).…

Not designated (private collection)Uchigatana

大倶利伽羅

Ōkurikara

Hiromitsu

Forged by Hiromitsu, a master of the Sōshū tradition, this blade bears a kurikara dragon carving (de…