今川義元

Imagawa Yoshimoto, lord of Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Mikawa provinces, was celebrated as 'the finest bowman on the Tōkaidō road.' Born in 1519, he fused the courtly culture of Kyoto with Sengoku martial power, creating the most refined cultural court in eastern Japan. He patronized poetry, calligraphy, the tea ceremony, and — above all — fine swords. His most prized blade was the Sōza Samonji (later known as the Yoshimoto Samonji), a masterwork by the Chikuzen smith Samonji, which he wore into battle and which was taken as a trophy by Oda Nobunaga after the surprise attack at the Battle of Okehazama in 1560. Yoshimoto died that day at age forty-two, struck down by Mōri Shinsuke in the chaos of a thunderstorm — one of the most dramatic reversals in samurai history. His sword passed through Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu, making it one of the most storied blades in Japanese history.