日本号
Nihongō
別名: The Greatest Spear in Japan
解說
One of the Three Great Spears of Japan, Nihongō is hailed as 'the finest spear in all Japan.' Originally an Imperial treasure, it was bestowed upon Ashikaga Yoshiaki by Emperor Ōgimachi and subsequently passed to Oda Nobunaga and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Its spearhead, approximately 79 cm long, bears exquisite carvings of a kurikara dragon and Sanskrit characters. It is best known for the colorful tale in which Kuroda retainer Mori Tahyōe won the spear from Fukushima Masanori by draining an enormous sake cup in a drinking wager. It has since been treasured by the Kuroda clan in Fukuoka.
逸話與傳說
Fukushima Masanori, a senior retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was a notorious drinker who delighted in forcing guests to drain enormous sake cups. When Mori Tahyōe arrived as an envoy from Kuroda Nagamasa, Masanori pressed the great cup upon him. Tahyōe had been ordered by his lord to abstain, but when Masanori taunted 'Drain it and I'll give you anything you desire,' Tahyōe downed three great cups and demanded the prized Nihongō. Bound by his word, Masanori had no choice but to surrender the spear in tears. This rousing tale lives on in the folk song 'Kuroda-bushi,' still beloved in Fukuoka today.