| Muramasa | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Sengo Muramasa |
|
Born |
Unknown, Born before 1501 |
|
Died |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Muramasa, commonly known as Sengo Muramasa, was a famous swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period (14th to 16th centuries) in Kuwana, Ise Province, Japan (current Kuwana, Mie).
In spite of their original reputation as fine blades favored by the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu and his vassals, the katana swords made by Muramasa gradually became a symbol of the anti-Tokugawa movement. Furthermore, in lore and popular culture from the 18th century, the swords have been regarded as yōtō (wicked katana).
Much like his unique reputation, Muramasa is known for some fairly unusual features in his work. These attributes are often called by terms prefixed with "Muramasa". The first particular characteristic of his is the frequent use of a wave-shaped hamon called Muramasa-ba. The other easily identifiable feature one will see on Muramasa blades is the fish-belly (tanagobara) shape of the nakago called the Muramasa-nakago.
Lores in the late Muromachi period (early 16th century–1573) stated that Muramasa I was a student of Masamune (c. 1300), the greatest swordsmith in Japan's history, and the Hon'ami family (family dynasty of swordpolishers and sword connoisseurs) commented that his floruit was the Jōji era (1362–1368).
In popular culture, Muramasa swords have been often depicted as cursed swords with demonic powers. It has also been told that once drawn, a Muramasa blade has to draw blood before it can be returned to its scabbard, even to the point of forcing its wielder to wound himself or commit suicide. Thus, it is thought of as a demonic cursed blade that creates bloodlust in those who wield it.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Muramasa from before January 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
- Katakiuchi Tenga Jaya Mura (1781)
- Kashiwazaki Monogatari (1787)
- Tokugawa Jikki (1849)
- Hachiman Matsuri Yomiya no Nigiwai (1860)
- Konoma no Hoshi Hakone no Shikabue (1880)
- A Tale of Sano Jirōzaemon (1886)
- Kago-tsurube Sato-no-Eizame (1888)