Author Searching For Missing Swords.

[Author]

Hello,

 

Sorry to drop in on your forum, please feel free to ignore the post/delete it if it is intrusive. My name is Taran Matharu and I am a NTY bestselling author researching my next book series. I am currently searching for the names of famous Japanese swords that have gone missing, or their locations are currently unknown. 

 

Currently I have a list of three (+ one spear) and I am hoping that someone with the right knowledge and expertise might point me in the right direction to finding the names of others. If anything springs to mind, I would truly appreciate your help.

 

• 1185 - The Kusanagi Sword

• 1945 - The Honjo Masamune (chipped in a few places) and 14 other samurai swords along with it.

• 1945 - Otegine, one of three legendary spears of Japan

• 1946 - Nobeoka Mitsutada samurai sword.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Taran

[Stephen]

Heard one was buried with Jimmy Hoffa,,,and think the Honjo is being shared by Elvis and Tupac  in their remote Mt. retreat. 

the rest are just rumors from after the war and really hold no validly 

[Author]

Heard one was buried with Jimmy Hoffa,,,and think the Honjo is being shared by Elvis and Tupac  in their remote Mt. retreat. 

the rest are just rumors from after the war and really hold no validly 

 

Haha. Rumours work for me, if you know of any others.

[lonely panet]

If any knows were they are they will under no conditions of torture will they tell someone they have never meet, or there mother for that fact

[Ray Singer]

Taran, see below.

 

http://www.sydneytokenkai.com/new-page-10.htm

 

Best regards,

Ray

[SteveM]

Japanese wikipedia is telling me that Otegine was located in one of the Matsudaira family's storage vaults in Ōkubo (Tokyo), when it was destroyed during one of the US fire raids on Tokyo in 1945.

They took the molten lump of metal to Hon'ami Kōson to see if it could be restored, but there was nothing to be done.

 

 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%A1%E6%89%8B%E6%9D%B5

[Brian]

Taran,

Let me clarify something. Are you searching for the actual swords that are missing (in which case you will have to bear with a certain amount of ribbing, since some have spent their lives looking for them) or are you looking for names and descriptions of swords that are still missing? (In which case, I am sure we can help you out plenty)

 

Brian

[Author]

Taran,

Tet me clarify something. Are you searching for the actual swords that are missing (in which case you will have to bear with a certain amount of ribbing, since some have spent their lives looking for them) or are you looking for names and descriptions of swords that are still missing? (In which case, I am sure we can help you out plenty)

 

Brian

Hi Brian,

 

My apologies, just the names and descriptions. 

 

All the best,

 

Taran

[Author]

Japanese wikipedia is telling me that Otegine was located in one of the Matsudaira family's storage vaults in Ōkubo (Tokyo), when it was destroyed during one of the US fire raids on Tokyo in 1945.

They took the molten lump of metal to Hon'ami Kōson to see if it could be restored, but there was nothing to be done.

 

 https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BE%A1%E6%89%8B%E6%9D%B5

Hi Steve, thanks for this update, originally I had thought the spear was unidentifiable and thus I could use it, but if its remains were identified then I cannot, so will remove it from my list. Thanks for this!

[Author]

Taran, see below.

 

http://www.sydneytokenkai.com/new-page-10.htm

 

Best regards,

Ray

Ray, thank you so much, this is extremely useful!

[Brian]

Ah, yes. A list of the missing swords is far more do-able than finding the swords.

I think Ray's link will give you most of the info. The articles by Albert Yamanaka also list them.

 

Not sure how comprehensive this list is..

 

1) Ô-tantô signed Sôshû ju Akihiro- Jûyô Bijûtsû

2) Mumei katana attributed to Aoe- Jûyô Bijûtsû

3) Tachi is signed Bishû Osafune Iesuke

4) A Tachi signed Bishû Osafune Kanemitsu- Jûyô Bijûtsû

5) A tachi signed Rai Kunimitsu- Jûyô Bijûtsû

6) The formerly missing Kokuhô Kunimune

7) Tachi signed Kamakura ju Toroku Sakon Kunitsuna- Jûyô Bijûtsû

8 ) A katana signed Kuniyasu- Jûyô Bijûtsû

9) Tachi signed Sôshû Ju Masahiro- Jûyô Bijûtsû

10) The Missing Kokuhô Honjo Masamune- Kokuho

11) Tachi Aoe Masatsune, a Kokuhô

12) Mumei naginata attributed to Osafune Mitsutada- Jûyô Bijûtsû

13) A tachi signed Motoshige- Jûyô Bijûtsû

14) A Tachi signed Nagamitsu- Jûyô Bijûtsû

15) Tachi signed Narimune- Jûyô Bijûtsû

16) A kô-Dachi signed Norifusa- Jûyô Bijûtsû

17) Mumei naginata attributed to Ichimonji Norifusa- Jûyô Bijûtsû , and two others

18) A tachi signed Sagami no kuni Jyûnin Sa- Jûyô Bijûtsû

19) A katana signed Bizen no kuni ju Osafune Yozozaemon no Jo Sukesada saku- Jûyô Bijûtsû

20) tachi in archaic Phoenix Head mounts (birds head tachi) Kokuho

21) A second similar Phoenix Head tachi was also taken from the Niu Shrine of Kawahara Mura, Naka Gun, Wakayama Prefecture

22) Mumei naginata, the Jûyô Bijûtsû set says attributed to Sukeyoshi, and Yamanaka says attributed to Sukemura - Jûyô Bijûtsû

23) Katana signed Hizen no Kuni Jyunin Tadayoshi- Jûyô Bijûtsû

24) The Missing tachi by Tametoshi- Jûyô Bijûtsû

25) A tachi signed Tomomura- Jûyô Bijûtsû

26) The Missing Jûyô Bunkasai set of 10 matching Umetada yari

27) A Tachi signed Unjô- Jûyô Bijûtsû

28) Tachi signed Hakushû Yasuie- Jûyô Bijûtsû

[Jussi Ekholm]

Yamanaka Newsletters Book 3/4 has 14 missing Kokuhō and 25 missing Jūyō-bijutsuhin on pages 239 - 252. (EDIT just finished reading the great article by Jim Kurrasch and he has also oshigata and pics of the missing JB and cross referenced them to Yamanaka)

[Ray Singer]

I am not certain how many of those swords have been located since the list was written. At least one, the Akihiro, was found a couple of years ago and has been written about in this discussion forum (findable under the keyword Akihiro). It may be the only one.

 

Separately, perhaps the finest and most important missing swords and one not included in that list is the missing National Treasure named Hotarumaru (蛍丸), an ubu odachi by Rai Kunitoshi. Unlike the Honjo Masamune, which was judged to be a less-than-spectacular sword by the scholars who studied it prior to becoming lost, the Hotarumaru was considered one of the best of the Kokuho. It disappeared from Aso-jinja (Aso shrine) along with the Botazukuri koshigatana. Considering the legends surrounding the Hotarumaru, and that fact that it was a masterpiece among masterpieces, it would get my vote for the most interesting sword to base a book on.

[Mark]

a person i know found #25 a long time back

http://www.sydneytokenkai.com/25.htm

[Author]

Yamanaka Newsletters Book 3/4 has 14 missing Kokuhō and 25 missing Jūyō-bijutsuhin on pages 239 - 252. (EDIT just finished reading the great article by Jim Kurrasch and he has also oshigata and pics of the missing JB and cross referenced them to Yamanaka)

Hi Jussi,

 

Are those available online at all? They would be very useful!

[Author]

I am not certain how many of those swords have been located since the list was written. At least one, the Akihiro, was found a couple of years ago and has been written about in this discussion forum (findable under the keyword Akihiro). It may be the only one.

 

Separately, perhaps the finest and most important missing swords and one not included in that list is the missing National Treasure named Hotarumaru (蛍丸), an ubu odachi by Rai Kunitoshi. Unlike the Honjo Masamune, which was judged to be a less-than-spectacular sword by the scholars who studied it prior to becoming lost, the Hotarumaru was considered one of the best of the Kokuho. It disappeared from Aso-jinja (Aso shrine) along with the Botazukuri koshigatana. Considering the legends surrounding the Hotarumaru, and that fact that it was a masterpiece among masterpieces, it would get my vote for the most interesting sword to base a book on.

 

 

Hi Raymond, 

 

This is exactly what I was looking for! Fantastic, the firefly sword will now be in the book :-). Thank you so much! I can't find anything on the Botazukuri koshigatana, do you have any more info on it? Thanks again for all your help.

 

All the best,

 

Taran

[Ray Singer]

Hi Taran,

 

My understanding is that the Botanzukuri is more important for the koshirae than the blade, as it is an intact Nambokucho period mounting. I would recommend the Yamanaka newsletters as a good reference which includes information on both the Botanzukuri Koshigatana and the Hotarumaru.

 

Best regards,

Ray

[Author]

Hi Taran,

 

My understanding is that the Botanzukuri is more important for the koshirae than the blade, as it is an intact Nambokucho period mounting. I would recommend the Yamanaka newsletters as a good reference which includes information on both the Botanzukuri Koshigatana and the Hotarumaru.

 

Best regards,

Ray

Hi Ray,

 

Thanks, I shall investigate!

 

All the best,

 

Taran