Theme?

[Ken-Hawaii]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Edo-period-Japan-antique-Dragon-Nagasaki-school-Tsuba-Box-vintage-katana-yoroi/323765503041

 

I'm sure there's a theme here, but have no idea what it might be.

[Ian]

Yamata no Orochi I think

[Tanto54]

Hey, I’m back from my trip, and I agree with Ian about the motif. The story depicted is Susano-o defeating the eight headed dragon/serpent Yamata-no-Orochi and relates how the most important Japanese Sword (Kusanagi-no-tsurugi - one of the three great Imperial Treasures of Japan) was discovered.

Susano-o (also known as Kumano Ketsumiko no Kami) was a demigod who had been cast out and was traveling in Izumo, Japan. He came upon an crying elderly couple with a beautiful daughter. They explained that every year for the previous eight years they had been forced to sacrifice one of their daughters to the huge eight headed dragon/serpent monster (Yamata-no-Orochi), and now they were going to have to sacrifice their final daughter Kushinada-hime to the monster. Susano-o thought she was hot so he struck a deal with her parents that if he would slay the monster, then they would let him marry Kushinada-hime.

Susano-o started by turning Kushinada-hima into a comb and putting her in his hair to protect her and keep her out of the way (nice trick - wish I could get my wife out of my hair that easily….) Then he told the old couple to brew some really strong sake because, as everyone knows, dragon/serpent monsters love sake. Once it was done, he put it in eight huge jars on pedestals in the water. Then they all hid and waited.

As soon as Yamata-no-Orochi (the monster) appeared each of his eight heads started guzzling sake. Soon the monster was drunk and our hero, Susano-o crept out and cut off each of the monster’s heads and tails (he also had eight tails).

While cutting off one of the monster’s tails, Susano-o’s sword broke on something very hard inside the dragon/serpent’s tail. When he opened up the tail, Susano-o found the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (The Great Sword Kusanagi). He gave the sword to his sister Amaterasu (because that’s what heroes do when they find the most bad-assed sword ever - right???) and it eventually became one of the three great Imperial Treasures of Japan (along with the mirror and the jewel - but you already knew that didn’t you?) This is one of the reasons that Goto and other dragons have a ken (sword) on their tail (you often see this on menuki).

Susano-o settled in Izumo with his new hot wife Kushinada-hima. My wife and I visited there last year and saw some of the places and temples mentioned in this legend. It was a fantastic trip. Still waiting on an invitation to see Kusanagi-no-tsurugi….

By the way, Susano-o (our hero) was born from the snot when the great god Izanagi blew his nose (I’ve been looking for that on a tsuba for more than 40 years….)

[Ken-Hawaii]

A wealth of information! Thanks!  :beer:

[Vermithrax16]

Hey, I’m back from my trip, and I agree with Ian about the motif.  The story depicted is Susano-o defeating the eight headed dragon/serpent Yamata-no-Orochi and relates how the most important Japanese Sword (Kusanagi-no-tsurugi - one of the three great Imperial Treasures of Japan) was discovered.  

 

Susano-o (also know as Kumano Ketsumiko no Kami) was a demigod who had been cast out and was traveling in Izumo, Japan.  He came upon an crying elderly couple with a beautiful daughter.  They explained that every year for the previous eight years they had been forced to sacrifice one of their daughters to the huge eight headed dragon/serpent monster (Yamata-no-Orochi), and now they were going to have to sacrifice their final daughter Kushinada-hime to the monster.  Susano-o thought she was hot so he stuck a deal with her parents that if he would slay the monster, then they would let him marry Kushinada-hime.

 

Susano-o started by turning Kushinada-hima into a comb and putting her in his hair to protect her and keep her out of the way (nice trick - wish I could get my wife out of my hair that easily….)  Then he told the old couple to brew some really strong sake because, as everyone knows, dragon/serpent monsters love sake.  Once it was done, he put it in eight huge jars on pedestals in the water.  Then they all hid and waited.

 

As soon as Yamata-no-Orochi (the monster) appeared each of his eight heads started guzzling sake.  Soon the monster was drunk and our hero, Susano-o crept out and cut off each of the monster’s heads and tails (he also had eight tails).

 

While cutting off one of the monster’s tails, Susano-o’s sword broke on something very hard inside the dragon/serpent’s tail.  When he opened up the tail, Susano-o found the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (The Great Sword Kusanagi).  He gave the sword to his sister Amaterasu (because that’s what heroes do when they find the most bad-assed sword ever - right???) and it eventually became one of the three great Imperial Treasures of Japan (along with the mirror and the jewel - but you already knew that didn’t you?)  This is one of the reasons that Goto and other dragons have a ken (sword) on their tail (you often see this on menuki).

 

Susano-o settled in Izumo with his new hot wife Kushinada-hima.  My wife and I visited there last year and saw some of the places and temples mentioned in this legend.  It was a fantastic trip.  Still waiting on an invitation to see Kusanagi-no-tsurugi….

 

By the way, Susano-o (our hero) was born from the snot when the great god Izanagi blew his nose (I’ve been looking for that on a tsuba for more then 40 years….)

 

Susano-o.jpg

Cool story!