Few Japanese swords are as legendary as the Honjo Masamune. This blade can captivate the imagination like no other. After all, it’s the product of Japan’s greatest sword-maker. You cannot expect anything less. Its impeccable craftsmanship is undeniable, and its physical beauty is beyond belief. Couple that with the Honjo Masamune’s storied history, from battle triumphs to mysteries and an aura of the unknown, and you have a Japanese sword worthy of telling for many more millennia.
Knowing the Honjo Masamune is knowing the story of feudal Japan, including its art, philosophy, and the Samurai way of life. Unfortunately, despite its legendary fame, the Honjo Masamune’s current whereabouts remain a tantalizing mystery. That fuels its mythic status.
Let’s dive deep into the origins, characteristics, notable owners, and enduring legacy of Japan’s most legendary sword of mystery and mastery.
Who Created the Honjo Masamune?
Gyoro Nyudo Masamune’s portrait on Wikimedia.
Of the over 12,000 sword-makers (only about 180 registered Japanese swordsmiths today) that have existed throughout Japan’s history, only a handful can be rightfully called legendary. Of the few legendary swordsmiths, Gyoro Nyudo Masamune sits at the pinnacle.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the Nihon Bijutsu Token Hozon Kyokai recognizes truly gifted modern swordsmiths with the Masamune Award, underscoring their unparalleled skill and understanding of traditional Japanese swordsmithing.
Masamune lived at a time when the Samurai class was gaining more power during the Kamakura Period between 1185 and 1333. Because Samurai warriors needed reliable swords, Japanese swordsmithing craftsmanship also flourished. One of them was Gyoro Nyudo Masamune who created Honjo Masamune. This blade is one of many that the great swordsmith created in his lifetime.
All “Masamune blades” were unquestionably durable, elegantly beautiful, and were of the highest possible quality. Masamune’s blades, including the Honjo Masamune, were celebrated for their delicate balance between resilience and sharpness. This attribute makes Masamune blades sought after by the shogun, daimyos, warriors, and collectors.
Masamune was centuries ahead of his time, introducing innovative techniques to forge tamahagane steel and create a blade with a flexible spine (or back edge) and an ultra-hard and razor-sharp cutting edge. We call it differential tempering, producing the beautiful temper line or hamon we have come to associate with Samurai swords, especially the katana.
Scholars and sword experts agree that the Honjo Masamune is Gyoro Nyudo Masamune’s “magnum opus.” There’s no questioning the blade’s quality craftsmanship, functionality, and beauty. However, its role in shaping Japan’s history underscores the Honjo Masamune’s cultural and historical importance.
Characteristics of the Honjo Masamune
The Kanze Masamune katana at the Tokyo National Museum by Kakidai on Wikimedia.
It’s one thing to say the Honjo Masamune is a beautiful sword, especially since no one knows its current whereabouts. However, historical records documented a few characteristics of Masamune’s “magnum opus” so future generations (like us) can appreciate the sword’s significance.
Structural and Visual Features
Unlike the Musashi Masamune tachi and the Hocho Masamune tanto, the Honjo Masamune was a katana. Hence, it’s shorter than the Musashi but longer than the Hocho. Like all katana, the Honjo Masamune had a curved, single-cutting edge and would have measured between 23.62 and 31.5 inches long (blade only).
Although we can assume its hamon wasn’t as ornate as Edo Period katanas, the Honjo Masamune would still feature intricately patterned temper lines. After all, Masamune is revered for his exceptional precision as artistry, which was well ahead of other swordsmiths at the time.
A hamon pattern on a Japanese blade by Giube on Wikimedia.
Before its mysterious disappearance during the American occupation post-World War II, people who had seen the Honjo Masamune described its blade as having a mirror-like finish. This attribute accentuates the blade’s hamon and other surface details, making the Honjo Masamune a beautiful object to behold.
Knowing Masamune’s swordsmithing prowess, the Honjo Masamune would have exceptional balance to give it exceptional strength and agility in combat.
Symbolic Significance
The Honjo Masamune isn’t only a Samurai’s dependable tool in combat. It’s a work of art and a status symbol. The government elevated its classification as a Kokuho (Japanese National Treasure) in 1939.
Its ownership signified authority and power from Umanosuke and General Honjo Shigenaga to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Tokugawa Iemasa. Masamune’s creation figured prominently during the Tokugawa Era, changing hands several times and solidifying its place as a historical and cultural treasure.
History of the Honjo Masamune
Knowing Honjo Masamune’s story is like learning Japan’s colorful history. It should provide a valid argument and a solid basis for considering this Japanese sword as the greatest.
Origins and early history
A battle during the Sengoku Period by Shinsho Gokuraku-ji Temple on Wikimedia.
Nobody knows when Masamune created the Honjo. However, we can deduce that this blade could have been present between the late 13th and early 14th centuries. After all, Masamune lived from 1264 to 1343. Moreover, no one knows who first owned the Honjo Masamune.
The very first record of its existence was during a battle between General Honjo Shigenaga’s troops and Umanosuke’s forces during the Sengoku Period between 1467 and 1615. Historians say Umanosuke used the Honjo Masamune to strike Shigenaga’s head. Although the general’s helmet split (a testament to the Honjo Masamune’s strength and sharpness), Shigenaga survived. Umanosuke didn’t.
While we don’t know how Umanosuke possessed the Honjo Masamune, the battle saw the famous sword change hands. Shigenaga named the sword after himself and its maker – Honjo + Masamune – and kept it as a battle prize.
The Honjo Masamune could have had other “masters” besides Umanosuke and Shigenaga. Suppose Masamune created the blade in his prime (around the 1310s to 1320s) and the battle between Umanosuke and Shigenaga occurred before 1592. There are at least 270 years of sword ownership we don’t know. That adds to the Honjo Masamune’s mystery and mystique.
A symbol of the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first of the Tokugawa Shogunate, by Kano Tanyu on Wikimedia.
Shigenaga brought the Honjo Masamune to Fushimi Castle in 1592, where Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s retainer retainer, Toyotomi Hidetsugu, forced Shigenaga to sell the Honjo Masamune to him for 13 large gold coins (13 Mai). A later valuation at the Kyoho Meibutsu Cho figured the sword was worth 1,000 Mai, shortchanging Shigenaga by 987 Mai.
The Honjo Masamune changed hands several times. From Toyotomi Hidetsugu, the sword had a new master in Toyotomi Hideyoshi (one of Japan’s “Three Great Unifiers”). It then went to Shimazu Yoshihiro before returning to Hideyoshi.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi gifted Tokugawa Ieyasu the Honjo Masamune on the latter’s rise to become Japan’s Shogun, establishing the Tokugawa Shogunate and signaling the beginning of the Edo Period. The Honjo Masamune became a symbol of the Tokugawa Shogunate, getting passed on for generations, from Ieyasu to Yorinobu and Ietsuna, spanning over 250 years.
It’s like the British crown and scepter handed down to succeeding rulers. That meant the Honjo Masamune was a tangible link to the prestige and power of the shogunate.
Honjo Masamune Post-Meiji Restoration
The New Japanese Constitution promulgation during the Meiji Era by The Graphic on Wikimedia.
The Meiji Restoration of 1868 effectively ended the Tokugawa Shogunate and Edo Period, and with it, anything and everything about feudal Japan, including Samurai swords. While the Honjo Masamune remained a Tokugawa property, it was no longer a symbol of power but a historical artifact.
The Tokugawa family kept the sword in their Kii until December 1945, when Tokugawa Iemasa surrendered the Honjo Masamune to the Mejiro police in compliance with the Foreign Liquidation Commission’s directive that all swords must be surrendered.
The Mejiro police gave the “family heirloom” and other confiscated and surrendered Japanese swords to a “Sgt. Coldy Bimore” at the FLC. Sadly, recent efforts to recover the sword proved that Sgt. Bimore doesn’t exist. Nobody knows where the most famous Japanese sword is. Its whereabouts have been the subject of many plot twists and conspiracy theories for years.
The Mystique of Masamune’s Swordsmithing Techniques
Like many things in life, a Japanese sword is only as great and legendary as its creator. And since we’re talking about Japan’s greatest swordsmith, it’s crucial to dig deeper into the mystique of Masamune’s phenomenal swordsmithing prowess.
Differential hardening and the perfect Samurai blade
Let’s get this straight. The 8th-century master swordsmith Amakuni Yasatsuna invented differential tempering to create a Samurai sword with exceptionally strong and sharp cutting edge while retaining a soft, flexible spine for the perfect balance of durability, strength, and sharpness.
Masamune refined Yasatsuna’s differential tempering techniques by using better clay materials to cover the blade’s back edge (spine) thicker than the cutting edge. He carefully timed the hardening, often heating and cooling the blade several times at specific intervals to ensure a softer spine but a harder edge.
Historians believe the Honjo Masamune showcased the master swordsmith’s exceptional differential tempering technique to guarantee a blade that could withstand the rigors of battle without losing its razor-sharp edge.
One can only imagine how versatile and deadly the Honjo Masamune is. For instance, splitting Shigenaga’s helmet (kabuto) in two would have been impossible since such a headgear featured thick iron plates. Not the Honjo Masamune. While its blade showed a few chips from the strike, it was still usable.
The Honjo Masamune is undoubtedly Gyoro Nyudo Masamune’s finest creation—his magnum opus.
Artistic flourishes and the hamon pattern
While differential tempering creates a well-balanced – strong, durable, flexible, and sharp – sword, it also lends an artistic aesthetic to the blade. Nobody knows what Honjo Masamune’s hamon pattern looks like because no one has a photograph of the sword. It could be intricate waves, clouds, or other natural motifs (anything that can symbolize or reflect Masamune’s deep connection to nature and everything beautiful).
Hence, one can think of the Honjo Masamune as a canvas for the great swordsmith’s artistic vision. It showcases Masamune’s fascination for the arts and aesthetics.
It is crucial to point out that many modern Japanese swords have “fake” hamon patterns – acid-etched into the blade instead of resulting from differential tempering. That’s why no modern Japanese sword can ever match the natural beauty of ancient blades, especially the Jonjo Masamune.
The Cultural and Historical Impact of the Honjo Masamunue
The Musashi Masamune, an Important Art Object, by Slimhannya on Wikimedia.
Masamune’s creations have always been culturally and historically significant. For instance, his Honjo Masamune katana is a Japanese National Treasure, his Musashi Masamune tachi is an Important Art Object, and his three Hocho Masamune tantos are all National Treasures. But why is the Honjo Masamune especially significant?
Symbol of Samurai honor
A Samurai without his sword is like a Greek or Roman hero or noble without a laurel wreath or a notable Native American without a feather on their headgear.
While different cultures vary in honor symbolism, the Japanese (especially feudal Japan) consider the Japanese sword the ultimate embodiment of the Bushido code – honor, loyalty, courage, integrity, sincerity, compassion (benevolence), rectitude (justice), and respect. In short – moral righteousness.
The Honjo Masamune was more than a samurai weapon. It encapsulated the ideals of the samurai code, representing the zenith of samurai culture.
Influence on modern life
Japanese sword experts and collectors know that every katana, tachi, wakizashi, and tanto created using old-school swordsmithing traditions has a spiritual meaning strongly tied to the creator’s essence. Since Masamune is largely considered Japan’s greatest swordsmith, one can only imagine the cultural implications of his creations.
The Honjo Masamune’s legacy lives on in modern storytelling, from action-packed video games and period-era films to literature, including Manga. Masamune’s Honjo and other blades continue to inspire characters and plots, symbolizing power, ultimate craftsmanship, and mysticism.
Where is the Honjo Masamune Now?
Stories abound about the Honjo Masamune’s whereabouts. The only real evidence authorities have is when Tokugawa Ieamasa surrendered it to the Meijro police in December 1945. One month later, the sword should have been in the custody of the Army Forces, Western Pacific (AFWESPAC) and sent to the US.
Some say the Honjo Masamune is in a private collector’s home in the US. Others speculate it was destroyed or lost during transit from Japan to the US or stockpiled in a warehouse. Sadly, no concrete evidence has surfaced to confirm its fate.
It’s understandable that the Japanese government and cultural organizations want to recover the Honjo Masamune. After all, it’s a National Treasure—a vital piece of Japan’s rich cultural heritage. More importantly, its recovery will put an end to spiraling conspiracy theories and unfounded reports and resolve one of history’s great mysteries.
Historians, researchers, enthusiasts, and even TV personalities continue to search for the elusive Honjo Masamune. For instance, Josh Gates and his Expedition Unknown team traveled to Japan to follow the Honjo Masamune’s trail. They learned that the name “Sgt. Coldy Bimore” (the person who allegedly received the sword when the Mejiro police transferred them to the FLC in January 1946) doesn’t exist.
Recovering the Honjo Masamune would be a monumental cultural event. It will also be a moment of immense pride for Japan, reuniting the nation and its people with a lost masterpiece from its greatest swordsmith.
Final Thoughts
To the uninitiated, the Honjo Masamune is nothing more than a glorified, over-rated sword. But for Japanese, cultural anthropologists, historians, and fans of Japanese culture, the Honjo Masamune is a symbol of artistic excellence. Its historical significance has helped shape the nation, while its enduring mystery continues to inspire hope.
It’s a cherished artifact created by Japan’s greatest swordsmith and passed down as an heirloom by one of the country’s most historically significant clans (the Tokugawas). Although no one knows its whereabouts, the Honjo Masamune’s legacy continues to inspire and captivate. It embodies the timeless allure of the Samurai spirit.
We don’t know if the Honjo Masamune will ever be found and returned to its rightful place. What we do know is that this sword will forever remain a testament to Gyoro Nyudo Masamune’s swordsmithing genius and the enduring power of a truly great sword.