Interest
Touken Ranbu Inspires Yagen Tōshirō Tanto Reforging
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
There's a legend that surrounds the tanto named "Yagen Tōshirō." Before it came into possession of Oda Nobunaga, daimyō Hatakeyama Masanaga attempted to commit traditional suicide with the blade but found that it would not pierce his abdomen. In frustration, he threw it and it shot through a yagen, a type of stone mortar and pestle meant to grind herbs. It was then that the blade acquired its name and gained the reputation that it would never harm its master.
The storied sword was lost to time after Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide and had his page set fire to the temple. The sword has found a resurgence in popularity thanks to DMM and Nitro+'s Touken Ranbu game where players affectionately refer to Tōshirō as "aniki" (big brother). One fan happened to be a priest who went so far as to contact real life swordsmith, 34-year-old Yoshimitsu Mizuki to recreate the lost blade. Mizuki studied under master swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara, the foremost Japanese swordsmith of the modern era.
Mizuki got to work creating the 25cm tanto and finished it in May. Sankei News released the video of the sword's production on Friday.
Tōken Ranbu previously brought the lost Hotarumaru sword to life and the Mikazuki Munechika project to recreate the ancient sword in a like-new condition.
[Via Nijimen]
