#samurai weapons

[pukindog-v2]

[itsmarjudgelove]

This blade is attributed to Den Rai Kunitsyugu (伝来国次), a renowned swordsmith who was active during the early Nambokucho period (around early 14th century) in Yamashiro province (today’s Kyoto prefecture).

He belonged to Rai school, a representative school of Yamashiro blades founded by Rai Kuniyuki (来国行). The swordsmiths of this school preceded their names with the character “Rai” (来). Rai Kunitsugu is said to have been an apprentice of Rai Kunitoshi (来国俊) or a cousin of Rai Kunimitsu (来国光), both of whom are renowned swordsmiths throughout Samurai history.

Later, Kunitsugu moved to Kamakura, an area located in today’s Kanagawa prefecture, and learned the excellent craftsmanship from Masamune, who is arguably one of the most famous swordsmiths in Japan and said to be the actual founder of Soshu Den tradition. Kunitsugu was one of the top ten apprentices of Masamune, also known as Masamune Jittetsu (正宗十哲). And Kunitsugu became a master craftsman known as “Kamakura Rai” (鎌倉来). The most significant characteristic of Kunitsugu’s style is the strong influence of Soshu Den. Kunitsugu’s craftsmanship has been regarded as excellent and he is listed as Koto Saijo–saku (grandmaster swordsmith of Koto blades).

More information is available from the link below.

[a-titty-ninja]

[vertigoartgore]

1988's Wolverine Vol.2 #2 cover by John Buscema & Klaus Janson.

[kazz-brekker]

episode 6 of blue eye samurai was rough. can't believe mizu fought through 9 levels of traps and soldiers with a sword only to get to the top and abruptly be confronted with the fact that guns exist

[velosoraptor94]

Sometimes I like to imagine Mizu busting into Fowler’s castle wielding nothing but Pochita.

[eclipsedsun1989]

Gunbai

The uchiwa gunbai was a war fan carried by high-ranking military leaders and generals during battle to communicate commands on battlefield. However since they were made from tougher materials like iron or hardwood they could withstand the blows of swords and arrows and were actually used as a weapon as well. One of known user of gunbai was Takeda Shingen, whom used it to fight in the fourth battle of Kawanakajima against daimyo Uesugi Kenshin. As he did not have time to grab a sword, he used his gunbai to fend off the enemy forcing him to retreat. Supposedly he managed to land number of blows with it.

Many of them were decorated with family crests as well as dragons, sun, moon and constellations, sanskrit characters and quotations from Sun Tzu's 'the Art of War.' Also they are still used in present day in sumo wrestling by referees.

source: Berlin Samurai museum

[hauntingofhouses]

BRB thinking thoughts about Taigen's character, the TaiMizu ship, and a big chunk of fandom's perceptions regarding both those things.

(Inspired by @farintonorth's post related to this topic that just got my brain going brrrrr)

OK so let me just... start off by saying that I think that reducing stories to their tropes is seriously detrimental to the way some people are interacting with fiction, and while that honestly warrants its own post about the subject, I wanna talk specifically about how this affects the way some people in the fandom talk about Taigen and TaiMizu.

Because yeah, tropes are useful shorthand to refer to certain dynamics or archetypes etc, and they are indeed the building blocks to any story. But in a well-written story, characters and their relationships, actions, and motivations, are much more complex than just tropes. Because in a story that has characters who are more than just cardboard cutouts, their behaviours, backgrounds, motivations and all of that, are inseparable from the context of the overall story they exist in.

So like, sure, you can say Mizu and Taigen have an enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers dynamic. I also use those terms because it's easier. But I also think this is where things start to get a bit twisted, especially from an intertextual sense. Because "enemies-to-lovers" is also commonly used to refer to other ships in other media, whereby it tends to be rooted in an imbalanced power dynamic, such as oppressor-oppressed and bully-victim.

And while that's a whole can of worms that I won't be getting into because it can quickly derail into a whole separate sort of fandom discourse, I'd just like to make it clear that Mizu and Taigen, in particular, do not have an imbalanced power dynamic. They are not bully-victim or oppressor-oppressed. The only understandable reason why someone might actually think their relationship is imbalanced is if

A) they only watched the first episode, or

B) they cannot grasp the slightest bit of nuance in a character, or

C) they're being obtuse on purpose simply because the Mizu/Taigen relationship, or Taigen's character in general, just doesn't suit their tastes.

While yes, Taigen, along with his whole gang, had bullied Mizu when they were children, that dynamic does not exist between them whatsoever in adulthood. Whatever imbalanced bully-victim power dynamic that had once existed between them was decisively ripped apart the moment Mizu beat him in that duel in the dojo, and then completely obliterated by the end of the season.

Mizu is not a defenseless victim at Taigen's mercy. Mizu can beat Taigen's ass any time she wants (and she DOES, repeatedly in fact), and could even kill him if she felt like it. She taunts him openly and without fear ("I like your hair"; "I can beat you with any weapon you choose") and all he does is bark back, because that's pretty much all Taigen ever does. Time and time again, he yaps about how much he wants to kill her, but time and time again, his actions prove that all of it is just an empty threat. Because though his words say "I hate you", his actions demonstrate the complete opposite. He's shown how protective he is of Mizu, how unhesitatingly he sacrifices himself up for her, how loyal he is in enduring days-long torture to not give up information about her, how even when near-death and in pain, he's still willing to keep standing back up so he can fight by her side and help her win against her enemies.

And Mizu is not an idiot! She sees that too. She does not see him as a threat, an enemy, or even a bully. Especially not by the end of Episode 3, and definitely not by the end of the season. When she finds him in the dungeon in Episode 6, she smiles from relief, and doesn't think twice to take him with her. Mizu finds him, at best, an annoyance, or at worst, an infuriating hindrance on her quest for vengeance. Which is why, when Taigen is about to say, "It's a shame our duel's set for tomorrow; I have to kill you before you get your revenge," Mizu whacks him on the head without a second thought before he can even finish his sentence, and leaves him lying unconscious, face-down, in the snow.

And this further emphasises how he does not hold any power over her. There is no abusive power dynamic between them. She is more powerful than him, he knows this, and all he's ever done after they've met up again in adulthood is get his ass whooped by her, get mad about it and pester her and follow her around, get his ass whooped by her some more, and put his life on the line to protect her.

"OOoooOOoooH b-but he called her a demon at the end of Episode 7 and threatened to kill her again!!!" Oh my god. He called her that because he's calling her out on her selfishness to stay silent about her knowledge of Fowler's plans to attack Edo. Because to him, loyalty and honour as a samurai is more important than anything. So in his own brash-and-immature Taigen way, he felt betrayed that Mizu did not hold the same principles. That's why he got angry. He wasn't even that mad about letting Akemi get dragged off by the Tokunobu guards. It was about saving the Shogun and the Shogunate as a whole. That's why the first thing he does in Edo is not find Akemi, but try to warn the Shogun about Fowler's attack.

Look, I'm not defending his stupid ass, of course. Because calling her a demon especially after their cute little wrestling time was obviously rude and inappropriate, especially since words like "demon", "monster" and "Onryo" have had such a deep effect on Mizu throughout her life, and continue to contribute to her self-hatred. But like? That's the fun of realistic and flawed characters, and realistic and flawed relationships. They're not perfect, and it's why we as an audience root for them, wanting to see them work through their shit and find a way to prevail despite it all.

Also, him saying that was in the heat of the moment. He was angry, he felt like his initial belief of who Mizu was—a strong and loyal samurai, just like him—was shattered, and so he lashed out. Was it rude? Definitely. Was it immature of him? Yes, incredibly. But it's also very much in line with his character, because even though he's grown a lot over the course of the season, the show isn't over yet, so obviously his character arc is just beginning, as that is also the case for the other three main characters: Mizu is beginning to accept herself, Akemi is beginning to grow into her position of power, Ringo beginning to train under Master Eiji, while Taigen is beginning to simply be a better person.

On that note, when speaking of Taigen's immaturity, I think that's also one of the main things that people tend to gloss over when it comes to his character. Because when you boil everything down to its bare essentials, Taigen is, essentially, a boy. I've talked about this before, but to reiterate, Taigen very much behaves like an unhealed child. Even as an adult, he is insecure, prone to throwing tantrums, and is desperate to latch onto some material goal in hopes that it will make him feel better—initially he was chasing status/glory/greatness, and then when Mizu tells him that "Nothing comes from being a samurai but death," he immediately decides he wants to run away with Akemi in hopes that he will be happy.

And it's a big step, acknowledging that he doesn't truly want greatness, but had always just assumed it was his only path to a good life. But it's clear he still hasn't really figured it out. Because if he did run off with Akemi to get married and live in the countryside, he still wouldn't be happy. Because he still doesn't know who he really is, or what it is he really wants. Marriage at this moment is the last thing he needs, and as he is now, he would be a pretty awful husband. A simple life would be good for him, but would he be good at a simple life, when he still has so much he needs to work through?

So anyway, what I'm getting at here, is that he's trying and he is learning and growing. So yeah, he is flawed, but honestly? So is Mizu. And the funny thing is that they're flawed in very similar ways.

Because Mizu is also an unhealed child. That's why she's so angry all the time. That's why she pushes people away. That's why she, just like Taigen, is so happy when given the chance to playfully wrestle in the forge, laughing and rolling around like children without shame or pretense.

Again, this shows there is no imbalance between them. They had grown up together as peers from the same town. And while Taigen had had the upper hand back then, because he'd had a gang of other kids with him, that is definitely not the case anymore. Today, they are equally flawed, equally strong, equally skilled swordsmen, and equally bull-headed.

However, yes, Mizu is definitely leagues more mature than Taigen. But she still holds a lot of childhood wounds that mirror Taigen's own. And we see this especially in relation to her mother. Similar to Taigen who had an abusive and alcoholic father, Mizu's Mama was an opium addict and had hit her, berated her, had shaved her head without her consent as a child, and as an adult, had constantly emotionally manipulated and guilt-tripped her. Mizu's love for her Mama was what had driven her to a path of vengeance in the very beginning. And when she'd found out Mama was still alive, she had wanted nothing more than her Mama's love, and it was this alone that pushed her to agree to the marriage with Mikio in the first place. And now, knowing from Fowler that her birth mother is someone else entirely, is what makes her agree to keep him alive and haul his ass to London to seek answers.

Thus, integral to Mizu's self-hatred is also Mizu's intense longing for love and family. Just like Taigen, whose pompousness comes from his insecurity about being the son of a poor fisherman, Mizu's goals are also shaped by who her parents are. Remember, her vengeance is not against just anyone who's corrupt or evil, but specifically against the men who she believes had assaulted her mother, the men she believes had made her a monster, the men she believes had abandoned her to die and continue to try to kill her. Her vengeance is against a father, on behalf of a mother. In The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride, Mizu is not merely the Ronin, the Bride, or the Onryo, but also the Child.

This is also why Ringo is so good, not only for Mizu, but for Taigen as well. Ringo is wise and caring and considerate, but above all, he is in tune with his inner child in ways that Mizu and Taigen are not. He is always earnest and positive, he sees the world with childlike wonder, but is not naive or blind to its ugliness. His whole life has been a battle. Ringo brings out the best in Mizu, consistently acting as her moral compass and conscience, and Mizu's choice to save Akemi in the final episode is only because she promised Ringo that she would. Because it's the right thing to do. Ringo inspires her to be a better person, and to think outside of her narrow-minded goal of revenge. At the same time, Ringo also brings out the best in Taigen. While at first Taigen had looked down on both Mizu and Ringo ("Half-limb to a half-wit"), by the end of the season, he's proud to have Ringo as a friend and ally, he listens to Ringo's advice ("What would Master do?"), and asserts to the fucking Shogun that Ringo is a worthy warrior to have by his side.

Okay, I've gone on a bit of a tangent here, but my main point is that Mizu and Taigen are incredibly similar. They are equals. They are both flawed, unhealed children who are chasing some impossible outlandish goal in hopes that it will fill the void in their hearts. They also both have a long way to go in terms of character development if they were to ever build a healthy romantic relationship (either with each other, or even with anyone else). So while I believe things will be rocky (because duh, it's a story, we all live for the drama, etc), I think with Ringo's help, they'll get there eventually.

[nullen-void]

So you need a weapon, hm?

"Then please, follow me."

The mysterious old man led the way inside, and the knight balked as he lit the lanterns.

The walls gleamed with a light all their own, as jewels gleamed from pommels and steel sang deadly songs in the silence of the dusk. There were spears so wickedly sharp that the knight feared his eye might be cut from looking at them. There were maces with such cruel and disturbing spikes that the knight felt ill imagining what they might do to an opponent. There were bows of such exquisite quality and beauty that the knight believed they should be enshrined in a museum.

Holy weapons. Demonic weapons. And of course, swords of every shape and size as far as the eye could see.

"It is no small task you seek to accomplish," the old man said, ignoring the vast wealth of steel on the walls as he stalked deeper inside. "Some would tell you that you seek to commit atrocity."

"It needs to be done," the knight insisted, tearing his gaze away from a most handsome sword of gilded steel with a red leather grip.

"I don't disagree with you," the old man said easily. "Stars know the kingdom has gone downhill since I was a lad."

The knight eyes a particular blade. It had a smoky quality that drew the eye with the way it seemed to waver in his vision. What he could make out of it suggested a longsword with a purple wingéd hilt and a lovely blue blade. "What is this one?"

"That one is rented out to a hero already. Long-term contract, as long as the hero's descendants keep proving themselves worthy, it stays with them." The old man gestured to another blade with a similar shadowy countenance. "This one is in the service of a demigod of the sea. That one belongs to a royal family, having recently reclaimed their throne," he added, pointing now to a simple but sharp-looking blade in the style of the Far East.

The knight looked around once more, and now he noticed several of these shadow-blades adorning the walls. "Do you have many... customers?"

"I have every customer," the old man said, smiling in the shade of his hood. "But come. Your weapon awaits."

The armory seemed to stretch forever into the distance. Every blade the knight had ever imagined, more that he hadn't, and some he had trouble understanding even looking at them, all of them hung in their own display.

After what felt like hours of walking, the knight's eye was captured by one sword in particular; it was gorgeous, deadly, the words of a mystic language engraved on the blade, a dragon shaped into the hilt.

"Is this my sword?" the knight asked. "It calls to me..."

"No." The old man closed the cabinet containing the blade, and the spell was broken. "My apologies, that one keeps opening its case somehow. Don't look directly at it. No, this is to be your weapon."

The knight shook himself, pushing the foreign urges away, and looked at the weapon the old man presented.

He blinked, and looked again. "You must be joking."

"I am not."

The knight walked around the plinth, as though seeing the thing from a different angle would change its shape. It might, in this place, but alas.

"This is a woodsman's axe."

"It was once, yes," the old man agreed, smiling. "Now, it is exactly what you need."

"You expect me to save this kingdom with a woodsman's axe?" the knight demanded. He loomed over the old man, expecting an explanation.

The old man was unintimidated. He merely held out a hand and gestured. "Pick it up, if you don't believe me."

The knight scoffed, but he'd come this far already. He grabbed the axe by the handle and--oh.

The axe looked back at him. Not with eyes, for it had none, but with an ironclad will that threatened to smother the knight underneath it. A pressure he'd seldom felt settled down upon his shoulders... but he was used to feeling like he carried the weight of the world. He stood firm, and after a few minutes the axe retreated, feeling satisfied.

"It's accepted you," the old man said happily. "I was worried for a second."

"..What would have happened if it hadn't?" the knight asked.

"Then we wouldn't be speaking right now."

The knight wanted to be upset by that, but he had more pressing questions. "What is this thing? Does it have a name?"

The old man shook his head. "No. It is a tool, in truth, not a weapon. No great sonnets are written about it, no legends tell of its strength. This is the tool of a man with a job to do. You don't intend to take the throne yourself, do you?"

"No, of course not. I am a knight, not a king."

"Then you have nothing to fear." The old man leaned against the now-empty plinth. "In fairy tales, you hear about the rightful king, and the toppling of tyrants who are replaced by good men who run the country well. But the story keeps going after the book ends, and while the conquering king may be good, and his son may be good, and his son may be good... eventually, a bad apple spoils the bunch. Eventually, a prince is raised in luxury and decides that he deserves more, that being prince and king make him better than his people. And then he becomes the tyrant who needs to be toppled, for a good king to replace."

The knight looked at the axe. "And, the axe?"

"There isn't always a hero in the right place at the right time. And the only thing worse than a king who thinks himself a god is a populace who agrees with him. Sometime, somewhere, such a thing came to pass, until one man who treasured justiced, grabbed an axe and made a decision for the good of the people. They didn't thank him for it. They didn't call him a hero, they called him a heretic and a murderer, but he saved them all the same."

The old man pointed at the axe. "I don't know how this tool came into my collection, but I know that it is the one you need, Kingslayer. If you suffer not injustice, if you act for the good of all and care not for the glories of heroism, then this axe will get the job done."

The knight considered that for a long time. He set his jaw, and his face might have been carved from stone when he said, "I understand.

It's a dirty job. But someone's got to do it."

[victusinveritas]

The Matsumoto Castle Gun Corps in action, 2024.

[correctopinionhaver]

[itsmarjudgelove]

This blade was signed by Yamato no Kami Fujiwara Nobusada (大和守藤原宣貞), who was especially active in Higo province (today’s Kumamoto prefecture) during the Kan-Ei era (1624-1644: Early Edo period). He is known as an offspring of the Enjyu (延寿) school members. The maker’s name, Nobusada, lasted two generations, and the first-gen created this blade because the second-gen was active during the Genroku era (1680-1709). It is said that the first-gen Nobusada also forged blades in Buzen (today’s Oita prefecture). He served Higo Hosokawa clan as an Okakaekaji. Hosokawa clan was a famous feudal lord who was the head of Kumamoto castle during the Edo period. Considering this fact, we presume Nobusada’s craftsmanship was highly acknowledged, and he must have forged blades for those who served this clan during the early Edo period. During his career, he received an honorable official title, Yamato no Kami for his excellent sword-forging techniques from the imperial court. The sword mountings of this Katana’s Koshirae are related to one motif: Tonbo (蜻蛉, dragonfly). Dragonflies have been inhabited in Japan for a long time. As this insect bag preys quickly, its heroic figure was sometimes the object of belief. During the Warring States period, the dragonfly was called the Kachimushi (勝ち虫, winning insect) because of its fearless character. Dragonflies fly around fast to catch pests, moving only forward, not backward. Therefore, people thought the behaviors of this insect showed the spirit of Futaiten (不退転); it is a state of mind or a state in which a person has some conviction and does not give in to difficulties. It is very persuasive that Samurai warriors cherished this design as an auspicious motif because of the spirit that Samurai should be prepared for the battlefields.

[thefigureresource]

Kenshin Himura [Rurouni Kenshin] non scale from Aniplex coming November 2024.

[a-titty-ninja]

[tiredsurvivoronmain]

Chris: *using replicas of Wesker's weapons and dressing in all black like Wesker* Jill:

[ifitmovesitdies]

Sword Kits Part 3