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Created page with "*''Japanese'': 三条 小鍛治 宗近 ''(Sanjou Kokaji Munechika)'' Sanjô Munechika was a Heian period swordsmith whose blades include some of the oldest and most f..."
*''Japanese'': [[三条]] 小鍛治 宗近 ''(Sanjou Kokaji Munechika)''
Sanjô Munechika was a [[Heian period]] swordsmith whose blades include some of the oldest and most famed of [[Japanese Swords]]. His fame is such that he features as a character in the [[Noh]] play ''[[Kokaji]]'', in which he is assisted by a [[kitsune|fox spirit]] in producing a sword for the emperor.<ref name=pitelka138>Pitelka, 138-140.</ref>
While a number of [[Kofun period]] swords have been excavated from archaeological sites, the oldest extant signed ''[[tachi]]'', passed down and never buried, is likely one by Munechika. Another blade by Munechika has long been used (and continues to be used today) to top the ''naginata-hoko'' ("Halberd Float") which leads the procession in Kyoto's ancient [[Gion Matsuri]].
Munechika also produced the sword now known as [[Famous Samurai Swords|Ebina Kokaji]]. Owned by the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga shoguns]], and later by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], it was recovered after the [[siege of Osaka]] by agents of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], and is today held in the [[Tokugawa Art Museum]].<ref name=pitelka138/>
{{stub}}
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Heian Period]]
[[Category:Artists and Artisans]]
Sanjô Munechika was a [[Heian period]] swordsmith whose blades include some of the oldest and most famed of [[Japanese Swords]]. His fame is such that he features as a character in the [[Noh]] play ''[[Kokaji]]'', in which he is assisted by a [[kitsune|fox spirit]] in producing a sword for the emperor.<ref name=pitelka138>Pitelka, 138-140.</ref>
While a number of [[Kofun period]] swords have been excavated from archaeological sites, the oldest extant signed ''[[tachi]]'', passed down and never buried, is likely one by Munechika. Another blade by Munechika has long been used (and continues to be used today) to top the ''naginata-hoko'' ("Halberd Float") which leads the procession in Kyoto's ancient [[Gion Matsuri]].
Munechika also produced the sword now known as [[Famous Samurai Swords|Ebina Kokaji]]. Owned by the [[Ashikaga shogunate|Ashikaga shoguns]], and later by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]], it was recovered after the [[siege of Osaka]] by agents of [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], and is today held in the [[Tokugawa Art Museum]].<ref name=pitelka138/>
{{stub}}
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Heian Period]]
[[Category:Artists and Artisans]]