Usagi Yojimbo Dojo - Grasscutter

Murakumo

What was Kusanagi's original name? MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI

- I forgot about this; you see I've got the original on a dos based WordStar. Layout, and pretty stuff is done with PhotoShop, Pagemaker, drawing programs, etc., and they DO look spiff. But If I didn't have it on here first, I don't think I'd be able to get it out for this private talk group that we have here.

This is part of the beginning to the province of YAMATO. A little note NARA school and the Schools schematic is here. The story of JINSOKU or SHINSOKU, is a lot of fun (meaning it's a sweet little story), but that will be some other time. Besides you all are probably getting pretty tired of all these long things by now anyway. I am never one to overstay. On the next page here is the story of little AMATERASU. This is where, when the seal is cracked, the searing slice reveals an almost embryonic look to the innocence of a kindergarde'ner.

     YAMATO




AMATERASU brings NINIGI with 
      the AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI

      ______________________
     |                      |
     |     NARA School      |
     |  AMAKUNI entertains  |       ____________________________
     |  the Imperial Court  |______|                            |
     |______________________|      |  JINSOKU leaves for BUNGO  |
                                   |____________________________|


    * Two lines at SENJUIN *
 ______|___        ___|_________________
|          |      |                     |
| YUKINOBU |      |   SHIGEHIRO         |
|______ ___|      |   MUTSU roots       |
 ______|___       |   filter to YAMATO  |______
|          |      |_____________________|      |
|  RYUMON  |                                   |
|__________|       ___________________         |
                  |                   |     ___|________________
                  | SHIKKAKE NORINAGA |____|                    |
                  |___________________|    | HIROMURA makes his |
                                           |   way toward ENJU  |
                                           |____________________|

 ________________      ________________
|                |    |                |
| TAIMA KUNIYUKI |    | TEGAI KANENAGA |____________
|________________|    |_ _________ ____|            |
                        |         |              ___|___________ 
 ________________       |   ______|__________   |               |
|                |      |  |                 |  | SHIZU KANEUJI |
| HOSHO          |      |  | ZENJO KANEYOSHI |  | To SOSHU      |
|  3 brothers    |      |  |     To MINO     |  |    then MINO  |
|________________|      |  |_________________|  |_______________|
                        |
                       _|___________ 
                      |             |
                      |  SUE-TEGAI  |
                      |___ _________|
                       ___|_________ 
                      |             |
                      |   KANABO    |
                      |_____________|





YAMATO                  AMATSUMAURA SHIN-DAI 
Old YAMATO                 "Age of the Gods" 
                                        
AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI                          SHINKI SANSHU
                                         Three Imperial Treasures

SUSANO-O, born of the breath of God, was asked to inhabit the land of NE. Before which, he plied a request to visit his sister, AMATERASU "The Divine Goddess of the Sun" in her exclusive and newly given domain, the much loved and heretofore common family abode: "The Plain of The High Sky" - TAKAMA-GA-HARA.

Upon arrival, he promptly threw a petulant fit, mucking-up field and forest. A little boy at tantrum. - The banality was the shock. Undone, she retired to the cave of AMA-no-IWATO, plunging the Universe into darkness.

With the lights out, everyone became, understandably, quite concerned. A group of conspirators positioned themselves about the sealed entrance. TAMA-no-OYA-no-MIKOTO brought the Jewel and ISHIKORITOMI-no-MIKOTO fabricated the Flower of Eight Petals Mirror - things for the play of light. AME-no-HIWASHI-no-MIKOTO thought, however, to appeal to the instincts and provide a luminous bolt of hemp-cloth. A MASAKAKI tree was made mannequin for these ornaments and the music begun.

AME-no-UZUME-no-MIKOTO sang and danced - a different vision in different minds.

Soon a slip of white light knifed the top of the door allowing the glimpse of AMATERASU's curious eyes. Instantly TAJIKARA-O-no-MIKOTO pulls open her shutter-stone and their invisible figures explode in numbing brilliance. Eclipsing color erases shadow as blinding columns blast into the shattered still of the heavens. Our delicate princess, with the enraptured expression of a five year old... - joins the party.

The hiding FUTOTAMA-no-MIKOTO and KOYANE-no-MIKOTO awaited her exit to strap forever the entrance with rope.

This SHINTO joy and mystery is the flag of the Japanese.

SUSANO-O was exiled to IZUMO. Here he encountered the eight- headed, eight-tailed serpent, YAMATO-no-OROCHI just before sup on the beautiful young maid, INADA-HIME.

A drunkard, the dragon was successfully fooled with a smile and a bottle.

In a profusion of billowing clouds.... a hidden sword was pulled from the tail of poor, dear (but departed) OROCHI.

SUSANO-O made this triumph a present to AMATERASU in atonement and gift-giving. This was Japan's first prelude to many banishings and many forgivings.

SUSANO-O married the girl and set about a prodigious and successful campaign to populate the coast.

In due time, his stunning endeavors produced a handsome inheritance, for which AMATERASU sent TAKEMIKAZUCHI and FUTSUNUSHI to make way for her grandchild, NINIGI-no-MIKOTO or more properly, AMATSUHIKO-HIKOHO-no-NINIGI.

AMATSUHIKO-HIKOHO-no-NINIGI descended from Heaven with a great host, first touching the summit of Mt. TAKACHIHO in HYUGA. In his arms he bore his grandmother's gifts:

                  The Jewel          YASAKANI-no-MAGATAMA

                  The Mirror               YATA-no-KAGAMI

                  The Sword     AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI 
                     "The Sword of The Billowing Clouds"

NINIGI-no-MIKOTO married KONO-HANA-SAKUYA-HIME, the Spirit of Mt. FUJI and daughter of the Mountain Spirit, OYAMATSUMI. Their great-grandchild is JIMMU-TENNO, first Emperor of Japan.

AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI

The AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI Sword of Billowing Clouds was kept in the Imperial Palace in the south until the reign of the long lived 10th Emperor, SUJIN. He built the KASANUI Shrine in 92 BC, installing his own daughter as priestess vested with the care of two of AMATERASU's Treasures, The Mirror and The Sword.

The KASANUI Shrine was moved to ISE in 5 BC. It was here, over one hundred fifteen years later, that Emperor KEIKOs' son, YAMATOTAKERU-no-MIKOTO received the MURAKUMO Sword from the priestess YAMATO-HIME for his venture to subdue the EBISU.

He traveled the TOKAIDO and when hunting, the EBISU trapped him with a wall of fire in the tall grass. He outwitted them by cutting an insulating swath in the field. The sword was then, thereafter, also called the KUSANAGI-no-TSURUGI or Grass-scything Sword. Unfortunately, YAMATOTAKERU fell ill on his expedition and died at 33.

Emperor SUJIN had copies of The Mirror and The Sword made to enshrine their spirits while the originals might accompany the sovereign. The AME-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI or KUSANAGI Sword and its spirit is installed and revered at the great ATSUTA-DAIJINGU Shrine in OWARI. SUSANO-O "God of the Sea" reclaimed the original along with the spirit of

little ANTOKU from the folly of DAN-no-URA. Luckily, an arrow tethered the robes of TAIRA SHIGEHIRA's wife, saving the Sacred Mirror.

_____________________________________________-

The HEI-SHI-SHO-RIN





/////////////////FULL LENGTH OSGIGATA////////////////




Treasure Sword of the SHI-TENNO-JI

KOKUHO - The HEI-SHI-SHO-RIN Sword         NAGASA: 2 SHAKU 1.7
     Sword of SHOTOKU TAISHI            MOTO-HABA: 8 BU
    - In the reign of SUIKO -           SAKI-HABA: 6 BU
                                        SAKI-NAGA: 5.5 BU
KIRI-HA TSUKURI (Cut-edge)         MU-SORI NAKAGO: 4.6 SUN

A surprise birth in the horse-stable earned him the humorous surname: UMAYA no OJI - "Little Prince of the Stables." He was SESSHO (Regent) under Empress SUIKO and a great overseer to the formation of Japanese culture. A disciple of the Korean BONZE, EJI, he ushered the teaching of Buddhism. Introduced the Chinese calendar and a model of Chinese law. He built SHI-TENNO-JI and other Buddhist temples. 2 BU UCHI-ZORI, MARU-MUNE KIRIHA TACHI. Beautiful KO-ITAME MASAME mix with JI-NIE. HOSO-SUGU of shallow NOTAREBA. Subtlety of NIOI, NIOI-FUKASHI and KO-NIE cuts the upper HABUCHI. Placement of KO-ASHI in the mid creates delicate KO-GUNOME KO-CHOJI in the long undulations of a deepening line. YAKIDASHI descends to the HA. BOSHI is SUGU on the HA that falls in a small ICHI-like YAKIZUMI. KOSHI-MOTO has the famous gold inscription: HEI-SHI-SHO-RIN


NARA School      AMAKUNI - AMAKURA - JINSOKU 
                                            
                                            Emperor KEITAI-TENNO   
________                                              ___|___      
FUJIMORI                                              AMAKUMO      
TAI-HO 701                                            KEI-TAI 507
                                  TEGAI TOMOMITSU:   
_______                                Root of Roots 
AMAKUNI TAI-HO 701    
   |________________ _________ _______ ____________   
___|___          ___|____  ___|__  ___|_____    ___|___      
AMAKURA TAI-HO   TADAMIZU  AMASHO  TOMOMITSU    SHOICHI
(AMAZA)     701                    ___|____  
                                   TOMOKUNI WA-DO 708
_________                                    
KUNIYOSHI JIN-KI 724                   
_________                  ____________________________          
SHIGENORI                  GEKKO - SEISHINDAYU YASUNORI EI-EN 987
TEMPYO-HOJI 757                        ________|___              
_______ _______                        HOKI AMAHARA SHO-RYAKU 990
AMAYUKI AMAFUJI                        _______                   
- DAI-DO 806 -                         ARIKUNI KAN-KO 1004       


AMAKUNI: MASAME with YUBASHIRI-HADA. JI-NIE.
         HOSO-SUGU with NIJUBA-like effects.


JINSOKU: Herded by HACHIMAN to BUZEN (see BUZEN)


AMAFUJI DAI-DO: AMAFUJI made a sword for the spirit KASUGA MYOJIN
        who is AME-no-KOYANE-no-MIKOTO residing in NARA at the 
        KASUGA-no-MIYA Shrine. SUGUHA.

SHOICHI TAI-HO: Possibly an alternate name for HOKI SANEMORI.

KOGARASUMARU

There were more than one KOGARASUMARU. It is a name given to a famous sword. A sword of a type. Perhaps it was thought of as the true Japanese sword, residing in a world of Chinese style KIRIHA-TSUKURI. It is thought that the KOGARASUMARU was the inspiration for the curved, single-edged HANCHO-TO which was apparently necessitated as a shock reducer for fighting from horseback.

There are two or three true KOGARASUMARU swords known to exist today. There are, of course, many reproductions and reverently made swords of varying quality.

KOGARASUMARU

////////FULL LENGTRH OSHIGATA//////////////

KOGARASUMARU - GYOBUTSU                    NAGASA: 2 SHAKU 6.5 BU
  AMAKUNI TAI-HO 701                         SORI: 4 BU
   Imperial Treasure                    MOTO-HABA: 1.1 SUN
HO-RYOBA-TSUKURI (double-edged point)      NAKAGO: 6.4 SUN

Its praises are sung in the MAN YOSHU or "Collection of 10,000 Leaves" - ca. 750. The fame and study of this piece helped transform the vision of the sword for its new ideal. It is still of the highest importance in the study of the Japanese Sword. TACHI of light curve and little FUNBARI - the NAKAGO has greatest arc. This is certainly one of the most distinctive swords in all history. NAGINATA-HI and strong SHINOGI-BOHI, the SAKI of which forms the support structure for the MONOUCHI. ITAME is running HADA with JI-NIE. YAKIBA pattern is a thin HOSO-SUGUHA that deepens as it reaches the upper. NIE combines with NIOI to pull an almost HOTSURE-effect on the line, which continues through KO-MARU BOSHI.

Last change: 09. Oct 2001