Japan has produced many legendary swords — blades so significant in history, craftsmanship, or folklore that they have been named, preserved for centuries, and treasured as national symbols. Here are the most celebrated Japanese swords and the stories behind them.
The Three Imperial Regalia: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草薙剣, “Grass-Cutting Sword”) is one of the three sacred imperial treasures (sanshu no jingi) that symbolize the authority of Japan’s imperial family. The other two are the Yata no Kagami (mirror) and the Yasakani no Magatama (jewel). Together they represent valor, wisdom, and benevolence respectively.
According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki — Japan’s oldest chronicles, compiled in the 8th century — the sword was found inside the body of the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi by the storm god Susanoo, who presented it to his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu. The sword later came into the hands of the legendary prince Yamato Takeru, who used it to escape a trap: when enemies set fire to the grass around him, he used the sword to cut the grass and create a firebreak, then drove the fire back toward his attackers. This story is the origin of the name.
The Kusanagi is said to be kept at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, where it has not been publicly displayed in modern recorded history. The shrine itself, set in a large forested compound near central Nagoya, draws millions of visitors annually despite — or perhaps because of — the total absence of the object at its center. Some historians debate whether the original sword still exists or was lost at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura in 1185, when the child emperor Antoku drowned along with much of the imperial regalia.
Honjo Masamune: The Lost Masterpiece
If the Kusanagi represents mythological power, the Honjo Masamune represents earthly perfection. It is widely considered the finest katana ever made — a blade by the master smith Goro Nyudo Masamune, who worked in Kamakura around 1288–1328 and is universally acknowledged as the greatest Japanese swordsmith in history.
The sword takes its name from Honjo Shigenaga, a general of the Uesugi clan who received it in the 16th century after taking it from an enemy commander in battle — a battle the sword reportedly helped him survive when an opponent’s strike split it and Honjo still fought on. It passed through the Uesugi clan to the Tokugawa shogunate, who designated it a treasured possession. By the Edo period it was displayed in the shogun’s collection as a symbol of legitimate authority.
After Japan’s defeat in World War II, the Allied occupation required Japanese citizens to surrender weapons. In December 1945, a member of the Tokugawa family surrendered the Honjo Masamune along with 14 other swords to a police station in Mejiro, Tokyo. The swords were picked up by an American soldier named Sergeant Coldy Bimore — almost certainly a phonetic transliteration of a name that has never been definitively identified. They were never returned. The current location of the Honjo Masamune is unknown. It is the greatest unsolved mystery in Japanese art history, and periodic searches and appeals to American veterans’ families have produced nothing.
Dojigiri Yasutsuna: Japan’s Greatest Surviving Tachi
While the Honjo Masamune is lost, the Dojigiri Yasutsuna survives in the Tokyo National Museum and is ranked first among Japan’s “Five Swords Under Heaven” (Tenka Goken). Made by the smith Yasutsuna of Hoki Province (present-day Tottori Prefecture) around 900 CE, it is one of the oldest signed blades in Japan — and the signature has been authenticated as genuine.
The sword’s name comes from legend: it was used by the warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu to slay the demon Shuten-doji on Mount Oe. Doji means demon-child and kiri means cutter. The blade is a long tachi of the classic Heian period form — curved, with a small kissaki and elegant proportions that predate the martial developments of the Kamakura period. Seeing it in person at the Tokyo National Museum is one of the essential experiences for anyone interested in Japanese swords.
Mikazuki Munechika: “The Crescent Moon”
The Mikazuki Munechika (三日月宗近, “Crescent Moon Munechika”) is a National Treasure tachi in the Tokyo National Museum made by the smith Sanjo Munechika around 987 CE. It is ranked second among the Five Swords Under Heaven and is considered one of the most beautiful Japanese swords for the quality of its artistic detail.
The name refers to the crescent moon-shaped nie (crystalline particles of martensite) that appear in the hamon near the base of the blade — a subtle detail that requires good lighting to see but represents extraordinary technical control. According to legend, Munechika was asked by the Emperor Ichijo to forge a sword and prayed at Fushimi Inari Shrine for assistance. The fox deity appeared disguised as a young man and helped him complete the work — an origin story that reflects the semi-divine status attributed to great sword makers throughout Japanese history.
The Masamune vs Muramasa Legend
No story in Japanese sword culture is better known than the supposed rivalry between the blades of Masamune and Muramasa — and no story is more misunderstood. In the most famous version, a test was conducted by suspending both smiths’ blades in a stream. Leaves floated toward the Masamune but were gently deflected before touching the edge; leaves floated toward the Muramasa and were cut in half. The conclusion: the Masamune sword was noble and chose not to cut the innocent, while the Muramasa was bloodthirsty and indiscriminate.
The historical basis is thin. Masamune and Muramasa did not work in the same period and almost certainly never met. Muramasa was a smith from Ise Province active in the late Muromachi period (15th–16th centuries), roughly 150 years after Masamune. The “cursed” reputation of Muramasa blades was actively cultivated by the Tokugawa shogunate after several Tokugawa family members were killed by or with Muramasa swords — including Tokugawa Ieyasu’s father, grandfather, and son. Banning Muramasa blades from the shogun’s presence turned a coincidence of names into folklore.
In reality, Muramasa swords are highly regarded by collectors and sword scholars as outstanding work — aggressive in geometry and heat treatment in ways that reflect their time and purpose, but masterpieces nonetheless. The “cursed sword” story is a good example of how Japanese sword mythology developed around genuine historical anxiety.
🛒 Looking to buy? See our curated guides: