On the Night of the Fox Hammering--The Sacred Sword "Kogumaru" and the Dream of the Dynasty (Mid-Heian)

On the Night of the Fox Hammering--The Sacred Sword "Kogumaru" and the Dream of the Dynasty (Mid-Heian)

The mid-Heian period was a time when dynastic culture was in full bloom and Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shonagon were writing at court. The reign of Emperor Ichijo (986-1011) was a period of splendor when aristocratic culture was at its peak. In the capital of Kyoto, Munechika Sanjo made a name for himself as a sword smith.

During this period, swords were not only weapons, but also ornaments that symbolized the dignity of the nobility and the emperor. The swords forged by Munechika were symbols of the spirituality and rituals of royalty before the age of the samurai had begun, and were outstanding in their high warp, slenderness, and the beauty of their small cutting edges.

One night, an oracle came to Emperor Ichijo in his dream. One night, an oracle came to Emperor Ichijo in his dream: "Let Munechika Sanjo strike the sword. An imperial envoy visited Munechika and told him of this divine command. However, Munechika is perplexed. The reason is that a sword is forged only when two smiths hammer it together, and there was no one to hammer the sword with him. Munechika almost refuses the imperial order, but there is no way he will be allowed to do so.

Munechika, in a desperate situation, prayed to Inari Myojin, the deity of his clan. Then, in a dream, a divine spirit in the form of a child appears and says to him, "Do not worry, I will lend you my hand. When Munechika returned to his forge, a divine spirit in the form of a fox, a household member of the Inari Myojin, appeared and began to play a splendid accompaniment to Munechika's hammering.

Thus completed was the famous sword "Kogumomaru. This sacred sword, forged by man and god together, has been passed down through the ages with a mythical origin. This fantastic anecdote was later performed on stage as the song "Ko-Kaji," and made the name of Munechika Sanjo popular throughout the world.

At that time, the sword was a being that possessed divine power and symbolized the dynastic order through its spiritual power. The legend of Kofukumaru tells of the moment when God and man commune through the sword, and a symbol is born to support the political and religious order.

This legend is not just a fantasy tale. It illuminates the core of the existence of the Japanese sword, which reflects dynastic orthodoxy and cultural sophistication. The night Munechika forged the sword with the spirit of the fox was a miraculous moment that transcended the boundary between man and god, and its sound still echoes as the lingering echoes of the sacred sword after the passing of a thousand years.