Ideology of the Sword – A Spiritual History of Japanese Culture

By Sakai Toshinobu
Translated by Christopher Yang
(Editorial supervision by Alex Bennett)

The sword is not merely a weapon; it is regarded as a sacred item.

Regarding the idea that the sword is a Japan-specific development, this book will examine its roots in China and Korea to East Asia using reliable historical records as its base. From the analysis of historical documents including the legends recorded in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Manners) and the Nihon-shoki (Japan’s oldest historical record), books like the Tale of the Heike and the Taiheiki that describe the sword as one of the Three Sacred Treasures, and in the scrolls handed down in the Kashima Shintō-ryū and Jigen-ryū schools of swordsmanship, the originality of the Japanese sword becomes apparent.

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Contents

Part 1 – Introduction
Prologue Embarking on a Journey to Examine the Japanese “Ideology of the Sword”
Chapter 1: The Sword Ideology Roadmap

Part 2 – The Roots of Sword Ideals
Chapter 2: Ancient China and its Legendary Swords—The Sword of Tai E
Chapter 3: The Legend of Ganjiang Moye
Chapter 4: Gaozu’s Sword of Zhan She
Chapter 5: The Sword in Taoist Thought
Chapter 6: Sword Ideals in Ancient Korea

Part 3 – The Formation of Mythical Imagery
Chapter 7: The Creation of the Mythical World and the Birth of Sword Deities
Chapter 8: The Sword Bequeathed from the Heavens–Futsu-no-Mitama-no-Tsurugi
Chapter 9: Connecting the Earthly and Heavenly Realms—Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi

Part 4 – Sword Ideology and Religiosity
Chapter 10: To Worship and be Worshipped
Chapter 11: “Hekija” Swords for Purging Evil
Chapter 12: Ukei Magic and Swords
Chapter 13: The Sword in Shugendo

Part 5 – Sword Ideals in the Middle Ages
Chapter 14: The Imperial Regalia
Chapter 15: The Three Sacred Treasures in The Tale of the Heike
Chapter 16: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in Taiheiki

Part 6 – Early-modern Sword Ideals
Chapter 17: Japanese Myths in Kenjutsu Texts
Chapter 18: Techniques of the Mystical Sword in Shintō-ryū Kenjutsu
Chapter 19: The ‘Sword of the Heart’ in the Jigen-ryū
Chapter 20: The Development of Sword Ideals in Early-Modern Kenjutsu

Part 7 – Swords Ideals in the Modern Era
Chapter 21: The Post-modern Sword Ideology
Chapter 22: Linking Antiquity with the Present —The Kashima Shrine Sword Dedication Ritual

Conclusion
Afterword
References
Index