The Divine Sword of Kashima Jingu
The Straight Sword with Black-Lacquered Tachi Mounting Inlaid with Hyomon (｛直刀／黒漆平文大刀拵｝) is a straight sword of the Nara to Heian period with a Heian tachi mounting, owned by Kashima Jingu in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and kept at the Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History in Mito City, which in 1955 was designated a National Treasure.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records one sword, first designated under the old system in 1917, with a sword chest designated alongside.
Ibaraki Prefecture explains that the sword was long kept hidden deep in the inner sanctuary of Kashima Jingu as the divine sword of its deity, Takemikazuchi.
Blade and Mounting
According to the Agency, it is the largest surviving straight sword, its making close to the swords of the Shosoin; the steel is excellent and the temper line runs well.
Ibaraki Prefecture gives a blade 223.4 centimetres long with a curvature of 0.7 centimetres, 5.1 centimetres wide at the base and 3.1 centimetres at the tip, and a tang of 36.8 centimetres, with a bevelled edge and square back; the tang is unaltered, with one peg hole and no signature. The Agency's record gives 223.3 centimetres and a curvature of 0.6 centimetres.
What to Look For
Ibaraki Prefecture describes gilt bronze fittings engraved with auspicious clouds, openwork floral scroll pendants, and a hilt and scabbard of black lacquer inlaid with lions running across grassland. The Agency judges the whole mounting to be early Heian work, bold in design to match the blade; though the inlaid lions have fallen away, its original splendour can still be imagined.
The prefecture notes that no other blade of such length is known, and that, while a link to the iron sands of Kashima cannot be proven, the Hitachi Fudoki records suggest one.
Visiting the Straight Sword with Black-Lacquered Tachi Mounting Inlaid with Hyomon
The Agency records it as kept at the Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History; check the museum's schedule for display.
Q&A
- When was it designated a National Treasure?
- On 22 June 1955.
- How long is the sword?
- 223.4 cm, the largest surviving straight sword.
- What is its origin?
- The divine sword of Takemikazuchi, kept in the inner sanctuary of Kashima Jingu.
- What decorates the mounting?
- Lions running across grassland, inlaid in black lacquer.
- Where is it?
- Owned by Kashima Jingu and kept at the Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History.
Basic Information
| Name | Straight Sword with Black-Lacquered Tachi Mounting Inlaid with Hyomon (｛直刀／黒漆平文大刀拵｝) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History, 2-1-15 Midoricho, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | National Treasure (craft) |
| Year Designated | Designated 1955/6/22 (Showa 30); earlier designation 1917/4/5 |
| Quantity | 1 sword (with a sword chest) |
| Dimensions | 223.4 cm long, curvature 0.7 cm (Ibaraki Prefecture) |
| Owner | Kashima Jingu |
| Public Access | Check display with the museum |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Straight Sword and Mounting (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/201/467
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education: Straight Sword and Mounting (Japanese)
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/kuni-56/
Last verified: 2026.09.30