源氏の重宝、髭切さ。試し斬りで罪人の首を斬ったら、髭までスパッと切れたからこの名前になったんだ。 とは言え、僕にとって名前は割とどうでもいいんだよね
I’m a treasure of the Minamoto clan, Higekiri. While being tested on a criminal’s neck, I cut off even his beard in a single blow, so I ended up with this name. Be that as it may, names are relatively meaningless to me.
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源氏の重宝、膝丸だ。試し斬りで罪人を斬ったら、両膝を一刀で断った事から名付けられた。 ……もっとも、兄者同様に、他の名で俺を呼びたがる者もいるな
I’m a treasure of the Minamoto Clan, Hizamaru. While being tested on a criminal, I cut both of his knees in a single strike, so I was given this name. Though, just like my elder brother, there are people who wish to call me by other names.
Higekiri was forged by Sanjou Munechika in the Nara period(710-794 AD) and is 84,4 cm long, while Hizamaru was forged by Mōfusa of Ōshū and is 87,6 cm long.
The legend begins with the sword’s forging in Tenchiku (an Indian subcontinent), where there was a waterfall with round deposits of iron in it, a man named Shourifumu had made an eight-shaku broad sword (a naginata) from this ore, which was stolen, taken first to Tang(China), and then to Japan.
The Nara Sovereign ordered that it be made into two long swords (tachi). He summoned two expert smiths, Mōfusa of Ōshū and Kokaji Munechika (a.k.a. Sanjou Munechika) of Kyoto, and gave each of them exactly half of the broad sword and ordered both to make him a blade.
After three years Mōfusa presented the Sovereign with a three-shaku* long(ten sun* long) sword while Kokaji presented the Sovereign a two-shaku long(seven sun long) sword three months later.
Since Kokaji sword was shorter than Mōfusa’s, he was accused of robbing three sun of metal, hence the Sovereign threw the smith in prison.
Here the naming begins, Mōfusa’s sword was given the name Makuragami (Above the Pillow) and put in the place of honor. Kokaji’s sword was given the name Sunnashi(A Little Short / Missing sun(as in missing centimeters)) and placed bellow Makuragami.
Kokaji prayed from his cell to the myriad guardian deities of the forge to manifest a sign revealing his innocence, and in response Sunnashi unsheathed itself and began to pursue Makuragami. Makuragami, also made of the magic iron, unsheathed itself too and the two began to parry.
The palace was in an uproar as the nobles and emperor watched the two sword fight, Sunnashi on the offensive, cornered Makuragami and severed it, making them of equal lenght.
From this event Sunnashi was given the Tomokiri epithet, meaning a sword that has high durability to cut opponent weapons with ease.
When the blade and its companion came into possession of Minamoto no Mitsunaka( 源 満仲, 912 – 997, samurai and Court official of Japan’s Heian period. Mitsunaka belonged to the Seiwa Genji branch of the Minamoto clan, which traced its ancestry to Emperor Seiwa.), he ran a small test of their sharpness by using them to behead criminals during Tameshigiri**. The victim of this blade had a long beard, who was cut smoothly along the neck, prompting Mitsunaka to rename it “Higekiri” (lit. “beard-slasher”).
Higekiri became a heirloom of the Settsu Genji bloodline of the Minamoto Clan(Mitsunaka descendants are referred to as the “Settsu Genji” or the “Tada Genji”), treasured and used in combat by famous heroes, such as Raikō, Minamoto no Yoshiie and his son Tameyoshi. It was Raiko who gave Higekiri to Watanabe-no-Tsuna***, trusted friend and general. Latter it was inherited by Raiko’s nephew and passed on in the Settsu Genji family.
Higekiri’s inability to remember names, most notably his brother’s, has become a near-constant running gag within the fanbase and as such is heavily parodied in works of fanart involving the two(“My younger brother’s… Hmmm, what was it again. Uh… Well, I’ve completely forgotten his name, but anyway, please take care of him…”
One plausible reason for his inability to remember his brother’s name is due to the many, many name changes both of them went through throughout their history. In the end, only Higekiri was given back his current title, while Hizamaru was renamed several more times and is now known as the Usu-midori.
Higekiri is known historically by many names, such as Sun-Nashi (A Little Short / Missing Sun), Tomokiri (the Friend Slayer, or Equal Cutter), Shishi no ko (Lion’s Cub) and Onikiri (Demon Slayer).
Tomokiri (the Friend Slayer, or Equal Cutter), for having cut, by its own will, through the steel of another sword of great quality, Hizamaru.(“No, no, I’m not going to cut down my allies just because I’m not the captain.”)
Higekiri (beard cutter) was earned when the blade beheaded a criminal, the earliest Tameshigiri recorded, attempted in the hands of Minamoto no Mitsunaka.
Onikiri (Demon Slayer), come from the incident of Ibaraki Dōji’s severed arm****. (“Well then… It’s time to exterminate the demons.”)
Shishi no ko (Lion’s Cub) came from a legend where it made noise like a roaring lion at night, as if possessed by some Yōkai(a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore, usually they possess animal features and are rarely dangerous). (“…Hm, did I ever really roar at night?”)
And Tomokiri (again), after having by its own will (again), cut through a copy of its blade and shortened it in order to make it the same size. A similar story exist for Onimaru Kunitsuna, one of the Tenka Goken. (“Mm. Like this, I feel like I can’t lose to any other sword.” This may be a reference to how Higekiri, then named ‘Tomokiri’ for cutting off a portion of his own replica, was renamed back to Higekiri by Minamoto no Yoshitomo after he saw a dream in which a deity told him that renaming swords too many times weakened their powers.)
Like his brother, Hizamaru had several names throughout history, Makuragami (枕上, On the Cushion): the first known name of this sword.
Hizamaru (膝丸, knee cutter): the sword was renamed after a cutting test (tameshigiri). In that period it was usual to use criminals and dead bodies to check the quality of the blade, and this sword managed to cut from the neck down to the knee of the victim. (“While being tested on a criminal, I cut both of his knees in a single strike, so I was given this name.”)
Kumokirimaru (蜘蛛切丸, spider slasher): the name changed again when Minamoto no Yorimitsu (Raikō), who was suffering from a sudden illness, slashed a shadow that approached him in the midst of a feverish delirium. It turned out to be the influence of a Tsuchigumo which he killed with the sword.
(土蜘蛛, literally translated “dirt/earth spider”, is an historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore) (“Do you know what tsuchigumo are? They are giant spider spirits that spread illness and disease. Well, they are no match for me, though.” / “Cut down the spider and I’d be back to good health… No good now, huh?”)
Hoemaru (吠 丸, howler): both swords Hizamaru and Higekiri came to Minamoto no Tameyoshi’s hands, and he changed their names after a night when he noticed that the blades were making noises and grunts. Hizamaru sounded like a snake and Higekiri like a lion’s cub.(“What? Did you just say I’m like a snake? What do you mean?”)
Usumidori (薄 緑, light green): Minamoto no Yoshitsune renamed this sword again because it reminded him of the Kumano mountains(The area was, and still is, considered a place of physical healing.). It is now the official title of the sword, which might have been the main inspiration behind his brother’s depicted inability to remember his name, as he is no longer known by the one he used to have.
We have some references of Higekiri supernatural battles through his quotes: “Whether you’re a demon or a sword, I’ll cut you, you know? ” / “ Enemies or demons, let’s keep slicing them up!” / “It’s not good to be jealous of others. You’ll become a demon… Let’s be more big-hearted and take things easy.” Reference to the tale of Uji no Hashihime. According to legend, Hashihime was a noblewoman who became consumed by jealousy and eventually turned into a demon who terrorized Kyoto. The famous warrior Watanabe no Tsuna used Higekiri to sever her arm.
(Hashihime 橋姫means “The maiden of the bridge”, is a woman who spends lonely nights waiting for her lover to visit, and later as a fierce demon fueled by jealousy. She came to be associated most often with a bridge in Uji.)
While attacking he also yells:“That arm, I’ll take it!” referencing the legend above or the legend of the Ibaraki-doji.
Higekiri is way more playful than Hizamaru as he tend to always joke about forgetting names or playing with the horses, he even jokes about fieldwork: “Hm. If I become an expert at this, maybe my next name can be Weed-cutter?” since some of his names comes from him cutting things.
Hizamaru on the other hand is a bit more serious and tends to remember a lot of his past, while doing fieldwork he says: “Those Minamoto members would faint if they saw me now, wouldn’t they?” / “Indeed, no one would ever expect to see a treasure of the Minamoto clan handling farm tools.”
Even though they are a different and after everything they went through what Hizamaru says seems pretty true: “I get along with my elder brother very well. …I’m serious.”
In fact he seems pretty happy to see his brother:“Elder brother! Is my elder brother here?”/“ Elder brother, he… has forgotten my name again… …No, I’m not crying. I’m not crying!”
Obviously that goes for Higekiri as well:“My younger brother’s… Hmmm, what was it again. Uh… Well, I’ve completely forgotten his name, but anyway, please take care of him.”
Both sword are on display at Kyoto National Museum, from December 15th to February 21st. They are both currently conserved at Kyoto, Higekiri at Kitano Tenmangu, Kamigyou-ku, Kyoto and Hizamaru at Daikaku-ji Temple, Kyoto.
Higekiri and Hizamaru were an event drop until 2016/03/15. They can be obtained through Kebishii drops. They also are the only swords to have more than an entry in the citadel logbook.
*A shaku is 3,030cm and a sun is 0,3030cm. The basis of the shakkanhō length measurements is the shaku, which originated in ancient China. So the shaku is like the meter and the sun is like the centimeter.
**Tameshigiri is the Japanese art of target test cutting. The kanji literally mean “test cut” (ためし ぎり tameshi giri). This practice was popularized in the Edo period for testing the quality of Japanese swords. It continues to the present day, but has evolved into a martial art which focuses on demonstrating the practitioner’s skill with a sword.
***渡邊 綱 (953-1025) was a Japanese samurai, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (also known as Raikō), one of the earliest samurai to be famed for his military exploits. Watanabe features in many of Yorimitsu’s legendary adventures, and aids him in fighting many monsters, beasts and demons.
His most famous feat is the defeat of the demon Ibaraki-doji, the principal follower of Shuten-doji. He fought Ibaraki-doji single-handedly at the Rashomon gate at the southern end of Suzaku-oji, the central North-South street in the old capital Heian-kyo (now Kyoto).
****You can read the stories here. (dont worry it’s just wikipedia)
Tachi - 🌸🌸 Medium Rarity - #108(Higekiri)
Tachi - 🌸🌸🌸 High Rarity - #108(lv. 25)
Tachi - 🌸🌸🌸 High Rarity - #108(lv. 50)
Tachi - 🌸🌸🌸🌸 Special Rarity - #108(lv.75)
Tachi - 🌸🌸 Medium Rarity - #112(Hizamaru)
Tachi - 🌸🌸🌸 High Rarity - #112(v.25)
Tachi - 🌸🌸🌸🌸 Special Rarity - #112(lv.50)
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