Kusabimaru's name
HELLO SEKIROS!
You are going to be wondering, what in the world is there to say about Sekiro in the year 2026? The answer is always MORE
I posted a few days ago that my PS4 is finally going to meet its maker, and I was therefore backing up my save files. That led me to scroll through my 32.6 GB folder of Sekiro screenshots and videos. As I was doing that, I found an automatic trophy screenshot from the very beginning of my playthrough - the simple item description of Kusabimaru, Wolf's sword.
Transcription:
A sword given by Kuro, the Divine Heir. It is a family heirloom of the Hirata, a branch of the Ashina family. Once thought lost, it has found its way into Wolf's possession once again. Both sheath and hilt are an unassuming solid black. Its name means 'ties with that which is precious', and it's said the blade embodies this sentiment."
Thing is, I played Sekiro just a handful of months after release. Imagine my surprise when I went to look online and found out that this description is not, in fact, the current one, but it has been replaced somewhere in a later update.
The current description of Kusabimaru, which I can confirm is different in my updated game as well, is as follows:
A katana given by Kuro, the Divine Heir. An heirloom of the Hirata family, a cadet branch descended from Ashina. Once thought lost, it has found its way back into the hands of the Wolf. The name Kusabimaru beseeches, "A shinobi's role is to kill, but even a shinobi must not forget mercy." A mantra the blade itself may manifest.
Needless to say, I was very puzzled to find out that this updated translation was so different, to the point it had been intentionally changed. I wondered if the first one was a bad translation, or just a free interpretation of the Japanese text.
To be clear, I do not know if the first description corresponds to an older Japanese description which was also changed to a newer one in the original text. It makes me wonder, since the current iteration does not talk about the blade being black (Kuro?).
The best I could do was find the current Japanese text and feed it to Google Translate.
主である竜胤の御子・九郎より授かった刀。 葦名の庶家である、平田氏に伝わるもの 失っていたが、再び狼の手に戻った 楔丸の名には、願いが込められている 忍びは人を殺すが定めなれど、 一握の自費だけは、捨ててはならぬ・・・ その願い、ときに刃が汲むこともあろうか
Source: https://sekiro.gameconductor.com/item/detail/17
GT translation:
A sword bestowed by the master, the Divine Heir Kuro. It was passed down through the Hirata clan, a branch family of Ashina. Though it was lost, it has returned to the Wolf's hands. The name "Kusabimaru" holds a special meaning. While a shinobi's fate is to kill, he must never abandon his last shred of humanity... Perhaps, at times, the blade itself will understand this wish.
Now, this translation makes a LOT more sense to me!
I don't think I need to specify what a big theme humanity is in this game (along with, of course, much of Fromsoft's catalogue). All the struggle of the main characters is about their humanity; how the Heritage strips it away, how abuse and war strip it away, how it can be lost, sacrificed, maintained or found again. For Wolf especially, this is an enormous deal. His fate hangs in the balance at all times, standing on his own choice between humanity (Kuro) or perdition (Owl). In the Purification ending, he pleads Kuro to live and be human. As a contrast, Genichiro sheds his humanity for Ashina. And so on.
Given all this, the term "humanity" makes a lot more sense thematically than "mercy". If the first description was an interpretation of the same description, the "tie to what is precious" is obviously the tie to Kuro and Wolf's humanity.
However, what moved me the most about this second translation is the final sentence. Perhaps, at times, the blade itself will understand this wish.
There is a huge theme in Sekiro of Wolf being a tool. I have talked about it before, further down my tag. Because of his role as a shinobi, most of the time he is viewed as an object, a tool - a blade, if you will.
To me, if this translation is correct, this sentence is talking about Wolf himself. Because this is the whole of his story - the point is for him to reject his conditioning, to embrace his humanity and what is dear to him. If he doesn't protect Kuro and follow his path, he turns into a demon of death and destruction, or a demon of grief.
Wolf's story is about understanding that wish.
Kusabimaru's name is still a bit of a mystery to me. Sekiro makes me wish so bad I knew Japanese. But the descriptions alone are so beautifully tied into the meaning of the game! It makes me so glad I had this little adventure.
Thank you all for reading, see you next time!
