The Gegenji View on Weapons
“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer’s hand.” - Seneca the Younger
WARNING: Wall of Text below!
The Gegenjis, as a family, tend to be very picky about who they craft weapons for. This is exemplified by Chachanji, whose pacifistic nature makes him ill-inclined to make weapons period, but is also notable in a different shade in his father Zozonji Gegenji. While Zozonji can and has made a huge amount of weaponry (my head-canon is he was one of the main producers of the Yashan/Asuran equipment for Rowena), these are ultimately rather low-quality for Zozonji’s caliber and can be generally mass-produced without issue. While this could be partially seen as bragging on the skill of this NPC’s at smithing, it is mainly to serve as another hint to the Gegenji family’s approach to weapon-crafting: Zozonji could make far, far deadlier weapons but won’t unless he personally wants to make the weapon for that person.
A large part of this is due to a concept that I’ve come to simply refer to as “Intent.” And this isn’t the intent of the user - though that does play a part in it - but the Intent of the weapon itself.
In the Going Going Kugane arc, Chachanji tests a long-forgotten katana made by his father by setting the blade into the flow of the water around his ruined former home and casting leaves and blades of grass in ahead of it. The idea for this was drawn from a tale - usually attributed to the famous Japanese smiths Muramasa and Masamune - where one smith’s blade would cut and kill anything that came in its path, while the other let much pass by unhindered. The words of the monk that observed this situation nicely encapsulates the idea of Intent:
"The first of the swords was by all accounts a fine sword, however it is a blood thirsty, evil blade, as it does not discriminate as to who or what it will cut. It may just as well be cutting down butterflies as severing heads. The second was by far the finer of the two, as it does not needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving." (taken from the Masamune wiki linked above)
The first blade (made by Muramasa in this version of the tale) has a negative Intent, while Masamune’s has a positive one from the point of view of the Gegenjis. While a person of strong enough will can overcome the Intent of a weapon, if that will is not absolute in its resolve it can be nudged towards the Intent of the weapon. And a will weak enough will instead by controlled by the weapon instead of the user being in charge.
Oddly enough, the Elder Primal Odin also fits this sort of weapon view. The Zantetsuken is a weapon steeped with so much Intent that it has absolute sway over its wielder, and presence enough to manifest a form for itself. To Eorzeans, it is a Primal - to the Gegenjis, they would likely see it as a heavy Intented blade which has a spirit that has become a kami through its age and accumulated power.
There are two major factors - according to the Gegenjis - that determine Intent:
The will and aether of the creator, and
How the weapon is (or is not) used
The first determines the initial Intent of the weapon, with the strength of that Intent congruent with the strength and skill of the smith that forged the blade. If the weapon is designed to kill, then it will be like Muramasa’s blade - one that seeks out combat and the drawing of blood. If it’s designed to protect, then it will be like Masamune’s - only harming as much as it needs to. Part of Chachanji’s unwillingness to make weapons is - while he is skilled at making weapons as well as armor - his (self-believed) lack of combat prowess makes it such that he is uncertain he can impart enough of that Intent to his creations. Not to mention that his intense desire to not cause any harm at all would likely result in an Intent that could render a weapon completely harmless in not overcome.
Regardless of the initial Intent of a weapon’s creator, however, it is also how the weapon is used that can also greatly affect the Intent of the weapon. A weapon made to protect used for murder and bloodshed could turn it into a bloodthirsty one over time as its Intent is perverted. A bloodied blade whose Intent is tempered by the will of a strong, peaceful warrior could see its thirst for combat slowly fade. And - in the case of the katana Chachanji tested - even a blade that has been left unused and forgotten could develop its own sense of abandonment and lack of fulfillment that could either increase the intensity of the Intent or warp it from its original purpose.
That is not to say that simply using the weapon in combat is the only way to affect Intent after its forging. Rituals can be done upon the weapon to appease or incite its spirit - and these are actually part of the process the Gegenjis undertake themselves when they make their most powerful, unique weapons. However, this could be done by any other smith familiar with Doman/Hingan smithing techniques or by Doman/Hingan priests (and perhaps even Gridanian Conjurers) who are familiar with the communing with spirits.
So, it is the duty of every Gegenji smith - should they make their finest weapons for someone - to determine the nature and the will of the person that would be using it.
Would they be strong enough to master the weapon and not have it master them? For even a blade with good Intent could still cause ill if it is not controlled. The wielder would need will enough to handle the weapon and be able to overcome the Intent should it be necessary.
In addition, once under control of the weapon, would the user utilize the weapon in a way that the smith would approve of? In the case of Chachanji, he would be utterly devastated if he learned that a blade he created for someone was used to slaughter innocent people - to go against the Intent he would have sought to instill in his weapons. And his good nature and willing to accept and give anyone a chance makes him not yet at a point where he feels comfortable making weapons for anyone but those he has the closest connections with. His father, however, has a much more discerning eye.
How much of this is truth, and how much of this is simply folklore and belief on behalf of the Gegenji family? It is hard to say; a smith puts a bit of themselves in everything they create, and a weapon used long enough or skillfully enough can become like an extension of the wielder. And, of course, the land of Eorzea is a place where belief itself can manifest in ways unexpected...
