Kusanagi

Kusanagi-no-tsurugi is a legendary Japanese sword. Its real name is Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi, ("Sword of the Cluster Cloud Rain") but it is better known as Kusanagi ("grass cutter", or more probably "sword of (the snake"). It can also be called Tsumugari no Tachi. The real Kusanagi is probably a bronze age style sword: short, straight and double-edged; very different from the more recent katana, with a single curved edge. It can be held with one or both hands.

Legends

The history of Kusanagi extends into legend. According to the book Kojiki, the Japanese god Susanoo encountered a grieving family led by Ashi na Zuchi on his way to Izumo province. When Susanoo questioned Ashi na Zuchi, he told her that her family was being devastated by Yamata-no-Orochi, the terrible eight-headed serpent of the Koshi province, who consumed seven of the family's eight daughters and that the creature was going after the eighth, Kushinada. Susanoo set out to investigate the monster, and after an aborted encounter, he returned with a plan to defeat it. In exchange, he asked for Kushinada's hand in marriage, which was granted. He temporarily transformed her into a comb to have her company in battle and detailed his plan.

He supervised the preparation of eight sake jars that were to be placed on individual platforms positioned behind a fence with eight gates. The creature took the bait and passed each of its heads through the different doors. Taking advantage of the distraction, Susanoo attacked and killed the beast. She decapitated each head and then continued down the tails. In the fourth tail, she discovered a large sword inside the body, which she called Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and which she presented to the goddess Amaterasu to settle an old debt.

Generations later, under the reign of the 12th Emperor, Keikō, the sword was given to the great warrior Yamato Takeru as part of a pair of gifts given by his aunt Yamato Hime, the Ise shrine maiden, to protect her nephew. in times of danger.

Those gifts came in handy when Yamato Takeru was tricked into an open field during a hunting expedition for a traitorous warlord. The aforementioned had burning arrows to ignite the grass and trap Yamato Takeru in the field so that he would burn to death. He also killed the warrior's horse to prevent him from escaping. In desperation, Yamato Takeru used Murakakumo no Tsurugui to cut the grass and move the fuel away from the fire, but in doing so, he discovered that the sword allowed him to control the wind and move it in the direction of the oscillation of he. Taking advantage of this magic, Yamato Takeru used his other gift—the fire harpoons—to make the fire grow in the direction of the tyrant and his men, and thus control the winds with the sword to direct the flames towards them. Upon triumph, Yamato Takeru renamed the sword Kusanagi (grass cutter) to commemorate his hard-fought victory. As time passed, Yamato Takeru married and died in a battle against a monster, after ignoring his wife's advice to take Kusanagi with him.

Although this is the most popular theory of how Kusanagi got his name, researchers agree that it is almost certainly false. In ancient Japanese, kusa means sword and nagi means snake. Thus, an alternative theory is that Kusanagi means 'snake sword'.

It is also said that a legendary god Gonses kiluas forged with his own hands this sword which was taken from his empire, while he was away, it is said that it has many devastating powers that are received when using it, but now it is among the Imperial Treasures of Japan without anyone being able to possess this mysterious sword. 1,374 robbery attempts have already been thwarted.

Current status of Kusanagi

In historical times, the Emperor had a royal sword with the name Kusanagi. However, in 688, it was brought to Atsuta Shrine from the palace, after the sword was blamed for causing Emperor Tenmu's illness. It is one of the Imperial Treasures of Japan, the sword representing the virtue of courage. It was kept in the Atsuta shrine but the sword was later lost around the year 1467. There are various theories about its current state:

Atsuta Theory

This theory suggests that, according to various records, it has never been moved from the Atsuta Shrine and that it continues to be kept in a secret location. It is known that during the Edo period, a Shinto priest claimed to have seen the sword. According to himself, the sword was about 84 centimeters long, shaped like a dog's tooth, metallic white, and in good condition. Another text says that said priest died of the curse and the power of the sword, but this is surely a story that was extended to emphasize the power and mythical character of Kusanagi.

In recent times, the Japanese television network NHK went to the Atsuta Shrine to record images of the sword. However, although they did not agree to show it, they did not deny that it was there. This theory suggests that the sword has deteriorated over time and is in poor condition.

Replication theory

This theory suggests that the current Kusanagi is actually a replica of the original. There are different reasons for stating this.

One of them is that in the Battle of Dan-no-ura, a naval battle that culminated in the defeat of the forces of the Heike clan and the young Emperor Antoku at the hands of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the sword was lost in the sea. Upon learning of the defeat of the Armada, the Emperor's grandmother led him and her entourage to suicide, drowning in the waters of the strait along with the imperial insignia: the sword, the jewel and the mirror. And although Minamoto's troops managed to stop a handful of them and recover two of the three sacred treasures, Kusanagi was said to have been lost forever. According to various historical records, the 10th Emperor, Sujin, had ordered the creation of a replica of Kusanagi. However, this information was only made public after it was learned that the sword had been stolen. The imperial house claimed that it was the replica that had been taken, but that is as likely as that the replica was manufactured after the fact to replace the unrecoverable sword. The sword was stolen again in the 6th century by a Korean monk （新罗）. It was reported at the time that his ship sank in the sea and that the sword washed ashore in Ise, where it was recovered by Shinto priests. Thus, the current sword could be removed up to three times from its original place.

It is written that the Inbe clan gave Empress Jitō a mirror and a sword which they took to the Ise Shrine and that these are two of the three imperial insignia. In any case, the greatest weakness of this theory is that as the incarnation of kami, not even the Emperor could have taken the sword without a formal ceremony, and there is no record at the Atsuta shrine of such ceremonies being held. Furthermore, the sword that Empress Jitō received is actually Sugari no Ontachi (須賀利御太刀) which is made at each emperor's ascension, and the Yata mirror is a different item for the same reason.

In popular culture

As with Excalibur, the great fame that Kusanagi brings has made her popular, appearing in several works of fiction. It has even been commented that it is possibly the authentic steel fang or tessaiga sword. This appearance normally signals the nearness of the end of the story, since it is the most powerful object, along with the divine spear Amenonuhoko, which was used to create the islands of Japan. But unlike Excalibur, it is rare for a character to use it in combat, since it is a ceremonial weapon. Instead, its magical properties are more emphasized as in the mythical origin: providing the wearer with the power to control the wind, and it is one of the most powerful weapons to support the performance of prodigies. It is often misrepresented as a katana, as both are Japanese weapons.

Anime

• In the well-known Blue Seed anime, the main character is Mamoru Kusanagi.
• In the anime Taimadō Gakuen 35 Shiken Shōtai, the main character is called Takeru Kusanagi.
• In the animation film Ghost in the Shell, one of the protagonists, a cyborg woman, is called Motoko Kusanagi.
• In the popular anime Sailor Moon, the warriors of the outer planets (Neptune, Uranus and Pluto) carry objects called "talismans" that surely derive from the three real badges. They're the Deep water mirror (clears) Spatial sword (swords) and Orbe granate (joya).
• In the animity of Gundam Seed and Gudam Seed Destiny, one of the main warships bears the name of Kusanagi.
• In the third film of Inu-Yasha, Kusanagi is named fleetingly as the sword by which the Sounga was mistaken, with the story of Kusanagi recited by the grandfather of one of the protagonists.
• In the anime of Naruto, Orochimaru invokes on several occasions the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi. (also Sasuke has a sword called Kusanagi is not the same, this sword is mentioned in chapter 52 Naruto Shippuden.)
• In Digimon Adventure 02, Shurimon appears, a Digimon who can launch a giant shuriken called "Kusanagi."
• In the anime Digimon Frontier, the most powerful transformation of the protagonists is called Susanoomon, in honor of the god Susanoo. One of his attacks uses a large sword called "Ama no Habakiri", based in Kusanagi.
• This is also the anime called in Spanish Maxbot, in which the main character Yamato Takeru gathers the sword of Kusanagi, the mirror of Yata and the magatama of Yasaka.
• At Fairy Tail, the God Slayer of Heaven Cheria uses a spell called "Ama no Murakumo".
• In Kannazuki no miko, the wick to be invoked by the priestesses of the sun and moon (Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya, respectively) is called Ame no Murakumo.
• In the anime Campione! Kusanagi Godou, possesses the sword "Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi", which belonged to the god Susanoo, never beat the sword in the anime as it was absorbed by Metis in the light novel beats the sword.
• In the anime Kamigami no Asobi, the sword relates to Kusanagi Yui and takes it to the garden that Zeus has prepared for it, since then, becomes its amulet.

Literature

• In Harry Dresden's SagaKusanagi is also the sword FidelacchiusThe Sword of Faith, one of the three swords used by the Knights of the Cross in their struggle against the Order of Black Denaries. His pome has, supposedly, one of the nails used to crucify Jesus Christ. In his first appearance (Death masks), is used by Shiro, who leaves her in custody of Harry Dresden before he dies, to look for a worthy candidate. Detective Karrin Murphy uses it on several occasions until Nicodemus Archleone destroys it on several occasions. Skin Game.

Manga

• In the manga "Hinomaru Zumou" the character Kuze Sousuke is also called Kusanagi no Tsurugi, because it is a national treasure and, like the rest, has a second name of one of Japan's legendary Katanas, such as Onimaru Kunistuna or Mikazuki Munechika.
• Kusanagi is the theme of several books by Usagi Yojimbo, where he also receives the name "Segadora".
• The sword, the jewel and the mirror can also be the inspiration for the orb, mirror and sword at the beginning of the Yu Yu Hakusho saga where Yusuke Urameshi needs to return before Enma realizes that they are missing.
• Naruto's Orochimaru character takes Kusanagi to his throat. The sword is described as a straight weapon of the style of the bronze age. Orochimaru, a snake controller, wounds the hokage of the people of the leaf with this sword, which is in keeping with the name of Weed cutter and sword of the serpent.
• On the sleeve and anime Blue Seed, there is a character named Kusanagi that extends weapons similar to swords of his arms. The anime is strongly based on the myth of Susanoo and Kushi Nada Hime.
• The sword, the jewel and the mirror also appear on the sleeve Detective Conan as part of the puzzle that the characters must solve.
• On the sleeve Kenyuu Densetsu Yaiba by Gōshō Aoyama, Kusanagi appears as the last sword of Yaiba, after defeating Yamata-no-Orochi.
• On the One Piece sleeve, Admiral Kizaru has three attacks whose names are based on the three legendary treasures.
• In the Ikkitousen sleeve of the author Yuji Shiozaki, the character Gempou Saji is going to face Chuuei Toutaku, but before that he steals the Kusanagi sword from the Atsuta temple, however when Saji meets he explains to Toutaku that it is not the Kusanagi sword, referring to the Theory of the replica but that in the history of the sword Cauh was replaced
• In the Inuyasha series this sword appears as a steel ring and having great similarity with the description of it.
• In the cardboard of the second top of Shaman King's sleeve, Yoh Asakura carries the three imperial relics with himself.

Video games

• In the Avalon Code (NDS), you can create a sword called Kusanagi, which is more powerful against enemies with snake codes. In the description it appears that it was created by Eastern gods, and that a god removed it from the body of a giant snake, and this made it powerful against the serpents.
• Kyō Kusanagi is the main character of the SNK Playmore game series The King of Fighters and is the heir of the Kusanagi clan that 1800 years ago helped enclose Orochi along with the Yasakani and Yata clans. At the end of the game King of Fighters '97, the descendants of those clans, Iori Yagami (who carries the Magatama of Yasakani) and Chizuru Kagura (who wears the Yata mirror) appear next to Kyo to reincarcerate a newly released Orochi. In addition, Kyo's father, Saisyu Kusanagi, has a special movement called "Tsumugari", which is part of one of the names received by the sword and Kyo himself owns the special attack called "Orochinagi", which some translate as "Snake Hunter".
• One of Strider Hiryu's movements in Marvel vs. Capcom is "Ame no Murakumo", which is a fragment of the full name of the legendary sword.
• In the online video game Phantasy Star Online, there are three rare objects based on the three sacred treasures. The Kusanagi (spada), "Yata Mirror" (picture) and the Yasakani Magatama (joya).
• In Tales of Symphonia the three sacred objects are also represented with the same names as in the Phantasy Star Online.
• In the video game Saga Frontier there is a magical sword called Kusanagi that can be obtained from a dead king, and to open the door to him you need three artifacts, one of which is the Magatama.
• At Golden Sun:The Lost Age, the village of Izumo is being threatened by a great snake, who wants to devour eight maidens. In order to kill the snake, the local hero of the village, called Susa, gets rid of the snake to be killed by the protagonists. When they get it, a weapon called "Number Sword" appears in its tail.
• In the game of PlayStation and PSP, Valkyrie Profile on the end game you can find the Katana "Kusanagi", being the most powerful of the game, in its category.
• In the SEGA video game for the Saturn Sega, Dragon Force, the sovereign of Izumo, Mikhal, uses a fighting style called Kusanagi, and in the same way, it is the name of his katana.
• In the game Baten Kaitos: The eternal wings and the lost ocean for the Nintendo Gamecube refers to the three treasures of the Japanese Emperor above mentioned. These appear as three of the most powerful cards in the game. Thus, the sword is a weapon used by the protagonist, Kalas. Xelha, co-star of the game, uses the collar and mirror to face Malpergio, a dark god.
• In the games of the "Narutimate" series of naruto, the character of Orochimaru uses it in all its movements.
• In Clover Studio's Okami video game, Suzano fights alongside the goddess Amaterasu, which is in the form of a white wolf, to defeat the Orochi monster. By defeating him, you receive a sword, which could be taken as the very sword Kusanagi.
• In Shin Megami Tensei, it appears with the name of Ame no Murakumo and is one of the most powerful weapons, only overcome by the latest weapons of each alignment, and obtained only by fusion.
• In the game of Final Fantasy XII, one of the weapons obtained by the Bazaar, is called Ame no Murakumo.
• In the game of BlazBlue Calamity Trigger the character and boss v-13 (O Niu 13) belongs to the units Murakumo, referring to a fragment of the name of that sword, also the theme of the character of Hakumen refers to the name of the god Susanoo.
• In the game of BlazBlue Continuum Shift Hazama/Terumi awakens the true identity of Noel as Mu-12, also known as the true Murakumo "Kusanagi" master unit and be able to destroy Amateratsu master unit.
• In the game Final Fantasy Tactics advance (GBA), and Final Fantasy tactics advance 2: grimoire of the rift (NDS) one of the katanas appears as heaven's cloud referring to his other name with which he is known "sword of the rising clouds of the sky" later as "amanomurakumo" referring to Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi in his correct pronunciation.
• In Touhou it is said that Rinnosuke found her at the house of the witch Marisa Kirisame among the "chatarra" that accumulates.
• In the second game of the series "Len'En Proyect" (Len'en Tasouken ~ Earthen Miraculous Sword). The final boss, Adagumo-No-Yaorochi, uses a replica of the Kusanaki sword created by her Sukune Katano.
• In the MMORPG wolrd of warcraft there is a sword with this name with the label "Imperial Space".
• In the role video game Ninja Saga there is a sword with the name Kusanagi.
• In the game for Facebook and mobile app Pearl's Peril de Wooga, the plot indicates that a Japanese clan stole the Kusanagi sword and kidnapped Iris Hillman, Pearl's friendly journalist.
• In the indie video game Aka Manto of the developer Chilla's Art, to achieve the good end the spectre must be killed by means of the katana that is obtained by getting the 7 color papers.

Music

• "Espadas y Serpientes" is the title of one of the songs played by the Argentine group of punk rock, Attack 77.
• "Kusanagi" is the title of one of the songs played by the Andorran group of progressive metal, Persefone.