One of the highlights of the Marugame City Museum in Kagawa Prefecture is a short sword dubbed the Nikkari Aoe. The sword appears in a myth about a samurai who struck a ghost with the blade in the middle of the night, only to realize the next day that a stone pagoda had been cut clean in half.
The popularity of the Nikkari Aoe has soared since its inclusion in the hit online game "Touken Ranbu," which features swords incarnated as samurai warriors.
A woman visiting the museum from Tokyo said, "I came here because I wanted to know what the real sword is like, and I found it's as beautiful as the character it is depicted by in the game."
The sword was also popular among feudal military commanders in the Sengoku warring states period (late 15th to late 16th century). It was made in the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392) in the town of Aoe, now Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture.
Having passed through the hands of such illustrious samurai as Shibata Katsuie, the sword was believed to have been a favorite of Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi's. It is believed he had the length of the sword shortened from a tachi long sword to its current length of 60.3 centimeters so that it would be easier to carry at all times.
"In the record of swords owned by the Toyotomi family, the sword is listed as 'Nikkari.' It is thought that it was called so before [the record was made]," Marugame City Museum curator Tomomi Okita said.
Kyogoku Tadataka, an uncle of the first Kyogoku lord of Marugame Domain, was involved in the 1614 siege of Osaka on the side of the Tokugawa clan.
He contributed to peace negotiations with the Toyotomi side and was given the sword by Toyotomi Hideyori for his efforts.
The sword was a cherished family treasure of the Kyogoku until the end of the Meiji period (1868-1912).
The city of Marugame bought the sword from an antique dealer for about 60 million yen in 1997, declaring that it was an "important part of local history."
The sword has been shown to the public 12 times. However, in the four times it has been exhibited since featuring in the online game, nearly 40,000 people have seen it, about half the total number of people that have seen it since it was acquired by the museum.
Developed by DMM Games and Nitroplus, "Touken Ranbu" is a game in which players train Touken Danshi, swords incarnated as samurai warriors. Gameplay involves capturing territory and defeating evil forces that are trying to change the course of history.
The Nikkari Aoe is the only Shikoku-based sword that features in the game.
With the restoration of stone walls damaged in heavy rains ongoing at the nearby Marugame Castle, Okita said, "The game has made the sword a household name. I hope fans who visited will also be interested in the castle restoration and that the circle of support will continue to grow," Okita said.
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