MURASAMA

HI THERE, DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD SITE WHERE I CAN FIND
INFORMATION ABOUT THE MURASAMA SWORDS AND THEIR MAKER MURASAMA THE
MADMAN?

--- g3mneye <grfkboyz@...> wrote:

>
> HI THERE, DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD SITE WHERE I
> CAN FIND
> INFORMATION ABOUT THE MURASAMA SWORDS AND THEIR
> MAKER MURASAMA THE
> MADMAN?

PLEASE do not type in all capital letters.



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Well "Boyz",
I am sure you mean Sengo MuraMASA of Ise, who was no madman but
rather a very gifted smith. Unfortunately for him and his fine works,
his swords figured in several accidents and a death or two involving
the Tokugawa family. Ieyasu was convinced they were bad luck for him
and his kin, so forbid anyone to wear them in his presence, this became
the law after awhile applied to all who served the bakufu. Playwrights
and novelists turned this into legend, spreading the infamy of the
swords and the idea of the mad swordsmith. A shame really because fine
works were surely lost or destroyed because of people who took the
tales too literally or who feared Tokugawa retribution.
For the real story on the Sengo school and Muramasa I recommend
visiting www.jssus.org(www.afuresearch.com) and picking up The Art and
the Sword (their annual) with the excellent articles by Dr. Gordon
Robson DRE.
-t

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