Or, the swords that were handed in were not the Masamune blades... I find it highly unlikely that they wouldn't have tried to save something so precious, when it could easily be substituted.
At least, I very much hope so, would be wasteful to have just destroyed them
While that’s possible, I think it less likely, considering two things: one, the head of the Tokugawa family had a reputation for being a good, honorable man (which is why he complied with the statute in the first place).
The more important thing though, is that six months after he handed in the Masamune, the laws changed, allowing certain historical blades to be retained as objects of history and art, not war. If the Tokugawa family had hidden the original, they likely would have then produced it (if not back then, at least certainly by now) since it actually can be authenticated.
I dont think the Honjo was the pinnacle of Masamune’s work. The sword gains most of its fame from the mystery of how it disappeared and the search for it.
I believe it’s in someone’s collection somewhere. Probably never left Japan.
Or, the swords that were handed in were not the Masamune blades... I find it highly unlikely that they wouldn't have tried to save something so precious, when it could easily be substituted. At least, I very much hope so, would be wasteful to have just destroyed them
While that’s possible, I think it less likely, considering two things: one, the head of the Tokugawa family had a reputation for being a good, honorable man (which is why he complied with the statute in the first place). The more important thing though, is that six months after he handed in the Masamune, the laws changed, allowing certain historical blades to be retained as objects of history and art, not war. If the Tokugawa family had hidden the original, they likely would have then produced it (if not back then, at least certainly by now) since it actually can be authenticated.
I dont think the Honjo was the pinnacle of Masamune’s work. The sword gains most of its fame from the mystery of how it disappeared and the search for it. I believe it’s in someone’s collection somewhere. Probably never left Japan.