Kogarasu Maru
Encyclopedia
The Kogarasu Maru or "Little Crow," is a unique Japanese tachi
Tachi
The is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...

 sword rumored to have been created by legendary Japanese smith Amakuni
Amakuni
is the legendary swordsmith who created the first single-edged longsword with curvature along the edge in the Yamato Province around 700 AD. He was the head of a group of swordsmiths employed by the Emperor of Japan to make weapons for his warriors. His son, Amakura, was the successor to his work...

 during 8th century CE.

Blade Classification and History

'Kissaki Moro Ha Zukuri' blades like the Kogasaru Maru are sometimes referred to as 'Kogarasu Zukuri', since the blade of the Kogarasu Maru is shaped this way and is well known for its distinctive sugata. The Kogarasu Maru is unique as a bridge between the old double-edged Japanese Ken (based on the traditional Chinese straight sword
Jian
The jian is a double-edged straight sword used during the last 2,500 years in China. The first Chinese sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period; one of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.Historical one-handed versions have blades...

) and the traditional Japanese tachi
Tachi
The is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...

 and eventual katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

.

The Kogarasu Maru was designed with a curved double-edged blade approximately 62.8 cm long. One edge of the blade is shaped in normal tachi fashion, but unlike the tachi, the tip is symmetrical and both edges of the blade are sharp, similar to a European sword or a Japanese yari
Yari
is the term for one of the traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear...

 spear, except for about 20 cm of the trailing or concave edge nearest the hilt, which is rounded. A single koshi-hi style groove runs from the nakago to the trasitionpoint where the blade becomes double-edged, and is invariably accompanied by a soe-hi. The yaki-ire (hardening) process yielded a sugaha hamon (straight 'temper' line) on both sides of the blade.

The Kogarasu Maru "Little Crow" is the most famous of the known Kogarasu Zukuri blades and is currently in the Japanese Imperial Collection. The tang of the Kogarasu Maru is not signed but the blade is believed to have been made during the either the early Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 or late Nara period
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...

, by the sword smith Amakuni
Amakuni
is the legendary swordsmith who created the first single-edged longsword with curvature along the edge in the Yamato Province around 700 AD. He was the head of a group of swordsmiths employed by the Emperor of Japan to make weapons for his warriors. His son, Amakura, was the successor to his work...

, who is said to have created the first curved Japanese sword and is believed to have lived during this period. Two other Kogarasu Zukuri blades exist from this era, but many other blades of this type have been created throughout Japanesepene

Rumors

The Kogarasu Maru is believed by some to have been a cut down naginata
Naginata
The naginata is one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class in feudal Japan, and naginata were also used by ashigaru and sōhei .-Description:A naginata consists of a wooden shaft with a curved...

 or yari
Yari
is the term for one of the traditionally made Japanese blades in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear...

 blade that was fashioned into a tachi
Tachi
The is one type of traditional Japanese sword worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan.-History and description:With a few exceptions katana and tachi can be distinguished from each other if signed, by the location of the signature on the tang...

, as its shape is similar to that of some polearms. Nevertheless no evidence of "suriage" (shortening) is found on any of the three extant examples from this time period.

Popular culture

In the Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, Air Gear
Air Gear
is a shōnen manga written and illustrated by Ito "Oh Great" Ōgure. Air Gear revolves around the life of Itsuki Minami "Ikki", also known as "Baby Face", "Lil Crow", and his friends. The story follows their use of Air Treks, an in-universe invention derived from inline skates...

, "Kogarasu-Maru" is the name used for the Air Trek team created by the protagonist of the story, Minami Itsuki. Also in the Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

, Tokyo Underground
Tokyo Underground
is a manga series by Akinobu Uraka and published by Enix. It became an anime series, produced by Studio Pierrot and shown on the TV Tokyo Network from April 2 until September 24, 2002....

, "Kogarasu-Maru" is the name of a sword used by Rumina Asagi, the main protagonist of that story.
In the PSX game Soul of the Samurai, Kogarasu Maru is one of the swords carried by Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi
, also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke or, by his Buddhist name, Niten Dōraku, was a Japanese swordsman and rōnin. Musashi, as he was often simply known, became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age...

, coming into Kotaro's possession after defeating him.

The sword is also featured as the Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 Mythic Weapon in the Treasures of Aht Urghan expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...

 of Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...

.
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