Just saw this awesome story today on NHK World Newsline. The report is called “Home, at Last”, as reported by Taro Nagaoka for 10/27/2015. This sword’s story has so much Touken Ranbu potential. ^.^ (In terms of Touken Ranbu fandom spilling into general interest in swords, rising in Japan’s female population, it seems appropriate that one of the museum visitors interviewed was a woman. lol) Here’s a transcript of the report:
Reporter: "Swords that once were weapons in Japan are considered works of art today. Some have been designated national important cultural properties. But that sort of recognition also brings attention from opportunists. NHK World’s Taro Nagaoka reports about a stolen sword that only recently resurfaced.“
Nagaoka: "The sword has a name: Bishu-Osafuneju-Motoshige. It was made about 700 years ago, and is an important cultural property. The inscription says ‘mikaeri’, meaning ‘to turn back and look’. The sword was said to be so sharp, that you did not know it had cut you, until you turned around and fell down. People were able to see it in the safety of an exhibition in the city of Tsuruoka. The sword proved to be a big attraction.”
Female museum visitor: "The condition is terrific! It makes me speechless.“
Male museum visitor: "This is a real treasure for everyone in our city.”
Nagaoka: “The sword was owned by a descendant of the feudal lord of this area. But in 1986, someone stole it from the family storehouse. The thieves were caught, but the sword was lost. It had already been sold on the black market. Tadahisa Sakai is the director of the museum that held the recent exhibition. It was his father who owned the sword at the time of the theft. He says his father was heart-broken. The elder Sakai had written many poems about the stolen treasure.”
Poetry by elder Sakai: "Oh, stolen sword, do not turn rusty. I await the day you come back to me.“
Nagaoka: "His father passed away eleven years ago, without seeing the sword again. Last year, a…collector in Osaka told Mr. Sakai, someone was selling the object. Under…Law, the time limit for getting the property back had passed. The seller was not responsible for the theft, and buying it from him was beyond Mr. Sakai’s ability.”
Sakai: "The price was close to a million dollars. I have no way of coming up with money like that.”
Nagaoka: “A collector in Osaka came to the rescue. He purchased the sword and offered to lend it without charge, for exhibitions at Sakai’s museum.“
Sakai: "Finally, I was able to tell my father, that the Mikaeri Motoshige had returned. I can almost hear him say, ‘Thank goodness’.”
Nagaoka: “The day before the recent showing, Sakai polished the sword himself.”
Sakai: "I had given up on ever seeing it again. So I’m delighted that we are finally able to display it.“
Nagaoka: "On opening day, Sakai explained the origins of the sword and its more recent history.”
Sakai: "I hope people will have other opportunities to attend exhibitions [of] this sword and learn about Japan’s sword culture.“
Nagaoka: "After 30 years, the wandering sword finally found its way home. Sakai hopes to exhibit it every year to highlight a form of culture that cuts across the centuries. —Taro Nagaoka, NHK World, Yamagata.”
