The project executive committee of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City), which owns the famous Heian period sword ''Higekiri'' (Important Cultural Property), has started a crowdfunding campaign. (CF) raised funds and received nearly 60 million yen. The executive committee was surprised by the results of the Reiwa Campaign, which received four times as much donations as originally expected, given the persistent sword boom. "I want to live up to the expectations of many supporters," he said with caution.
Higekiri is said to have been created by Minamoto no Mitsunaka, an ancestor of Minamoto Yoritomo and others, and has since been passed down from generation to generation of the Minamoto clan. It is said to be a brother sword with the Important Monument of the same period, ``Hizamaru'' (held in Daikakuji Temple), and fans call it ''older brother''.
Higekiri was dedicated to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in 1880, but it did not have a scabbard or handle. The executive committee was established by Tenmangu Shrine in conjunction with ''KOGEI Next,'' a group of traditional craftsmen responsible for the production, and Kyoto Women's University (Higashiyama Ward), which handles public relations. It will be dedicated at the Hanmanto Festival in 2027.
This happy miscalculation was the result of "Reiwa promotion." On November 29, 2023, we started recruiting on the CF site "Campfire" with the aim of raising 15 million yen, and applications flooded in, and the target amount was exceeded in just an hour and a half from noon. By the deadline of January 25, 2024, the amount had exceeded 57.8 million yen and the number of supporters reached 2,262.
The executive committee was more surprised by the number of supporters than by the amount of money, and Higashikawa Kusunoki of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine expressed his gratitude, saying, "We want to cherish the fact that our circle has expanded so much.'' The sword boom, which was triggered by the game "Touken Ranbu,'' which anthropomorphized swords, is a big deal, but Higashikawa Kusunoki says, "It was also influenced by the activity of holding a sword exhibition at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine every year to spread the belief in swords.'' "Maybe," he analyzed.
The custom of making new swords and dedicating them to shrines has been around for a long time. At Tenmangu Shrine, there were precedents from Toyotomi Hideyori and the Maeda family of the Kaga domain, and the techniques of each era were reflected. This time, as in the past, active craftsmen will demonstrate their skills by utilizing metal resources from urban mines found in discarded home appliances and mobile phones, as well as old materials from Tenmangu Shrine. The amount of funding that exceeds the target will be used to improve the materials and design of these koshirae.
The enshrined deity, Michizane Sugawara, is famous as the god of learning, but it is also said that he is actually a ''god of war,'' where samurai sheath their swords. The executive committee said, ''Our goal is to have people fall in love with Tenjin and Tenmangu. An increase in the number of people who come to visit will help protect the shrine and its treasures.''
