The demon slayer sword Dōjigiri Yasutsuna: Japanese Folklore and Legend of Demonic Entities Through Art History.

Abstract

Those beings whose evil exceeds the thresholds of the human, we usually attribute the qualification of demons. However, the Japanese interpretation of such a phenomenon, distances itself and diversifies from our Judeo-Christian conception. In this way, we will find in ogres (oni), ghosts (yūrei) and other supernatural beings (yōkai), some examples of entities that torment the human world. At this point the heroes intervene, mortal human beings, but momentarily acquire a status of equality with the demons when they face them in combat. The samurai, the Japanese warrior nobility, assume this role, and their swords (nihontō) will be the item that will forge the legend, cutting the space that separates this universe from the one "on the other shore". This article search the analysis of the written sources that, directly or indirectly, relate to this sword, with the piece itself being the ultimate reference, using, in particular, the example of the Dōjigiri Yasutsuna sword. Thus, this masterpiece positions itself between myth and legend. The conclusions will justify this nihontō as one of the most important art works in Japanese history.