Uchiha Sasuke’s sword made its debut in the popular manga Naruto Chapter 308 and the name of the sword was highly debated among fans around the world. In that chapter titled “Sasuke’s Strength”, Yamato Taichou tried to stop Uchiha Sasuke’s sword with his kunai but failed. Instead, his kunai was cut in two by Sasuke’s sword. Sasuke then quoted “You see, the Kusanagi sword that I am holding here is a bit special. It’s the kind that can’t be blocked.” This caused some confusion because readers who have followed the manga from the beginning would know that Orochimaru also had a Kusanagi sword when he fought the 3rd Hokage, the only difference being that Orochimaru’s Kusanagi looked more like a katana.
Sasuke’s Kusanagi Sword is a chokuto that is a straight Japanese sword. The design of the chokuto was originally from China and Korea. It was developed before Japanese blacksmiths discovered differential heat treatment which later gave birth to the greatest martial arts weapon of all time – the Japanese katana. The chokuto is easily distinguished by its straight blade, which is a rare feature on most Japanese swords these days.
The Kusanagi or more popularly known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Sword of Kusanagi) actually had its origin in a Japanese myth. Legend has it that the Japanese god Susa-no-o had an encounter with Ashinazuchi, the head of a family with eight daughters. Ashinazuchi previously lost seven of his daughters eaten by a giant eight-headed serpent called Yamata-no-Orochi. The snake was returning to feast on his latest daughter, Kushinade-hime. The desperate Ashinazuchi begged Susa-no-o to save his daughter, which the Japanese god agreed to in exchange for Kushinade-hime’s hand in marriage.
Susa-no-o devised a plan and ordered Ashinazuchi to prepare eight jars of sake, each placed separately behind a wall with eight doors. The giant snake came and took the bait, sliding each of its eight heads through each door. In one case, Susa-no-o emerged and cut off all eight heads before turning back to the serpent’s tails. Susa-no-o later found a sword inside Yamata-no-Orochi’s slain body which he named Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi or “Sword of the Gathered Sky Clouds”. He then presented the sword to the goddess Amaterasu to resolve an old grievance. The name of the sword was later changed to Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
In the Naruto manga, Orochimaru yells the Kusanagi sword from a snake’s mouth (the snake’s head sticks out of Orochimaru’s mouth). Orochimaru’s character, who is adept at snake jutsu, is actually drawn from the Yamata-no-Orochi snake. In chapter 392, Orochimaru broke free from Sasuke’s control and used his Hydra technique to reappear as a giant eight-headed serpent. But unlike the story of the myth, Susa-not is the name of the last jutsu that Uchiha Itachi used in conjunction with the Sword of Totsuka to seal Orochimaru in a genjutsu of illusion for all eternity. The Susa-no jutsu took the form of a giant spirit with a sharp nose, sharp teeth, and three hands: one holding a shield, another carrying a vessel, and the remaining hand wielding the Sword of Totsuka when released from the vessel.
Was it an interesting story for you? Many anime and manga titles use Japanese myths as a reference to create amazing stories, keeping readers enthralled and coming back for more. An excellent channel to learn more about Japanese culture and history, don’t you think?