In commemoration of the newest Collectible that just came out (which is awesome...), the Muramasa sword... I wish to share some information!...
Now it is a commonly misconstrued fact that there is a sword which is referred to as the "Muramasa". Many video games and legends speak of a Demon-possessed, or evil sword which requires the user to draw blood whenever it is drawn from it's scabbard to the point of injuring themselves or committing suicide if necessary. However, in reality, there is no ONE Muramasa Sword.
One of Japan's greatest Swordsmiths was a man named Muramasa Sengo, who started a school of swordsmithing. Muramasa swords were well known for being INCREDIBLY sharp. Some texts/legends claim that Muramasa himself was a violent and insane madman who passed on his bloodthirsty ethic onto the blades he forged. Thus they have somewhat of a reputation for being evil/bloodthirsty blades. Tokugawa Ieyasu once banned samurai from carrying them because he had seen many of his warriors slain by the sharp blades, and he had once accidentally cut himself wielding one.
Also, though historically, they could not have had any direct relationship or interaction... Muramasa's blades are often compared against blades created by another legendary swordsmith of Japan, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. Masamune weapons have a reputation for peace and honor, and one was in fact a symbol of the Tokugawa Shogunate and was passed down from Shogun to Shogun.
and now, although historically, the two swordsmiths could not have ever met... I would still like to share with you my favorite of all of the legends involving the Masamune/Muramasa swords:
A legend tells of a test where Muramasa challenged his master, Masamune, to see who could make a finer sword. They both worked tirelessly and eventually, when both swords were finished, they decided to test the results. The contest was for each to suspend the blades in a small creek with the cutting edge facing the current. Muramasa's sword, the Juuchi Yosamu (10,000 Cold Nights / 十千夜寒) cut everything that passed its way; fish, leaves floating down the river, the very air which blew on it. Highly impressed with his pupil's work, Masamune lowered his sword, the Yawarakai-Te (Tender Hands / 柔らかい手), into the current and waited patiently. Not a leaf was cut, the fish swam right up to it, and the air hissed as it gently blew by the blade. After a while, Muramasa began to scoff at his master for his apparent lack of skill in the making of his sword. Smiling to himself, Masamune pulled up his sword, dried it, and sheathed it. All the while, Muramasa was heckling him for his sword's inability to cut anything. A monk, who had been watching the whole ordeal, walked over and bowed low to the two sword masters. He then began to explain what he had seen.
"The first of the swords was by all accounts a fine sword, however it is a blood thirsty, evil blade, as it does not discriminate as to who or what it will cut. It may just as well be cutting down butterflies as severing heads. The second was by far the finer of the two, as it does not needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving."
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