The Legend

Once upon a time, Masamune and another great swordsmith (his apprentice) Muramasa (Which means “Blood Rain”), were summoned to the court by the Emperor. Both were renowned for the incredible blades they could forge, and the Emperor wanted to decide once and for all who was the best. So, each of the two swordsmiths was tasked with building a sword, and it was decided to test them to determine which one was truly the perfect blade.

each sword was put in the waters of a river, with the blade facing against the current. Muramasa's sword, called Juuchi Fuyu "Ten Thousand Winters," proved to be extremely sharp, able to cut through anything it touched: leaves, lotus flowers, and fish were sliced in two as soon as they brushed its edge. Masamune then immersed his sword Yawaraka – te “Delicate Hand” in the river: a leaf was cut in half, but immediately the two parts rejoined. The lotus flowers and the fish, on the other hand, avoided the blade's edge, and the wind that brushed against it emitted a harmonious whistle.

Muramasa began to mock Masamune, saying that his sword had not passed the test, while Masamune, smiling, dried the blade and put it back in its sheath. A monk who had witnessed the whole scene intervened: "The first of the two swords is certainly an excellent blade, but it is evil and bloodthirsty because it makes no distinction about what it cuts: it could be a butterfly or the head of a man. The second sword, however, is certainly the best, because it does not cut what is pure or innocent." The Emperor agreed with the monk, thus Master Masamune was decreed the winner and his Sword, the perfect one.