Japanese Sword Names
Japanese sword names are not one list but two very different things: the real named blades kept in museums and shrines, and the sword types that people mistake for names. If you searched for Japanese sword names, you most likely want the famous ones — Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, Mikazuki Munechika, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi — together with what those names mean and how they were formed. This page lists documented blades with their kanji, separates them from types such as katana and tachi, and explains the naming patterns you can reuse for fiction. Legends are labelled as legends; no blade here is invented.
What Counts as a Japanese Sword Name
A real sword name was rarely poetic. A blade was identified by the smith who made it — the signature (mei) engraved on the tang — or it picked up a nickname from a legend, from an owner, or from how the blade looked. That is why the famous names you see are either smith names such as Yasutsuna and Munechika, or nicknames such as Dōjigiri (demon cutter) and Mikazuki (crescent moon).
Words like katana, tachi, wakizashi, and tantō are not names at all. They are categories, in the same way that “longsword” is a category. This page keeps the two separate: the first half is a reference list of real blades, the second half explains the types and the naming rules. For character or baby names rather than weapons, the name generator and the boy-name pages cover that separate job.
Famous Japanese Sword Names and Their Stories
These are documented blades. Kanji and romaji appear together, and every story that comes from legend rather than record is marked as legend. The best-known group is the Tenka-Goken, the “Five Swords under Heaven”.
Historical Named Blades
Tachi · Yasutsuna (Hōki)
One of the Tenka-Goken. Legend credits Minamoto no Yorimitsu with using it to behead the demon Shuten-dōji. It is a National Treasure held by the Tokyo National Museum.
Tachi · Munechika (Sanjō)
Named “crescent moon” for the crescent-shaped temper pattern running along the blade. One of the Tenka-Goken and a National Treasure at the Tokyo National Museum.
Tachi · Tsunetsugu (Aoe)
One of the Tenka-Goken. The name refers to a Buddhist rosary (juzu) said to have been attached to the blade by the monk Nichiren.
Tachi · Mitsuyo (Bizen)
One of the Tenka-Goken, often called simply Ōtenta. It passed into the Maeda family, and legend says it was once tested against a stack of bodies.
Tachi · Kunitsuna (Awataguchi)
One of the Tenka-Goken, meaning “demon sword”. Legend says it appeared in a dream of the regent Hōjō Tokimasa and cut a demon that troubled him. It is held by the Imperial Household Agency.
Tachi · Yoshimitsu (Awataguchi)
A tachi owned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The name echoes ichigo ichie, “one chance in a lifetime”. It is kept at Toyokuni Shrine in Kyoto.
Spear (yari) · Fujiwara Masatsune
One of the Three Great Spears of Japan and the weapon of Honda Tadakatsu. The name means “dragonfly cutter”: a dragonfly that landed on the blade was said to fall away cut in two.
Mythic and Literary Swords
Legendary sword · Imperial Regalia
Also called Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi and enshrined at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. One of the Three Imperial Regalia. In myth, Susanoo found it in the tail of the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi, and Yamato Takeru later carried it.
Legendary sword
The blade Susanoo used to cut Yamata no Orochi, also called Totsuka-no-Tsurugi. It is a mythic weapon rather than a surviving sword, so no museum can display it.
Legendary tachi · Sanjō Munechika
Attributed to the smith Sanjō Munechika, with a legend that a fox helped forge it. No confirmed blade survives, so reference works list it as legendary.
Smith’s work, not one sword
Muramasa was a smith, or a line of smiths. A popular legend holds that his blades brought misfortune to the Tokugawa family, which is why they are widely called cursed swords.
Smith’s work, not one sword
Masamune is the most celebrated name in Japanese sword-making. Individual blades carry his name plus a nickname, often taken from an owner, such as Honjō Masamune.
Japanese Sword Types Are Not Personal Names
The words most often mistaken for sword names are categories. A katana is a kind of sword, not the name of one. Japanese sword length is measured in shaku, and one shaku is about 30.3 cm, which is how the types below are separated.
Katana, Tachi, Wakizashi, and Tantō
A tachi is a long sword suspended from the belt with the edge facing down, typical of earlier periods and cavalry use. A katana is a long sword thrust through the belt with the edge facing up, which became standard from the Muromachi period. A wakizashi is a shorter companion sword; worn together, a katana and wakizashi form the daishō pair. A tantō is a dagger under about one shaku. Blades longer than three shaku are called ōdachi or nodachi and were carried across the back. Every one of these is a type. None of them is a name.
| Type | Kanji | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tantō | 短刀 | under 1 shaku (about 30 cm) | Dagger or knife |
| Wakizashi | 脇差 | 1–2 shaku | Short companion sword |
| Katana | 刀 | over 2 shaku | Worn edge-up in the belt |
| Tachi | 太刀 | long, comparable to katana | Suspended edge-down; earlier style |
| Ōdachi / Nodachi | 大太刀 / 野太刀 | over 3 shaku (about 90 cm+) | Unusually long, carried on the back |
How Blade Names Were Formed
Almost every famous sword name comes from one of two sources. The first is the smith’s signature. A mei is engraved on the tang (nakago) and normally gives the smith’s name, often with a province and sometimes a date or a title, which is why “Yasutsuna” and “Munechika” read as sword names today — they are the makers. The second is a nickname, and nicknames come from three places: a legend (Dōjigiri, Onimaru), the look of the blade (Mikazuki’s crescent temper line), or an owner (Honjō Masamune). Poetic kanji slogans are a modern habit, not a historical one.
Create a Japanese-Inspired Sword Name
If you are naming a sword for a story, a game, or a role-playing character, copy the real patterns instead of assembling random kanji. Two approaches work: a smith-style name, which reads as a maker, or a nickname built from one strong image or one deed, which is how the famous blades got their names.
Nature, Virtue, and Battle Imagery
Nicknames usually carry exactly one image. Nature is the richest source, virtues suit a ceremonial weapon, and battle words suit a blade with a deed attached. Choose one or two kanji rather than a whole sentence, and let the reading stay short enough to say aloud. A name such as Kaze no Ha (wind blade) or Yuki-maru reads like a nickname; a five-character slogan does not.
Suffixes work the same way as prefixes. 切 (kiri) marks a cutter, as in Tonbokiri. 丸 (maru) is an old name ending. Common smith-name elements include 正 (masa), 宗 (mune), 恒 (tsune), 綱 (tsuna), 国 (kuni), and 吉 (yoshi), which is why invented smith names often end in one of them.
Kanji and Cultural Accuracy Checks
Three checks keep an invented name believable. First, decide whether it is a smith-style name or a nickname, because the two follow different shapes. Second, check the reading: many kanji share readings, and a name that looks right can be unpronounceable. Third, do not present a creation as a historical blade, and avoid reusing the name of a real National Treasure for a fictional weapon. The suffix 丸 (maru) appears in old blade and personal names, but it is a habit, not a requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are famous Japanese sword names?
The best-known group is the Tenka-Goken, the “Five Swords under Heaven”: Dōjigiri Yasutsuna, Mikazuki Munechika, Juzumaru Tsunetsugu, Ōtenta Mitsuyo, and Onimaru Kunitsuna. Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and the Three Great Spears, which include Tonbokiri, Nihongō, and Otegine, are also widely searched.
Is katana a sword name?
No. Katana is a sword type, not the name of a particular sword, and the same is true of tachi, wakizashi, and tantō. A real sword name is normally the smith’s name or a nickname, such as Dōjigiri or Mikazuki Munechika.
How should I name a fictional sword?
Choose one of the two real patterns. For a smith-style name, use a place or school plus a smith-like ending. For a nickname, build it from a single image or deed, such as a nature word plus 切 (cutter). Keep it to one or two kanji and check the reading before you use it.
Are Japanese sword names written in kanji?
Yes. Documented blades have kanji forms, shown here beside the romaji, such as 童子切安綱 for Dōjigiri Yasutsuna. In English writing the romaji is usually used, while the kanji appears on museum labels and reference works.
What does maru mean in a Japanese sword name?
Maru (丸) is an old suffix attached to names, including some legendary blades. In this context it works as a naming habit rather than a literal meaning, so a name ending in maru sounds traditional without translating to “circle”.
Is Muramasa a cursed sword?
Muramasa is a smith’s name, not a single sword. A popular legend says blades by Muramasa brought misfortune, especially to the Tokugawa family, which is why the curse is so well known. Treat that as legend rather than a documented property of the steel.
Naming the Warrior, Not Only the Sword
The blades above show how Japanese names are built: a maker, a place, and one strong image. If you are naming the person who carries the sword, the same rules apply. Generate Japanese names for a character, or read the samurai and warrior guides for real historical patterns.