Japanese legends, Davis retelling
Grass-Cleaving Sword
Yamato receives the sword of Murakumo from his aunt, the high priestess at Ise. Davis connects it with the earlier serpent-slaying story of Susa-no-o. When enemies set the grass around him on fire, he cuts a clearing with the sword. Its role in this escape gives it the Grass-Cleaving name.
Also known as Sword of Murakumo
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In the sources
Account in the source
TraditionalYamato receives the sword of Murakumo from his aunt, the high priestess at Ise. Davis connects it with the earlier serpent-slaying story of Susa-no-o.
Further detail
TraditionalWhen enemies set the grass around him on fire, he cuts a clearing with the sword. Its role in this escape gives it the Grass-Cleaving name.
Context & interpretation
The entry concerns the sword as a narrative and sacred object in Davis’s Yamato episode. It does not authenticate a surviving blade or certify the supernatural ancestry of an imperial insignia. The escape and naming are attributed to the legend rather than independently established military events.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths and Legends of Japan
The sword was the sword of MurakumoOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Davis, Myths & Legends of Japan, active reader leaf 63
Checked against the active prepared edition; reader leaf and original-page mapping verified, spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0052-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0052-E001-P0063
- Original scan leaf
- 76
- Recorded leaf number
- 76
- Current Reader position
- 62
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths and Legends of Japan
he cut down the tall green blades on either sideOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Davis, Myths & Legends of Japan, active reader leaf 64
Checked against the active prepared edition; reader leaf and original-page mapping verified, spacing normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0052-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0052-E001-P0064
- Original scan leaf
- 77
- Recorded leaf number
- 77
- Current Reader position
- 63
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
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