Long Sword (Tachi), known as Tsuda Tōtoumi Nagamitsu

NATIONAL TREASURE
Signed "Nagamitsu"
Kamakura period, 13th c.

This long sword belonged to Oda Nobunaga. During the Honno-ji temple Incident, which led to Nobunaga's death in 1582, the general Akechi Mitsuhide took this sword from Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle and gave it to his chief retainer Tsuda Shigehisa, the governor of Totoumi Province. Before the 6th Tokugawa Shogun Ienobu bestowed it upon Tokugawa Yoshimichi, 4th Lord of the Owari Clan, this prized sword was owned by Maeda Toshinaga, 2nd Lord of Kaga Maeda clan, and the 5th Tokugawa Shogun Tsunayoshi.