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Origin[]
Juzumaru Tsunetsugu, one of the Five Swords Under Heaven along with Dojigiri, was forged by Aoe Tsunetsugu and said to have been owned by the Buddhist Priest Nichiren, who hung a Buddhist rosary (juzu) from its hilt, giving it its name. It was stored in Kuonji Temple as a relic after Nichiren's death, but went missing in the early 18th century. It was rediscovered in 1920 by Sugihara, who attempted to return it to the temple, but negotiations failed and the sword was instead given to Honkohji temple.
Owner[]
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived in the early 1200s in Japan. He originated the school of Nichiren Buddhism and taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra and the chanting of daimoku as the way to enlightenment. He published three remonstrances against the conduct of the government, but after much backlash, two exiles, an assassination attempt and a failed execution thwarted by a strange celestial phenomenon, Nichiren gave up on attempting to enlighten the government, and went into voluntary exile at Mount Minobu, where he and his disciples raised Kuonji Temple.