A sword together with a mirror (yata no kagami) and a comma-shaped jade jewel (yasakani no magatama) is one of the three Imperial regalia of Japan.

The Imperial Sword of the Billowing Clouds.
"The sword Susanooh discovered in the tail of the slain eight-headed dragon (orochi) and gave to the gods was eventually given to Ninigi (great grandfather of Emperor Jinmu, the first Japanese emperor), a grandson of Amaterasu the sun goddess, when he came down to earth. The sword is one of the three divine articles that are part of the Japanese Imperial regalia, but it was lost in the 12th century. The sword's name is "Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" (sword of heavenly gathering of clouds), and it is also known as "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" (grass cutting two-edged sword) when it was used by Yamato Takeru to cut grass to make an escape route when he was surrounded by fire in one of the Ainu subjugation campaigns. So, both Murakumo and Kusanagi refer to the same thing, the sword of Orochi, the Dragon-King of the Sea. This sword could only be wielded by the Emperor of Japan."

http://www.csupomona.edu/~plin/ews430/shinto2.html
http://www.concentric.net/~Amagai/blueseed/myths1.htm

The close connection of the Imperial power with the heavenly sword maybe explaines why the Japanese have such a special veneration for swords, later to be called "The soul of the Samurai" and always handled with great respect. We will explore the religious aspect of the sword in Part 1 and the more materialistic one in Part 2.
八咫鏡(ヤタノカガミ), 草薙の剣（クサナギノツルギ）、八尺瓊勾玉(ヤサカニノマガタマ)　−　剣は三種の神器として昔から日本人にとって大事なものでした。武士の魂とも言われているほど侍の大事な道具でした。パート１では、宗教で見られる刀、パート２では、具体的に刀の話をすすめます。
http://www-user.interq.or.jp/~fuushi/5-anc/kodaisi/ka-b9-jingi.htm
http://inoues.net/yamataikoku/3shu/3shu_jingi.html
http://www03.u-page.so-net.ne.jp/gb3/tetsat/zingi.htm

Read more about the legendary AMA-no-MURAKUMO-no-TSURUGI, the Sword of the Billowing Clouds on the following HP, which will be introduced in detail in Part 2.
http://www.sho-shin.com/yam1.htm

The Buddhist Sword of Wisdom Chiken 　知剣
In Buddhism, we have a more philosophical form, the Sword of Wisdom. It is carried by Monju Bosatsu and the Wisdom King Fudoo.
知剣を持つ主な仏様は文殊菩薩とお不動様です。

Monju Bosatsu (Manjushri Bodhisattva)　 文殊菩薩
In his left hand he holds a sutra by which he dispenses wisdom to people, and in his right hand holds a sword for cutting off delusion. He sometimes rides on a lion, which is called the king of a hundred animals, and this expresses how he lives grandly with a powerful and correct wisdom.
"If three people are together, the Wisdom of Monju emerges" is a common saying in Japan which showes the strong connection with Monju and Wisdom.
Legend says that Monju was an Indian monk, born after the death of Shakyamuni. He reached the status of Bodhisattva through his serious ascetic studies. His religious dispute with the lay Buddhist Vimalakirti is reported in a famous sutra, Yuimakyoo.
Manjushri is very popular in Tibet, Northern China and Mongolia. The name of the region "Manjuria" might be taken from a deformed prononciation of "Manjushri".

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/monju.html

You can also brush up your knowledge about Buddshist sculptures on this HP.
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/sculpture.html

Have a look at a good picture of Monju Bosatsu with his five attendants. The statues are in the Tokyo National Museum. Click on all the other figures to see the wonderful details of this group.
東京博物館にある文殊菩薩の仏像はこちら。
http://www.tnm.jp/scripts/col/MOL1.en.idc?X=C1854

By chance I came along this Manjushri Buddhist Online Community with a lot of useful information and links on Buddhism.
http://www.manjushri.com/index.html
http://www.manjushri.com/TEACH/LIBRARY/Ljapanese.htm

文殊菩薩は「三人寄れば文殊の知恵」と言われるように知恵の仏様ですが、この世の間違った考えや邪悪な思想と行為を断って人々の迷いや無知を正し本当の知恵を与え、人間社会に幸せを運ぶ菩薩です。

　　　　 右手に迷いを断切る剣、左手に知恵を与える経典を持ち、百獣の王と言われる獅子に
　　　　　 乗っている。この姿は強く正しい知恵を持って堂々と生き抜くことを現わしています。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://www.syba.co.jp/monjyu/tera.html
http://www.abemonjuin.or.jp/new/index_m.htm
http://homepage1.nifty.com/anecs/calen/maturi/04/monzyue-kohukuzi.htm

On the following HP you have a beautiful wooden statue of Monju with his sword. The statue is in the temple Enshoo-ji, Nara.
奈良県生駒市の素晴らしい木造の文殊菩薩像があります。
http://www1.kcn.ne.jp/school/kami-j/kouku/ensyoji2.htm

Here you find more statues of Monju.
文殊菩薩像はこちら。 Chion-ji:
http://www.city.miyazu.kyoto.jp/bunkazai/data/5-1.html
Rinzai Zen-Temple Daian-Zenji near Fukui:
http://daianzenji.com/ (English)
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~daianji/rekishi.htm (日本語)

On the following HP you find a lot of Buddha statues from the temple Hoorin-ji worth looking at.
Our Monju is depicted in the form he is usually represented in the Meditation Hall of a Zen-Temple, as a simple monk, but sitting on a lion (soogyoo Monju, seisoo Monju　僧形文殊菩薩). So the connection between Zen and Monju is quite strong.
文殊菩薩は智慧を司る菩薩とされています。僧形のものは、通常、僧堂（坐禅堂）の本尊として安置されています。
http://www.plaza.across.or.jp/~horinh/butuzo.html

If you repeat the Holy Mantra of Monju, On A Rahashanoo, you might gain the wisdom of Monju, if you practise seriously.
オン　ア ラハシャノウ 　この真言（五字文殊法）を唱えれば、大智を獲得し、空を飛ぶ事が出来る。
http://www.linkclub.or.jp/~pip/ututu/hotoke/monnjyu.html

The Wisdom King Fudoo Myoo-oo and the Sword Kurikara
不動明王と倶利伽羅不動剣
The unmovable Fudoo (Acala Vidyaaraaja) is one of the Wisdom Kings (Myoo-oo). He is usually depicted in a very wrathful way. He is a typical Japanese deity, introduced by Kooboo Daishi about 806 and soon became a special protector of the Mountain Ascetics (yamabushi). An impressive waterfall is considered the personification of Fudoo, for example the Great Waterfall at Nachi, which we met in the story about Kumano.
Fudoo is portrayed holding a two-edged sword with a three-pronged hilt in his right hand and a coiled rope in his left hand. With this sword of wisdom, Fudoo cuts through deluded and ignorant minds and with the rope he binds those who are ruled by their violent passions and emotions.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/fudo.html
http://campross.crosswinds.net/ShuteiMandala/myo-o.html

Kurikara Fudoo is another personification of this deity, this time in the form of a Dragon-Sword. The Dargon King Kurikara (Sanskrit: Kulikaa Nagaraajaa) is said to have a golden body color and is sometimes depicted with one or two horns on his head.
Legend has it that Fudoo had to fight the representative of a different religion. He changed himself into a flaming sword but the opponent did the same and the fighting went on without a winner. Now Fudoo changed himself into the Dragon Kurikara, wound himself around the opposing sword and started eating it from the top. This episode gave rise to the iconographic rendering as we know it now.

The dragon used to be a vasall or symbol of the deity, but in this unique case the symbol and the deity came to be honored as the same thing. Especially during the Edo period where the sword was a symbol of the vasall's loyalty to his lord, the statues and steles of Kurikara Fudoo were produced in greater numbers.
倶利加羅は、「倶梨迦羅」「古力迦羅」「倶力迦羅」などと書れ、黒色の龍を意味し、不動明王の化身とされる。この龍が燃え盛る炎に包まれながらも岩上の利剣に巻き付き剣を飲み込まんとする尊像が倶利加羅不動明王で、危険な修羅場の守り神、火消し・博奕打ちが好んで刺青に使った尊像である。
http://www.jsdi.or.jp/~kirara80/meisho/narusawa/index.html/index412.html

This Kurikara Fudoo is the protective deity of a waterfall of Terazawa.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://www.chiba-muse.or.jp/natural/special/takimuse/takitenzi/atakitenzi.htm

On the following HP you find another beatuiful stone stele with the Kurikara Fudoo and an explanation about other wayside deities (kooshin) in Japanese.
倶利迦羅明王は不動明王の化身で、庚申塔(こうしんとう)によくある青面金剛(しょうめんこんごう)とは少し違います。
http://www.cnet-ta.ne.jp/p/pddlib/photo/mejirofudo/kurikara.htm

This Kurikara Fudoo stands at Mt. Oyama (Ooyama), close to Odawara in Kanagawa prefecture. He is the provider of good fortune in business. I have visited him quite often and can only recommend you see him during the impressive Fire Ceremony in Feburary.
神奈川県の大山にある倶利伽羅不動さまです。商売繁盛の神様として拝められています。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~QM9T-KNDU/afurim.htm.htm

Lately, maybe because of the play of words using KEN (sword) and SHIKEN (examination) the Kurikara Fudoo is sought after by students who have to pass an examination and want to ensure some divine help in this endeavor.
倶利伽藍不動と呼ばれる龍が立って剣をのんでいる姿の珍しい木彫り仏もあり、最近では剣・・・試験をのむ仏像ということで、合格祈願に訪れる受験生も多い。
http://www.columbus.or.jp/bungo/YAMAGA/SHOKAI2.html

In Nagoya, there is a Kurikara Fudoo Temple, where a Japanese woman, who became a Tibetan Lamaist priest, writes about her experience in Tibet.
http://www.kurikara.com/shokai/main_e.html

Now let us go back to the Japanese sword. Here is a fine engraving of a Kurikara Fudoo on a companion sword (wakizashi).
脇指にすばらしい倶利伽羅不動があります。

http://www.sho-shin.com/kunihiro.htm

Finally let us have a look at two swords online with a connection to Daruma.
だるまと刀、オンラインにも有ります。

The first shows our Daruma at the right corner, on the sword guard (tsuba).
http://www.aoi-art.web.sh.cwidc.net/sword/katana/1sword04.html

The following one has a Daruma on the handle ornament (menuki), but the picture is hard to decipher. The description talks about a Daruma with a bag, so I guess it it not a Daruma after all, but the God of Good Luck Hotei, who is always depicted with a big bag full of riches.
http://www.antiqueswords.com/bq155.htm
Maybe this is the one?!
http://www.samuraisword.com/menuki/menuki13.htm

The small utility knife (kozuka 小柄) on the top picture features a little Daruma on the heft.

Here are the parts of a sword with all its fittings and explanations in Japanese.
日本刀の部分がこのイラストで分かります。

Finally let us look at three little metal sword decorations with Daruma. They are really tiny and no more than 1 to 2 cm long.
The first is a seated Daruma with his robes on both sides, carrying a long fly whisk.
The one in the middle is depicted under a hammer and I have not yet found an explanation for this. Maybe someone can help.
The last one shows two little masks, one Daruma and one of the fat lady O-Kame.
最後に三つの金属類の装具。
衣を広げて長い払子を持つだるま（左)。
槌のしたに座っているだるま（中)。どんな説明があるのか分からないが、あなたが分かったら、教えてください。
右側に仮面のだるまとおカメさん。

The story about the samurai sword continues with Part 2, where we will talk in detail about the sword guard and other sword ornaments.
鍔、目抜きとその他の小道具のことはパート２で紹介します。