ABSTRACT
The katana occupies an important place in the history of the Japanese people. It figures prominently in story and song. In court life it formed one of the three insignia of legitimate sovereignty in the realm, the trio consisting of a mirror, a jewel, and a sword, which were handed down from one sovereign to the next in token of the succession of the line. On the occasion of the formal installation of the Crown Prince, an historic blade named “Tsubokiri” (Pot Cutter) is presented to him by his Imperial father as a sign of his investment with authority.
