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This article, Tsukikage, is property of Illuminate Void. Permission is required to alter its content. |
"An ancient relic begotten from a ravaged past. It is said to appear once every few generations during periods of war and upheaval. It has a legacy of devastation, leaving only a blazed trail of fire and destruction. Any who wields this blade will become the harbingers of a great calamity, or so it is told." |
| Tsukikage no Tsurugui | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Tsukikage no Tsurugui |
| Kanji | 月影の剣 |
| Literal English | Sword of the Moon's Shadow |
| User(s) | Kenshin Yagami |
Tsukikage no Tsurugi (月影の剣, lit. "Sword of the Moon's Shadow") is the ancestral blade of the Yagami Clan; an artifact crafted over a thousand years ago in the era predating the shinobi. Since the time of the Six Paths Sage, it has been passed down through the Yagami bloodline, hidden in the furthest reaches of the world known only to a few. Yet time and time again it has resurfaced, and with it catastrophe has followed in its wake. It has been known through many names throughout the centuries, but it is more infamously known as the Sanka no Tsurugi (惨禍の剣, "The Sword of Calamity"). Now the ancient sword has found a new wielder, the enigmatic Kenshin Yagami. Only time will tell what fate befalls the world now that this weapon has awakened.
Appearance[]
Tsukikage is one of the most beautifully crafted weapons through Water Country; renown for its poetic design, the Tsukikage bears many flowerfly motifs throughout its design. Tsukikage is a nodachi with a circular cross guard shaped in a floral pattern with dark highlights inlined with a bright golden interior giving it the appearance of a blooming flower. The hilt is stitched with a silk-white enriched fabric, wound tightly around the steel black handle, like a roses stem. However it is the blade portion itself that is its greatest achievement; forged from a crystalline substance, the translucent shimmering sapphire blue blade is a long, thin and fine edge. That which houses this blade is a silver-white sheath decorated with additional foral patterns, that glows under the illumination of the moon.
Description & History[]
The Tsukikage is one of the oldest surviving weapons of a long dead era, but despite that its craftsmanship is seconded to none. At the time of its creation, minerals and metals reputedly had been enriched with vast networks of chakra veins; crystalized formations of chakra. The blade of Tsukikage is forged from this ancient substance, giving it its glass-like appearance, and unparalleled chakra sensitivity. The crossguard, handle and sheath are all forged from the minerals surrounding the chakra veins used to craft the blade, further empowering its strength, durability and resistances to decay and damage.
Despite this, Tsukikage has a rather scarce history, largely due to the fact that the weapon appears to bear some semblance of sentience by choosing its wielder. Only those who have succeeded the Niten Ichi Ryuu are said to possess the ability to wield the blade, and to date only a handful of Clan heads have had the ability. Otherwise the blade mysteriously disappears, apparently vanishing without a trace, only to wait for a worthy heir. Even then, the sword only appears in times of need, during devastating wars or when the clan faces imminent destruction. At such times, the heir obtains extraordinary powers, capable of opening a path to the very heavens themselves or so legend has told.
Abilities[]
In ancient times, Tsukikage held a different name the Sanka no Tsurugi (惨禍の剣, "The Sword of Calamity") due to its immense power and destructive capabilities. The essence of the Niten Ichi Ryuu lies in the practitioners ability to manipulate their chakra, dispersing it into the environment and interacting with the ambient natural chakra that exists to create supernatural effects. This is performed through creating a balance a synergy between the practitioner and his environment.
Tsukikage Resonating
Tsukikage however is both its dynamic opposite, yet serves as the ultimate personification of this concept. When chakra is channeled into the crystalline blade portion, it emits a powerful resonance that destroys the balance in the environment, creating terrible and powerful elemental affects. Even in the hands of an amateur, Tsukikage would allow the wielder to manipulate existing elements as though moving one's own limb. In this way, Tsukikage epitomizes the Niten Ichi Ryuu as it is able to manipulate the energy within the environment to create ninjutsu-like affects.
In the hands of a true successor to the Niten Ichi Ryuu however, its power becomes incomprehensible. When the successor channels his chakra into the envrionment, intermingling with it, creating balance and harmony of energies, the Tsukikage is used to violently destroy that balance through its resonance to create wholly powerful and devastating elemental affects, at this point without the previous requirement of the necessary element on hand. In the hands of the successor, the Tsukikage is a weapon of mass destruction, living it up to its namesake as the Sword of Calamity.
Trivia[]
- Tsukikage's name and role within the clan is inspired by the weapon of the same name in the fanfiction Break the World by Rihaku.