This is lovely! I grew up catching fireflies, but we don't have them where I live now, and I miss them! It always feels so magical when I'm visiting somewhere where they can be found
I'm curious about the sword you mentioned, Hotarumaru. Allied soldiers took it in WW2, but do we know where its current location is? I thought the story about the video game was going to result in whatever museum had it deciding to repatriate it, rather than a replica being made, which made me wonder if anyone knows where the real one ended up?
A good question! I did a bit more digging in Japanese to see if there was any information available, but sadly not. It is unfortunately likely that it was either melted down or disposed of into the ocean, as was the case with many confiscated swords from both civilians and shrines (over 3 million in total, reportedly).
It is possible that, given Aso Shrine's more remote location away from major occupation centers post-War, that it was spared destruction and taken as a souvenir or purchased by a private collector sometime in the years following. Occasionally, important pieces like this turn up when someone who had kept it passes away or makes a large donation to a museum. So there's always hope!
In either case, one important thing to note (and this is a plot point in said game) is that the spirit of a sword can be rededicated into a new vessel, meaning that for all intents and purposes the reconstructed Hotarumaru is a true revival of the lost sword.
This is lovely! I grew up catching fireflies, but we don't have them where I live now, and I miss them! It always feels so magical when I'm visiting somewhere where they can be found
Thank you! There truly is something just naturally magical about them, and I love seeing people from nearly 1,000 years ago sharing those feelings
I'm curious about the sword you mentioned, Hotarumaru. Allied soldiers took it in WW2, but do we know where its current location is? I thought the story about the video game was going to result in whatever museum had it deciding to repatriate it, rather than a replica being made, which made me wonder if anyone knows where the real one ended up?
A good question! I did a bit more digging in Japanese to see if there was any information available, but sadly not. It is unfortunately likely that it was either melted down or disposed of into the ocean, as was the case with many confiscated swords from both civilians and shrines (over 3 million in total, reportedly).
It is possible that, given Aso Shrine's more remote location away from major occupation centers post-War, that it was spared destruction and taken as a souvenir or purchased by a private collector sometime in the years following. Occasionally, important pieces like this turn up when someone who had kept it passes away or makes a large donation to a museum. So there's always hope!
In either case, one important thing to note (and this is a plot point in said game) is that the spirit of a sword can be rededicated into a new vessel, meaning that for all intents and purposes the reconstructed Hotarumaru is a true revival of the lost sword.