The Naginata of Kenkon (
History[]
Kaijinbō forging the Ken blade.
The Naginata of Kenkon was a powerful demonic blade with a stave in the middle of two separate, yet equally balancing powerful blades, which possessed the power of yin and yang, the two opposing forces of the entire universe, made by order of the demon ninja Hoshiyomi. Consumed by the fear of losing his beloved Tsukiyomi, a high-level human warrior priestess who was in danger of severely overtaxing her spiritual powers and abilities due to the many battles she faced, he had the immensely strong and powerful two-bladed weapon created so that neither of them would have to live their lives constantly fighting and slaying other minor demons.
In commissioning the evil demon swordsmith, Kaijinbō, to create this weapon long time before Tōkijin was made, in order to gain the same spiritual power as Tsukiyomi, he was required to kill two hundred and twenty-two minor demons and present the essence to the smith. The true essence was a large bull yōkai, while the others were all very smaller. So, Kaijinbō used their blood and flesh to complete that ultimate weapon, gaining it the dark powers of the victim's malice. Tōtōsai was aware of his former disciple's creation and that Inuyasha was the only one who could seal it.
Upon taking possession of the completed weapon, Hoshiyomi basked in its immense power and disintegrated five minor oni with a single attack, feeling confident that he had secured Tsukiyomi's safety. However, she came to see that the weapon was in fact evil and feared Hoshiyomi's increasingly manic behavior, having seen a terrible bloodthirsty glint in his eyes. One day, she called Hoshiyomi, and having set up an ambush, unleashed a sealing spell on him, allowing her to separate him from the naginata. Weary, she then approached the weapon, trying to use her own incredibly strong and powerful spiritual abilities to purify and dispel the evil, but the horrifying demonic aura was too great. Thus, she split the naginata into two halves, sending one into a far off land, to be guarded by the Hōjō clan, and the other to the bluff of Mount Hakurei.
Having expended her energies without consideration for her own safety, Tsukiyomi dies just as she attempts to release Hoshiyomi from the seal she had placed on him, who breaks free with her death. Being distraught at her death and her perceived betrayal, Hoshiyomi resolves to regain the naginata and take his vengeance on all humankind.
An unknown number of years pass, and finally Hoshiyomi was able to obtain the Kon blade, but the other half being still in the custody of Akitoki Hōjō's family. However, with the help of his demon ninjas, Hoshiyomi manages to wrest the Ken blade from Akitoki Hōjō and bring the two together to complete the naginata. Once again in possession of the complete weapon, he clashes with Inuyasha and manages to absorb Tessaiga's yōkai energies and quell him. He then goes on a rampage to destroy the world, summoning a void to suck everything into oblivion.
Kagome, having been possessed by the spirit of the long dead priestess Tsukiyomi, takes the naginata away from him and tells him that what he had seen as betrayal was actually her efforts to protect him from the inherent evil the Naginata of Kenkon possessed. The weapon is then destroyed, along with Hoshiyomi, by Inuyasha's Bakuryūha. Shortly after the weapon's destruction, and before his death, he realizes his mistake after seeing a glimpse of his love one last time thanks to Kagome's sacred arrow, when the Backlash Wave dissipates high into the air.[2]
Powers and abilities[]
The two blades: Ken (right) and Kon (left).
- Yin and yang manipulation: As Hoshiyomi stated, the Naginata of Kenkon was forged with the essence of two hundred and twenty-two demons to have power over the forces of both yin and yang: the Ken blade commands heaven, while the Kon blade controls earth. When both powers are unified, the naginata can extend its power to the max.
- Aura: Giving off a dark purple malevolent aura, the demonic essence of the naginata was powerful enough to corrupt and possess (as Tsukiyomi suspected) Hoshiyomi, forever changing his personality until his death. In one particular scene of note, Inuyasha is exposed to the unshielded aura of the Ken blade, while it is still in the possession of Akitoki Hōjō. In that scene, it appears that Inuyasha loses himself completely to the evil influence of the blade, unable to hear the voices of his friends calling his name. It isn't until the blade is covered again that Inuyasha returns to himself, unsure of what had just occurred. This event demonstrates the evil corrupting power of the naginata, and shows exactly the kind of influence that Hoshiyomi has fallen under.
- Barrier: Even with just the Kon blade, Hoshiyomi is still able to erect a yellowish barrier, exceedingly strong and powerful enough to withstand the power of Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu.
- Energy absorption: At least attributed to the Kon blade, the naginata is able to absorb both demonic energy (as in the instance with the Tessaiga) and spiritual energy (such as the instance with Kagome). In addition to this, the naginata is able to emit this energy as a Kenatsu (see definition below), shown when Hoshiyomi fired a blast at Inuyasha right after absorbing much of the Tessaiga's demonic energy. The energy absorbed from Tessaiga was comparable to Sesshōmaru's first use of the Wind Scar. This ability is quite similar to Inuyasha's Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga.
- Light and darkness blast: Stated by Hoshiyomi, the Naginata of Kenkon is the ultimate weapon of darkness and light. As such, it is able to project power blasts of light and darkness that is able to devastate its surroundings.[3] This is shown during Hoshiyomi's first battle with Inuyasha after the naginata absorbed Tessaiga's demonic energy.
- Kenatsu (剣圧, けんあつ, "Sword-Force, Sword Pressure"): Kenatsu is the special ability that allows the naginata to cut many opponents in group with its yōki without physically touching them.
- Spherical shockwave: Similar to Sesshōmaru's spherical shockwave from his yōkai sword Tōkijin, a highly destructive sphere of demonic energy is created on the tip of the blade and dispersed in a spherical fashion. Hoshiyomi used this attack to slay a large number of yōkai in one stroke after they had surrounded him, similar to Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu which can destroy a hundred yōkai in a single swing.
- Nether vortex: Quite possibly the naginata's most powerful technique, and quite similar to the "Meidō Zangetsuha", the "nether vortex" is a form of red kenatsu burst that theoretically creates a portal to the invisible void between Heaven and Earth. This portal, however, also acts similar to a black hole in that it sucks in everything around it with irresistible force (see also Kazaana). Being the space between the most powerful forces in the universe, it is speculated that with enough time that the black hole could absorb the entire world into itself. That would benefit Hoshiyomi's goal to destroy every human in the world and that could be the reason why he used such a dangerous technique.
- Crimson sphere: It is one of the naginata's strongest offensive attacks. It takes the form of an extremely huge crimson sphere of pure energy and can be directed at an opponent. If said attack connects with someone, the sphere engulfs them and quite possibly exterminates them into nothingness. Hoshiyomi uses this as a seeming last measure attack to kill Inuyasha and his friends. The Backlash Wave collides with the sphere and throws it back at Hoshiyomi, that shatters the naginata and, as he is enveloped by the wave, disintegrates him.
Trivia[]
- The arc involving this sword comes right after the third movie, which also features a demonic sword with evil power.
- An outrageous mistake is that, just like Tōkijin, it was the weak creator who had to be possessed by the Naginata of Kenkon, certainly not the powerful owner.
References[]
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 139
- ↑ Backlash Wave with Kagome's sacred arrow is likely an overlooked mistake as humans and demonic powers cannot be combined in such a way, as confirmed by Kanade in the fourth movie. The Naginata of Kenkon's final attack is exactly the anime-only Bankotsu's Banryū's, and Inuyasha's Backlash Wave was sufficient to destroy it. In fact, the attack is anime-only.
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 140