What is the Tessaiga?
Tessaiga, also called Tetsusaiga or Tetsaiga, is a fictional sword wielded by a half-human and half-dog demon protagonist, Inuyasha, in a Japanese Anime series of the same titular name.Aside from that, Tessaiga was also called ‘the sword of destruction’ and ‘the sword of death,’ which was originally owned by Inuyasha’s father, Inu no Daiyōkai. Being the sword of destruction, Tessaiga has the power to kill a hundred demons with one strike. On the contrary, its brother sword, the Tensaiga, can bring back a hundred demons to life, wielded by Inuyasha’s brother, Sesshōmaru.
The Origin of the Tessaiga
Through the fang of Daiyōkai, the Great Dog Demon, and the father of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, the swordsman named Totosai crafted the Tessaiga. The sword looks like a katana in its natural form. However, if properly handled, it can transform into a weapon approximately the size of a car bumper with its edge looks like a Falchion or a Dadao sword. In addition, the wielder must be compassionate to humans and possessed a yoki (demonic energy) in order to transform the sword. Using a technique called Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar), the Tessaiga could kill a hundred demon in one swing.
During his time, Daiyōkai tried touse the Tessaiga to steal the Meido Zangetsuha (Dark Path of the Dawn Moon’s Wave) technique of Shishinki, a death god ghost. This Meido Zangetsuha is a strong technique that is used to create a portal and sends anyone directly to the Netherworld. This attempt brought about the existence of the Tensaiga and absorbed the technique. Once Tōga/Daiyōkai died, the Tessaiga barrier was built in order to prevent full yōkai that despised the humans, from using it. The sword was then stored in the world, between the living and afterlife, and was locked inside of his grave. Not long after his father’s death, Sesshōmaru looked for the sword but had no luck finding the weapon. Subsequently, he asked Inuyasha about the sword.Following a sequence of events, the brothers traveled to their father’s tomb to claim the Tessaiga. Upon retrieving the sword, they found out that Sesshomaru is unable to touch it. However, Inuyasha is able to wield it and subsequently used it to defeat his brother, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha then became the master of the Tessaiga. On a battle against the Thunder Brothers, the Tessaiga showed its ability to create a barrier shield around its wielder, Inuyasha.
Inuyasha and the Tessaiga
Throughout the series, Inuyasha learned how Tessaiga is transformed and how to use Kenatsu (Sword Pressure) fast enough. When Sesshōmaru, used a Shikon (sacred jewel) fragment to briefly steal Inuyasha’s sword, Inuyasha had seen the sword’s power to destroy a hundred yokai (demons). Using the Tessaiga, Inuyasha was able to kill the demons summoned by Sesshōmaru.However, Inuyasha still didn’t know how to use it even after he saw the powers of Tessaiga, but he inadvertently used it to stopped Miroku, his ally, from getting eaten by a demon.
Following that event, another yokai named Naraku blackmailed Sango, Inuyasha’s friend, by threatening Kohaku’s life, in stealing the sword for him. After Sango and Inuyasha fought, Inuyasha got the Tessaiga back. Finally, Inuyasha found that the Kaze no Kizu was the method of destroying 100 yokai, and he learned to use it during another fight against Sesshomaru. Inuyasha started using the Kaze no Kizu as his signature move afterward.With Naraku’s power becoming stronger, Inuyasha begins to use the absorbing abilities of Tessaiga to upgrade the sword’s powers and defeat Naraku. Inuyasha went to defeat the bat yokai’s barrier in order to absorb the ability of barrier-breaking and proceeded to break Naraku’s barrier afterward.
The last ability that the Tessaiga gained during the series was the Meidou Zangetsuha from Sesshōmaru’s Tenseiga. During Inuyasha’s battle against his brother, Sesshomaru willingly broke his Tenseiga to give Meidou Zangetsuha technique on Inuyasha’s Tessaiga, as their father originally had intended. This technique allows the wielder to send their enemy to hell. In the final battle with the yokai Naraku, Inuyasha had already fully mastered the Meidou. However, its powers change into an attack that cuts the enemy and then sends its remains to hell.