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View Full Version : Heaven's Cloud and Japanese Cultural Significance



Fighter2knight
04-28-2003, 10:26 PM
Cloud's Heaven's Cloud has some interesting history in Japanese culture, read the following excerpt from Japanese Swordsmanship: Technique and Practice by Gordon Warner and Donn F. Draeger:

"The greatest and most revered of Japanese swords is the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Gathering-Clouds-of-Heaven Sword), alternately called Kusa-nagi no Tsurugi (Grass-mowing Sword)."

It is basically one of the three sacred regalia of the imperial family, and without all of them, the family can not take the throne.

"...The sword is a straight-bladed, double-cutting-edged type with a perfect balance. It denotes courage..."

A remarkably similar description to Cloud's Heaven's Cloud.

Kawaii Ryűkishi
04-29-2003, 02:21 AM
I'm pretty sure that should be Ame no Murakumo, not Ama no Murakumo. Meaning "Gathering Rain Clouds," not "Gather Clouds of Heaven." But, yeah. Heaven's Cloud, man.

Big D
04-29-2003, 05:28 AM
An awful lot of seemingly obscure FF weapons actually have some significance in fact or myth.

Especially the Nail Bat. Gotta love that one.

DocFrance
04-30-2003, 12:35 AM
Indeed. The Nail Bat dates back to the mid-90's, when young street thugs would pound rusty nails into baseball bats. One such nail-smith, Murasame (known as Mura-fo among his peeps) could make Nail Bats so well, that it was said that a leaf placed in a river with his bats would be thouroghly bludgeoned.

Big D
05-01-2003, 12:41 AM
:lol: I can't wait to hear your explanation for the Mop...