| Tenseiga |
| Name meaning: "Heavenly Life Fang" Pronunciation: Eng&Jap: Ten-say-guh The Tenseiga is a very special sword that Inutaishou left to his eldest son, Sesshoumaru. It is unlike any other sword in that it saves lives rather than takes them.The sword, like the Tetsusaiga, was forged from one of Inutaishou's fangs, and was made by the master swordsmith Toutousai. When used properly, it has the power to save 100 human lives in one swing. What's interesting about the sword is that to use it, one must be pure of heart. Sesshoumaru hardly gives off the impression that he has any compassion for human life, and yet the Tenseiga has chosen him as its master, and protects him. Like the Tetsusaiga it has the power to protect its owner by placing a sort of barrier around it. The Tenseiga would only choose a master to be wielded by and protect if the owner was truly pure of heart, meaning that despite what Sesshoumaru would like you to believe, he is indeed a pure hearted demon. Perhaps he is more like his father than he'd care to admit. In the beginning, Sesshoumaru despised his heirloomed sword, since he felt it was of no use to him. He couldn't fight with it, and it could only be used to bring humans back to life. A feature he also had no use for. He wanted the Tetsusaiga, but it was left to his younger, half brother, Inuyasha. Even his servant Jaken had never seen him wield the Tenseiga in all the years that he had been by his master's side. After suffering a direct blow from Tetsusaiga's attack, "Kaze no Kizu", Sesshoumaru became seriously injured and retreated to the woods for several days. While laying in the woods, he had time to reflect on the events that led him to where he was. He realized that the very sword he despised had actually saved his life. If the Tenseiga hadn't protected him, he would've vanished. The fact that Inuyasha also didn't have the heart to kill his own brother, and didn't attack with Tetsusaiga's true strength also saved his life. Sesshoumaru felt bitter about the fact that his younger brother, whom he also despised showed him mercy. Both his sword, and brother, both of whom he thought he hated, had shown him mercy. While he was still injured, a little orphan girl named Rin came across him, and tried tending to his wounds. She poured water on his face to clean the dirt from it, and returned everyday with food for him since he was unable to move. He felt very vulnerable having a human child tend to him, and rejected her offerings, but she persisted anyway. That made him feel guilty, for probably the first time in his life. Later, after he had recovered enough to walk again, he came across her dead body in the woods, surrounded by wolves. The wolves had attacked her village and had savagly murdered her while she was fleeing. At first he wasn't going to do anything about it, but something made him change his mind. He decided to use Tenseiga to revive her, perhaps because he felt he owed it to the sword that had saved his life, or because he actually felt compassion towards this human. Maybe both, we'll never know. When he weilds the Tenseiga, he's able to see the small demon pall-bearers that bring souls to the world beyond. He used Tenseiga to destroy them, and it brought her body back to life. From that moment on, Rin has been by his side. The Tenseiga had compelled him to save his first human life. In other instances, the Tenseiga has "talked" to Sesshoumaru. Not with words, but by pulsating. It sends Sesshoumaru signals, telling him the right decisions to make. It was used to kill an un-dead zombie type demon once, so using the Tenseiga to save Rin was not the only time he's had to use it. His father's last wish was that his sons could find peace with each other, and provided them two brother swords that could help them realize each other's true potential. The Tetsusaiga was given to Inuyasha to protect him and the ones he loved, and eventually showed him that the demon he wanted to be was not what he wanted after all. He was fine the way he was. The Tenseiga was there to teach Sesshoumaru that he didn't need a weapon to defend himself. He had all the strength he needed all along. It was also to teach him that he could be strong and compassionate, just as Inutaishou was. He wanted to show his son that he wasn't the cold hearted beast that he pretended to be, and that his heart was truly pure. |
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