Japan's Richest Samurai Lord Grew His Nose Hair on Purpose. Here's Why

The richest lord in Japan let his nose hair grow - on purpose, so the story goes. Behind the joke is one of the strangest survival strategies of samurai Japan: the Maeda of Kaga, a million koku, watched by the shogunate for 250 years, turned their fortune into libraries, craft archives and a storehouse that held the Odenta, one of the Five Greatest Swords. They were never dismantled. CHAPTERS 0:00 The nose hair 0:53 The Maeda of Kaga 1:22 A million koku 1:55 A dangerous inheritance 2:37 Hostage and bride 3:09 The fool's calculation 3:30 From arms to art 4:09 The library of the realm 4:40 The Hyakko Bisho 5:21 Disarmed 6:00 The strategy won 6:47 A fortress of meaning 7:37 Next time: Tamahagane WHERE TO SEE IT The Maeda collections (Sonkeikaku Bunko, the Hyakko Bisho, the Odenta) are held by the Maeda Ikutokukai Foundation. The Odenta is rarely shown; check the foundation and Kanazawa museums for exhibitions. Kanazawa Castle Park is open to the public. SOURCES & IMAGE CREDITS Portraits of Maeda Toshiie (private collection), Maeda Toshitsune (Natadera temple), Hoshun-in / Matsu (Shinohara Tankoku, 1892) and Maeda Tsunanori (Shimomura Kanzan), Maeda Ikutokukai: Wikimedia Commons, public domain Kanazawa Castle photographs by Fg2 (2007): Wikimedia Commons, public domain Kiri-hoo mitokoromono (sword fittings) by Goto Joshin, 16th c.; Shinobu makie writing box attributed to Hon'ami Koetsu, 17th c.: Tokyo National Museum / ColBase (https://colbase.nich.go.jp/), CC BY 4.0 Odenta entry in "Shochu Token Meibutsu-cho" (annotated sword catalogue, 1919): National Diet Library Digital Collections, public domain Dojigiri Yasutsuna, Mikazuki Munechika, a tachi by Mitsutada and a blade by Kanemitsu (reference): Tokyo National Museum / ColBase (https://colbase.nich.go.jp/), CC BY 4.0 Tachi by Osafune Kanemitsu (meibutsu "Fukushima Kanemitsu", Important Cultural Property), handed down in the Maeda family: Tokyo National Museum / ColBase, CC BY 4.0 Album of famous textiles handed down in the Maeda family: Kyushu National Museum / ColBase, CC BY 4.0 Wakizashi signed Kashu-ju Kanewaka: Takaoka Municipal Museum / Cultural Heritage Online, CC BY The nose-hair anecdote is a later tale and cannot be verified; the video says so. The Hyakko Bisho: over 2,000 craft samples assembled under Maeda Tsunanori, designated Important Cultural Property. Maeda Ikutokukai Foundation established 26 February 1926 by Maeda Toshinari. Some scenes are AI re-creations, marked ARTISTIC RECREATION where they appear. Previous episode — The Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven:    • The Five Greatest Swords Under Heaven: Who...   Next episode — Tamahagane, the steel itself:    • Why Does Japan Still Make Katana Steel Fro...   #katana #japanesehistory #samurai #kanazawa #maeda