Photo/Illutration Rescued historic swords are placed at Aoi-Asojinja shrine in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, which was flooded in July. (Provided by Takahiro Yamamoto)

HITOYOSHI, Kumamoto Prefecture--At least 3,000 sword enthusiasts have come to the rescue of 77 blades that were damaged when Aoi-Asojinja shrine, a national treasure, was flooded in July.

The shrine’s crowdfunding campaign to restore the centuries-old weapons raised about 35 million yen ($332,200) in about a month, far exceeding its goal.

Founded in 806, the Shinto shrine had been worshipped by the successive lords of the feudal Sagara clan that had ruled the Hitoyoshi-Kuma area as its guardian for about 700 years.

Five of its structures, including the main hall built in the early Edo Period (1603-1867), are designated as national treasures. Swords have been dedicated to the shrine since the Heian Period (794-1185), including a legendary Muramasa blade.

But the shrine suffered extensive damage when torrential rain hit the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture and other parts of the Kyushu region on July 4.

The shrine office, where the swords had been stored, was inundated by about 1 meter of water.

Most of the blades were rusted while some of them couldn’t be drawn from their sheaths that were bloated with water.

Restoring swords requires polishing by a swordsmith and creating a new sheath. The process takes several months to complete, and the cost per blade is about 200,000 yen to 300,000 yen.

Takahiro Yamamoto, 50, who operates a Japanese fencing gym in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, has been closely involved with the shrine. He has demonstrated his skills in dedication to the shrine’s deity, participated in rituals and joined other activities.

Yamamoto rushed to the shrine the day after the flooding and found the swords were already starting to rust.

“They had been kept in good condition for so many years, but I never thought they would turn out like this in just two days,” he recalled.

The swords were given emergency repairs by a swordsmith based in Yatsushiro. They are being kept for the time being at the Taragi town buried cultural properties center, also in the Hitoyoshi-Kuma area.

The appeal of the Japanese sword lies in its shine. Yamamoto and head priest Yoshifumi Fukukawa discussed ways to return the luster to the damaged swords. They decided to raise funds through a crowdfunding website called Campfire.

When the shrine started the campaign on Aug. 13, it reached its target of 5 million yen in just an hour. The campaign closed on Sept. 15, taking in about 35 million yen from more than 3,000 people.

Interest in swords has intensified in recent years among video game fans, particularly women.

Those in their 30s made up the largest group of supporters, while 70 percent of them were women.

“We want to restore (the swords) so that future generations can see them even after 1,000 years from now,” Yamamoto said.

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