Blade Master

I guess you could place this novel concept of mine in the category of fantasy/adventure.  "Blade Master" is heavily inspired by animes I've seen, and video games I've played.

I don't have a very solid idea of what the plot is going to be like just yet, but I do have the concept down.

In Japanese legend there are stories of two master sword smiths, Masamune and Muramasa.  Masamune's art was refined with benevolence.  Muramasa's art was defined by malevolence.  Legend says that these two craftsmen, in order to see who was better, each put their swords in a stream to see how the blades would affect the leaves traveling downstream.  One version of this story says that the leaves were cut my Muramasa's blade, and then healed by Masamune's.  Legend says that Muramasa's blades could not be returned to their scabbards unless they tasted blood first.  This drove many Muramasa wielders to insanity for they could end up having to hurt themselves or a loved one before being able to put the sword away.

I'm taking this concept and running with it pretty much.  The main character is none other than a young Miyamoto Musashi, non-fictional legendary samurai, and he has in his possession one Masamune blade and one Muramasa blade, possibly the finest blades the two sword smiths have ever crafted.

This is significant because in this story no one has ever been able to wield both a Masamune and a Muramasa simultaneously.  Yet Musashi has developed a style through which both blades can work harmoniously to take down any adversary no matter how challenging.

Here's how I envision the blades to be in my novel:

The Masamune blade is an all-powerful, unbreakable sword that can cut through just about anything (save for another Masamune or a Muramasa).  However, should innocent blood be spilled by the sword, it will lose its power.

The Muramasa blade is another all-powerful, unbreakable sword that can cut through just about anything with the exceptions mentioned above.  However, it must taste blood within seconds of drawing it before it can be put away lest the wielder wishes to succumb to insanity.

So that's the basic break-down of what I have in mind for this novel.  I'm still working on it.  Let me know what you think of what I have so far.