Tenshi Heisō

Reputed to be a gift passed down from above, this incredible spiritual treasure sits at the heart of the Shihōin identity. In each generation the head of the house inherits the charge of protecting it, and the role carries the title of Tenshi Heisōban, keeper of the heavenly armaments. The same family also serves as caretaker of the broader collection known as the Hōgu, or treasured tools, and the Bugu, the armaments proper, both believed to have been bestowed upon them by the gods.

The trove is a working arsenal rather than a mere relic. Its best known piece is the Shihōin Shield, a broad emblazoned plate trailing a long cord: when the cord is looped around a target and two Zanpakutō are thrust into the slots on its face, their spiritual energy channels through and tears the target apart, the method that annihilated the Sōkyoku. The shield normally rests under a seal even a captain struggles to undo. Also counted among the treasures is Tenshi Heisō: Hissaki Kumoi, a spread of razor-fine wires able to shred anything that pushes through them. The guardianship binds the clan tightly to the Onmitsukidō, which its head traditionally commands.

Custody of the armaments belongs to the Shihōin line, with Yūshirō Shihōin standing as the current family head. Yoruichi Shihōin has drawn on the collection in battle, notably loosing the razor wires against Yhwach. The Shihōin Shield itself was wielded by Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku to bring down the execution device. As a house, the clan are renowned masters of hand-to-hand Hakuda, the fighting art they favor above all others.