Forum:What is the significance of tossing unsheathed katanas?

In both Ichigo and Rukia's inner worlds, unsheathed katanas are tossed to them by spiritual guides right before new techniques and/or greater abilities are realized.

For Ichigo, this occurs when Old Man Zangetsu tosses him a katana in "Dark Side of the Universe," chapter 110; right before Ichigo meets his hollow counterpart. This scene ultimately leads to Ichigo's full understanding of the nature of the relationship between zanpukto and shinigami, giving him the power to defeat Zaraki Kenpachi.

For Rukia, this only happens in the anime during her remembrance of training with Kaien Shiba. This memory provides Rukia with an epiphany about the nature of what "Heart" is, and frees her from the guilt of killing Kaien. This new understanding ultimately leads to her discovery of her zanpukto's third technique: shirafune. With this new power she defeats the 9 espada.

What does this motif imply, if anything, about the nature of power and internal epiphany in the series? Is it coincidence that these actions occur in these similar scenes? or is Tite/Noriyuki trying to tell us something?