Hey Judai,
sorry about the double post... wanted to make sure that the email notification that there was a solution would go out to subscribed members since editing an existing post won't send notification.
I'll go ahead and spill the beans, especially considering that you were the one who uncovered the problem/solution...
It turns out I did *not* have the master-sword equipped after all! Interesting. What probably happened was that when I was saving that last time (or a time shortly before it), I must have inadvertently toggled to the old sword icon when moving the cursor on its way down to the "save" button. Naturally I never knowingly stopped using the Master Sword after having received it and enabling it way-back-when... so it never even occurred to me that this would be an issue.
When you first asked if I had it equipped, I thought "of course I do" because I was still using it (so I thought)... and then I realized on the way home that I might no longer be holding the master sword in my hand... but maybe the old sword by mistake.
You're a genius, and now I can continue onward... a bit more wary about accidentally toggling things on/off on that save/stats screen!
a big thank-you to you and to everyone for your help. this solution seems so obvious in hind-sight, but without the perspective of other folks... it might never even have occurred to me to consider that I accidentally switched swords without realizing it. THANKS.