From GHQ Confiscation to Modern Smiths—Seven Decades of Japanese Sword Revival After WWII

Haitourei (1876)——The Day Traditional Techniques Faced Extinction

On March 28, 1876 (Meiji 9), Dajōkan Proclamation (Dajōkan fukoku) No. 38 was issued as the haitourei (Edict on Abolition of Samurai Swords). This edict prohibited anyone other than military personnel and police officers from carrying swords in public places, bringing to an abrupt end the samurai sword-wearing culture that had been at the heart of samurai society for centuries.

The impact of the haitourei on the sword-making industry was devastating. Bladesmiths faced a sharp decline in demand and were forced to cease operations, while related craftspeople such as polishers (togishi), scabbard makers (sayashi), and fittings specialists (koshiraeshi) fell into hardship in a cascading effect. By the 1880s, the number of bladesmiths nationwide had declined to less than one-tenth of what it had been in the early Meiji period. Some bladesmiths survived by transitioning to blacksmith work such as making agricultural tools and implements.

However, the haitourei did not prohibit the manufacture of swords themselves; it only regulated the carrying of swords. Therefore, swords produced as artworks and offerings to shrines continued to be allowed, and a small number of bladesmiths maintained their skills as craftspeople. This positioning of swords as "art swords" would later become the legal foundation for preservation movements.

Pre-War Preservation Movements——The Imperial Museum and the Birth of Art Swords

During the Meiji and Taisho periods, movements gradually emerged to redefine swords as "artworks" and protect them. The Imperial Museum (now the Tokyo National Museum) undertook efforts to organize its sword collection, and from the late Meiji through early Taisho periods, organized activities by sword enthusiasts and researchers began (while the establishment of the "Touken-kai" in 1906 is sometimes cited, it is difficult to confirm in primary sources; that year is known as when Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori were appointed as Imperial craftspeople).

In the early Showa period (1930s), interest in swords increased with the rise of militarism, and craftspeople known as "Showa-era bladesmiths" became active throughout the country. However, as the war drew to an end, many swords were targeted for metal contributions, and tragic losses occurred as masterworks were consumed as resources.

Sword Restrictions Under GHQ Occupation——A Crisis of Survival

Shortly after the end of the war in August 1945 (Showa 20), the GHQ implemented strict regulations on swords as it proceeded with Japan's disarmament. From around 1946, GHQ conducted seizures and confiscations of swords throughout the country, resulting in many swords being destroyed or exported overseas.

The number of swords lost during this period was enormous, and modern researchers consider "GHQ confiscation to be one of the most serious cultural losses of Japanese swords." Some of the swords taken overseas still exist in collections and museums in America and Europe, and repatriation negotiations continue intermittently.

Through persistent negotiations by the Japanese side and efforts to assert the value of swords as cultural properties and artworks, the direction of regulations regarding the possession of art swords began to shift toward relaxation from around 1949. The Cultural Properties Protection Law, enacted in 1950 (Showa 25), became an important legal foundation for officially positioning swords as cultural properties.

Establishment of the Registration System——The Path to Sword Legalization

The Gun and Sword Law (Law for Control of Firearms, Swords, and Other Weapons) was enacted and implemented in 1958 (Showa 33), providing legal framework for the possession of Japanese swords. Swords could legally be possessed by obtaining a "registration certificate," and buying, selling, inheritance, and display were officially recognized. Registration certificates are issued by prefectural boards of education, and a name change notification is required each time ownership changes (the procedures for obtaining and transferring registration certificates are summarized in Japanese Sword Registration Certificate Guide).

Registered swords have become subjects of the art market, private collections, and museum exhibitions.

Modern Bladesmith Training System——Transmission of Skills

The key to the system for training modern bladesmiths is the approval for sword-making (sakuto-shounin) from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Those aspiring to become bladesmiths must complete at least five years of apprenticeship under an approved bladesmith and complete the "Art Sword Bladesmith Skill Preservation Training Course" hosted by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (All Japan Bladesmith Association "For Those Who Want to Become Sword Smiths").

• Apprenticeship period: Five years or more (living in the master's workshop is standard)
• Days of forging: According to the examination standards for production approval, tachi, katana, and naginata require 15 days or more per blade, while wakizashi, tanto, and similar swords require 10 days or more (Aomori Prefecture "Production Approval Standards for Art Swords")
• Tamahagane use: Official bladesmiths use tamahagane supplied by the NBTHK (The Japanese Sword and Cultural Sword Preservation Society)

The number of bladesmiths was reported to be 188 as of 2017 (Touken World "How to Become a Sword Smith"). Although the system allows non-Japanese citizens to become bladesmiths, the reality is that very few bladesmiths accept foreigners as apprentices.

Japanese Sword as Cultural Property——Redefinition in Modern Times

150 years after the haitourei, Japanese swords have established a solid position as "Japan's tangible and intangible cultural properties recognized by the world." An international sword boom has further strengthened this position against the backdrop of growing interest in Europe, America, China, and Taiwan. The detailed history from immediately after the haitourei to survival as art swords is also covered in The Meiji Restoration and the Crisis of Japanese Swords.

However, challenges remain. The stable supply of iron sand and charcoal as raw materials for tamahagane, the shortage of successors for skilled polishers (togishi), scabbard makers (sayashi), and fittings specialists (koshiraeshi), and appropriate conservation and management of registered swords—these are structural problems facing contemporary sword culture. Japanese swords, as they face renewed questions about their significance, are drawing unprecedented global attention. TOUKENZA will continue to inherit this history of renewal and communicate the value of Japanese swords to the world.