The Taika Reforms of 645 and Japanese Swords: The Origins of Weapon Regulation in the Early Ritsuryo State

The Taika Reforms and the Emergence of "State Management of Weapons"

The "Taika Reforms," which began in 645 when Prince Nakatsu and Fujiwara no Kamatari assassinated Soga no Umako, was a turning point that fundamentally transformed Japan's political system. Through the introduction of the ritsuryō legal code, this reform aimed to establish a system of state management centered on the Emperor over land and people. And in this process, the problem of "management of weapons and swords" came to be consciously addressed institutionally for the first time.

In pre-reform clan society, each clan possessed its own armed groups, and swords were tribal possessions. The Taika Reforms aimed to concentrate this dispersed military power with the Emperor and the court. Swords were also redefined as symbols of state power—this marks the beginning of that historical process.

Sword Regulations Under the Ritsuryō System—The Establishment of "Prohibitions on Weapons"

In the ritsuryō legal system organized after the Taika Reforms, the first formal regulations concerning swords appear. The Taihō Code of 701 and the Yōrō Code of 757 included weapons regulations called "Prohibitions on Weapons."

In the Yōrō Code, the general populace was in principle prohibited from carrying swords and bows within the capital (Kyōshi). However, nobility of the fifth rank and above and the Efu (衛府, court security forces) were exempt from this regulation. This regulation reflected the fundamental policy of the ritsuryō state: to concentrate military power in the Emperor's direct military apparatus and suppress the private military forces of the great clans.

Meanwhile, in border regions (particularly the northeast and Kyushu), combat with the Emishi and Hayato continued, and the military relationship between local clans and the court was complex. The management and distribution of swords remained a delicate issue reflecting political tensions between the center and the regions.

The Reality of Swords in the Asuka and Nara Periods—From Straight Swords to Curved Swords

The swords of this era were primarily "straight swords" (chokutō). The curved tachi that we today imagine when we hear "Japanese sword" did not yet exist. The swords of the Asuka and Nara periods were straight swords—either double-edged or single-edged—heavily influenced by Chinese and Korean sword culture, combining both decorative and practical elements.

The Shōsōin (in Nara) contains several swords associated with Emperor Shōmu, which serve as precious materials for understanding the actual state of swords in this era. The Shōsōin swords, exemplified by kingin-sō tachi (swords with gold and silver fittings), were luxurious straight swords decorated with gold and silver metalwork; they were ceremonial and status-demonstrating pieces rather than for actual combat. The blade length was typically 60-90 cm, with elaborate metalwork decoration applied to the hilt and scabbard.

Emperor Tenmu's Military Reforms and the Positioning of Swords

Approximately 40 years after the Taika Reforms, the Jinshin Rebellion of 672 more directly demonstrated the relationship between swords and political power. This civil conflict, in which Prince Ōama (later Emperor Tenmu) overthrew the Ōmi court, was decided by the mobilization of armed clan forces.

After ascending to the throne, Emperor Tenmu began compiling the "Asuka Kiyomihara Code" in 681-682, and in 683 issued an imperial edict stating "From now on, you shall always wear a sword." This obligated high-ranking warriors and officials to wear swords at all times, and became a precursor to the concept of "bearing a sword as proof of status" among ritsuryō warriors.

At the same time, the Tenmu court also advanced state management of swordsmiths (kaji). Court-controlled weapons workshops were established, and an official sword production system was developed. This became the precursor to the later "ritsuryō swordsmith" system.

The Emishi Campaigns and Sword Supply to the Regions

The ritsuryō state's northern policy—the Emishi campaigns—created massive demand for swords. The advancement into Mutsu and Dewa in the 8th century, as commemorated in the "Songs of the Border Garrison Soldiers" (sakimori no uta) by Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was connected to the practical matter of distributing swords to soldiers.

As conflicts in the northeast continued—such as the major Emishi rebellion of 709 (the Mutsu Emishi uprising), the establishment of Tagajō in 724, and the Hōki Rebellion of 780 (a major Emishi uprising)—the court was forced to make strategic stockpiles and transport of weapons. In ancient records such as the Shōzeicho, the quantities of swords stockpiled in various provinces are recorded, revealing the actual state of weapons management in the ritsuryō era.

Swords and Ritsuryō Status System—"Wearing a Sword" as an Indicator of Status

In ritsuryō society, what kind of sword one wore was an important symbol of status. In the "Regulations on Ceremonies" of the Taihō and Yōrō codes, the materials and forms of sword decoration permitted by rank (ikai) were strictly defined, with various forms such as golden-decorated tachi, silver-decorated tachi, and black-lacquered tachi corresponding to the ranks of officials.

Bearing a sword was a "privilege of the nobility and warriors," and carrying swords within the capital was forbidden for farmers and commoners. This system was carried over into the Heian period, and became the prototype for the status-laden meaning of "tachi and sashiryō" in the later warrior society.

The Legacy Left by the Ritsuryō Sword System

The sword system organized during the formation of the ritsuryō state beginning with the Taika Reforms left three important legacies to Japanese sword culture.

• First is the principle of "state management of swords." The concept of treating swords not as personal property but as "proof of military power" managed by the state became a long tradition continuing to the sword hunts and sword-wearing regulations of the Edo period.
• Second is the "correspondence between status and sword decoration." The practice of showing one's social position through the material and form of sword one wore developed into the way of wearing the wakizashi in warrior society and the sword etiquette of the Edo period.
• Third is the "bureaucratization of craftsmen (swordsmiths)." The tradition of swordsmiths employed by the state under the ritsuryō system led to the later system of swordsmiths employed by the court and the shogun's house.

The embryo of the ritsuryō sword system that began with the political change of 645 holds important significance as the origin of the relationship between "the state and the sword" before the birth of the unique cultural and craft tradition of the Japanese sword.