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 Weapons Management"

The "Taika Reforms" of 645, initiated when Emperor Tenji and Fujiwara no Kamatari assassinated Soga no Iruka, were a turning point that fundamentally transformed Japan's political system. This reform sought to establish a state management system centered on the emperor over land and people through the adoption of the ritsuryō legal codes. In this process, the question of "management of weapons and swords" was, for the first time, institutionally recognized.

Before the reforms, in the society of regional clans, each clan possessed independent armed groups, and swords were tribal possessions. The Taika Reforms aimed to concentrate this dispersed military power in the emperor and the imperial court. Swords were likewise redefined as symbols of state power, marking the beginning of this historical process.

Sword Regulations under the Ritsuryō System—Establishment of "Weapons Prohibitions"

Within the ritsuryō system organized after the Taika Reforms, the first comprehensive legal ordinances concerning swords appeared. The Taihō Code of 701 and the Yōrō Code of 757 included weapons-carrying regulations called "heikinshi" (weapons prohibitions).

Under the Yōrō Code, common people were in principle prohibited from carrying swords and bows within the imperial capitals (kyōshi). However, nobles of the fifth rank and above, and warriors of the efu (palace guards) were exempt from this restriction. This regulation reflected the fundamental policy of the ritsuryō state to concentrate military force in the emperor's direct military structure and suppress the private military power of regional clans.

Meanwhile, in frontier regions—particularly the northeast and Kyushu—combat with the Emishi and Kumaso peoples continued, and the military relationship between local clans and the court remained complex. The management and distribution of swords remained a delicate issue reflecting political tensions between the center and regions.

Swords in the Asuka and Nara Periods—From Straight Swords to Curved Blades

Straight swords (chokutō) were the mainstream type during this period. The curved blades we now imagine when we think of "Japanese swords" did not yet exist. Swords of the Asuka and Nara periods were influenced by Chinese and Korean sword culture and took the form of double-edged or single-edged straight swords that combined decorative and practical qualities.

The Shōsō-in storehouse (Nara) preserves several swords connected to Emperor Shōmu, serving as valuable materials for understanding the actual state of swords during this era. Swords preserved in the Shōsō-in, represented by kinkakuzō-daichi (great swords with gold and silver fittings), are ornate straight swords with gold and silver metalwork, bearing more the character of ceremonial and status-display weapons than practical combat tools. Most have blade lengths of 60–90 cm, with elaborate metalwork decorations on the hilt and scabbard.

Emperor Temmu's Military Reforms and the Positioning of Swords

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

After assuming the throne, Emperor Temmu began compiling the "Asuka Kiyomihara Code" in 681–682, and in 683 issued an edict stating "Henceforth, constantly wear swords." This mandated regular sword-wearing for upper-ranking warriors and officials, becoming a precursor to the concept of "sword-bearing as proof of identity" for ritsuryō warriors.

At the same time, the Temmu court advanced state management of sword smiths (kaji). Government workshops (heiki-shi) were placed under direct imperial authority, establishing a system for official sword production. This became the seed of the later "ritsuryō swordsmith" system.

Emishi Subjugation and Sword Supply to Local Regions

The ritsuryō state's northern policy—the subjugation of the Emishi—created massive demand for swords. The advance into Mutsu and Dewa in the 8th century, as Ōtomo no Yakamochi commemorated in "Songs of the Frontier Guard," was linked to the practical matter of sword distribution to soldiers.

With conflicts in the northeast continuing—including the Emishi Great Rebellion of 709, the establishment of Tagajō in 724, and the Hōki Rebellion of 780 (a large-scale Emishi uprising)—the court was forced to engage in planned stockpiling and transport of weapons. Ancient records such as the "Shōzei-chō" (Tax Records) contain entries listing the quantities of swords stockpiled in each province (kokufu), allowing us to glimpse the actual state of weapons management during the ritsuryō period.

Swords and the Ritsuryō Status System—"Sword-Wearing" as Status

In ritsuryō society, which type of sword one "wore" (sashita) was an important symbol of status. The "Ceremonial Ordinances" sections of the Taihō and Yōrō Codes carefully prescribed, according to official rank (kaii), the materials and forms of sword fittings permitted, with formats such as gold-mounted great swords (ōgon-zō daichi), silver-mounted great swords (gin-zō daichi), and black-lacquered great swords (kuro-nuri daichi) corresponding to officials' ranks.

Sword-wearing was a "privilege of nobles and warriors," and sword-wearing by farmers and commoners within the imperial capitals was prohibited. This system continued into the Heian period and became the prototype for the social significance of the "tachi (great sword) and sashiryo (small sword)" in later warrior society.

Legacies Left by the Ritsuryō Sword System

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

The first is the principle of "state management of swords." The concept of treating swords not as private 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. The second is the "correspondence between status and sword fittings." The convention that the material and form of sword one wore indicated social standing developed into the manner of wearing the wakizashi in warrior society and the sword etiquette of the Edo period. The third is the "bureaucratization of craftsmen (swordsmiths)." The tradition of swordsmiths employed by the state under the ritsuryō system led to later systems of court-appointed and shogun-appointed master swordsmiths.

The seed of the ritsuryō sword system, beginning with the political upheaval of 645, holds important meaning as the origin of the relationship between the state and swords—before the unique cultural and craft tradition of the Japanese sword was born.