Meiji Military Sword Era

The Impact of the Haitōrei

On March 28, 1876 (Meiji 9), the Meiji government promulgated the "Haitōrei (Sword Prohibition Edict prohibiting sword-bearing, except for those in court dress and military and police officers)." In a single stroke, the Japanese sword—called the soul of the samurai—was forbidden from public places. The impact of this policy was far-reaching. Sword smiths lost their primary market, and related craftsmen—hilt makers, sharpeners, finishers, and others—were forced into unemployment. Countless swords were discarded and dismantled, lost without ever being recognized as cultural assets.

Samurai opposed to the Haitōrei rose in rebellion that same year: the Shinpuren Rebellion (Kumamoto), the Akizuki Rebellion (Fukuoka), and the Hagi Rebellion (Yamaguchi). These escalated into the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 (an uprising led by Saigō Takamori and Satsuma samurai). Ironically, the Satsuma Rebellion saw the modern, Western-equipped government army defeat the Satsuma samurai bearing outdated swords predating the Haitōrei, a war that became a symbol of Meiji modernization.

The Japanese Sword's Survival as Military Sword

The Haitōrei was not an absolute prohibition on sword-bearing; military and police officers were permitted to carry swords. This exception became the lifeline through which the Japanese sword survived into the modern era as a "military sword." While the Meiji government formally adopted Western military sabers (yōshiki guntō) for the army and navy, among officers a custom persisted of housing traditional Japanese blade forms in "military sword mounts" (guntō koshirae).

Military swords came in two main types: Japano-Western hybrid form with Japanese blades set in Western-style fittings and mounts, and purely Western saber-type with blade and mount both in Western style. The former served to preserve Japanese sword craftsmen's techniques; the latter functioned as purely Western military equipment. From the mid-Meiji period onward, following the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, as Japanese military confidence grew, the argument that "the Japanese sword itself, being unique to Japan, embodies the spirit of the military man" gained strength, giving rise to a tendency to revert to military swords using traditional blade forms.

Gassan Sadakazu and the Continuance of Traditional Technique

The most symbolically prominent swordsmith under the Haitōrei was Gassan Sadakazu (1836–1918). Succeeding to the Gassan school of Osaka, Sadakazu continued his work as a swordsmith even after the Haitōrei and was appointed official swordsmith to Emperor Meiji. His blades exemplify the Gassan school tradition of distinctive forged texture called "ayasugi skin"—resembling the grain of cedar wood—carried out with remarkable skill, embodying the continuation of traditional technique. In 1906 (Meiji 39), he was appointed an Imperial Household Artist, receiving the highest official honor for a swordsmith. Gassan Sadakazu's existence proved that traditional swordsmith techniques could be nationally protected and valued even under the Haitōrei.

The Beginnings of Sword Preservation Efforts

In the turbulent period following the Haitōrei, among some intellectuals and collectors, an awareness grew that "Japanese swords should be preserved as cultural assets." Museums (such as the Tokyo Imperial Museum of that era) began collecting and displaying swords, and the recognition of "swords as art" spread among the educated classes. In 1897 (Meiji 30), the "Ancient Temples and Shrines Preservation Law" was enacted, and a legal framework for the protection of swords began to take shape. This became the precursor to the later system of designating "Important Cultural Properties" and "National Treasures," forming the foundation for sword preservation activities in the Showa period.

The Collection Value of Meiji-Era Military Swords

Meiji-era military swords occupy a unique position in the collector's market. While their evaluation as pure art swords falls short of works before the Edo period, they command enduring support among specialist collectors for their historical value as "witnesses to modern Japanese history," their contextual significance as evidence of technical continuity under the Haitōrei, and the pure technical accomplishment of master smiths such as Gassan Sadakazu. Works by Meiji-period Imperial Household Artists and official smiths such as Gassan Sadakazu and Miyamoto Kanenori are highly valued artistically, and some reach the Important Sword (Jūyō Tōken) rank in NBTHK examination.