* Image is for illustrative purposes only.The Sword Registration System under Japan's Firearms and Swords Control Law
銃刀法による美術刀剣登録制度
After the postwar "Shōwa sword hunt," this system established that Japanese swords of artistic value could be legally possessed once registered with a prefectural board of education. It is based on the Firearms and Swords Possession Control Ordinance (1950) and the Firearms and Swords Control Law (Jūtōhō, 1958), which succeeded it, and it remains the premise for the sale and possession of swords today.
Description
Background to the System's Establishment
After World War II, the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (GHQ) carried out the confiscation of swords, including Japanese swords, as part of its disarmament policy. Under these circumstances, when even Japanese swords with value as art objects and traditional crafts were at risk of being discarded alongside military weapons, Honma Junji and other sword specialists argued for the artistic value of Japanese swords and devoted themselves to their preservation. Following the confusion of this Occupation period, there came a need for the establishment of a permanent legal framework that would allow Japanese swords to be possessed legally.
Establishment of the Registration System under the Firearms and Swords Possession Control Ordinance
In 1950 (Shōwa 25), the Firearms and Swords Possession Control Ordinance (Shōwa 25 Cabinet Order No. 334), a Potsdam ordinance, took effect and established a mechanism permitting possession of swords with value as art objects through their registration. A registration certificate (registration certificate document) was issued for each registered sword, and thereafter this certificate circulated attached to the sword itself. When the Firearms and Swords Control Law took effect in 1958, swords that had been registered under the provisions of the Ordinance were deemed to have been registered under the provisions of that law.
Relationship to the Firearms and Swords Control Law
The Firearms and Swords Possession Control Law (Jūtōhō), promulgated on March 10, 1958 (Shōwa 33), prohibited the possession of swords in principle, while providing that swords as art objects that had been registered under Article 14 of the same law could be possessed as an exception to the possession prohibition in Article 3. As a result, the registration under the Jūtōhō and the legalization of possession of registered swords were combined, completing the current system for legally owning and trading art swords.
Significance in the Present Day
This registration system remains the premise for all sale, inheritance, and possession of Japanese swords within Japan today. When a sword is bought or transferred, its registration certificate is handed over together with the sword itself, and notification of the change of ownership to the board of education is required. When swords are exported overseas, a copy of this registration certificate is also required for the application for the Agency for Cultural Affairs' export appraisal certificate for old art objects (kobijutsuhin yushutsu kansa shōmei). As the foundation of postwar sword administration, the system supports the sword culture and market of today.
Characteristics of This Era
- Following the confiscation of swords by the GHQ during the Occupation (commonly known as the "Shōwa sword hunt"), sword specialists called for their preservation as art objects
- The Firearms and Swords Possession Control Ordinance, enforced in 1950, established a registration system for swords with value as art objects
- The Firearms and Swords Control Law, enforced in 1958, provided in Article 14 for the registration of art swords, establishing a mechanism under which registered swords could be possessed as an exception to the possession prohibition in Article 3
- Registration is currently administered by prefectural boards of education, which issue registration certificates (registration certificate documents)
- The registration certificate accompanies the sword itself, and notification to the board of education is required when ownership changes
- When the Jūtōhō took effect in 1958, swords that had been registered under the former ordinance (the Possession Control Ordinance) were deemed to have been registered under that law
- The current system is the basic legal framework that is the premise for all sale, inheritance, and export and import of swords