of houses. All registered individuals were then prohibited from moving to any other province, or han, without prior government approval.
Following the death of Hideyoshi and the establishment of the Tokugawa sh
gunate under Tokugawa Ieyasu, these social policies were further enforced with even more government proclamations. Barrier stations, or seki, were established on all major highways, and travelers were searched for any contraband or defiance of rules regarding physical movement. The Tokugawa sh
gunate was known for the policy to prevent Irideppo ni deonna (incoming firearms and fleeing women), which prohibited transport of arms and restricted women, especially daimy
family members held as potential hostages, from leaving the city.
Disarming the commoners
Although samurai openly carried razor-sharp swords, ch
nin (townsmen) and nomin (farmers) during the Edo period usually were not allowed such overt displays of weaponry. Restricted by government decrees, they often resorted to hibuki (hidden or concealed weapons) for personal protection.
While katana (long swords) were prohibited, ch
nin and nomin were still allowed to carry tant (daggers) as well as short swords known as wakizashi. For many years after the end of the Japanese civil wars, though, commoners did not always abide by the laws prohibiting swords. One reason was that the actual measurements3 used to define katana, wakizashi, and tant
were confusing and often inconsistently applied in many of these laws. Thus during the early part of the Edo period (early 1600s), some ch
nin, and especially yakuza,4 or criminal gang members, openly carried long wakizashi that were virtually equivalent to prohibited katana.
In an effort to restore peace and order to their society, the Tokugawa sh
gunate issued various orders prohibiting ch
nin from carrying long swords. One such government order was the Daish katana no sump oyobi touhatsu futsum no sei (the order regarding daish
katana and hair style), issued in July 1645. This law specified the maximum blade length of katana as 2 shaku 8 or 9 sun5 and wakizashi as 1 shaku 8 or 9 sun.6
In March 1668, the Tokugawa sh
gunate once again issued Mut rei (no sword order), an executive directive firmly prohibiting the ch
nin class from carrying any swords longer than ko-wakizashi, a very short sword, without specific government permission. According to the edict, the ko-wakizashi blade length was defined as being no longer than 1 shaku 5 sun.7 The feudal government later revised this executive order, adding some specific exceptions to this prohibition, including the right for ch
nin to carry regular-length wakizashi when traveling or during fires.
Commoners were allowed to carry a wakizashi on trips to protect themselves and their valuables from brigands who often preyed on travelers. Since fires in the densely populated city of Edo occurred with such frequency, most ch
nin would take their household possessions into the streets with them when evacuating their neighborhood. The government decree thus allowed them to arm themselves and protect their personal possessions during such chaotic events.
Although not specifically prohibited from carrying ko-wakizashi, law-abiding ch
nin during the Edo period typically did not wear any sword while conducting their day-to-day business within the city. Because the risks of encountering bandits or worse, though, it was quite common for ch
nin to openly wear a legal-length ko-wakizashi when traveling any significant distance from their homes.
Samurai status
The sword was venerated by the bushi (warrior class) and even during the relative peace of the Edo period was worn as a badge of samurai status. The sword was considered the “the soul of a samurai,” and no self-respecting bushi would be seen outside his home without his daish
prominently displayed.
Although all members of the samurai class wore the two swords during the Edo period, some did so more out of custom than for functional purposes. The samurai of the Edo period were mostly bureaucrats and administrators, not the warriors of their more violent medieval past. As descendants of soldiers and hereditary members of the military class, they were forced to reconcile the sometimes contradictory roles of being warriors in a time of peace.
Continuing in their martial tradition, many young samurai trained in kenjutsu (swordsmanship) and maintained their overall proficiency with various other weapons. Hundreds of d
j
(training halls) were quite active, and sword instructors were typically highly regarded. As government bureaucrats and officials under the Tokugawa sh
gunate’s peaceful administration, though, many samurai began to consider the daish
more a requirement of their status and less so a practical weapon.
With swords worn primarily for public display, many descendants of the samurai class were less concerned with proficiency and weapons expertise. During the peace of the Tokugawa sh
gunate, many martial arts ryha (style or system) emphasized elaborate and showy presentations rather than actual lethal skill. Critics often complained about the “flowery styles” exhibited by many Edo-period martial arts practitioners. They were concerned that focusing on appearance and flashy displays rather than deadly effectiveness weakened their warrior spirit and prowess and ultimately affected the nation’s defense capabilities. Yet these schools still flourished in the urban perspective, where bureaucratic skills were more significant than swordsmanship.
Kirisutegomen (killing and going away)
Popular fiction has often portrayed the samurai as extremely violent and quick to cut someone down at the slightest provocation. With a rigidly enforced and unquestioned social hierarchy, some samurai did tend to be rather dismissive, even arrogant and abusive toward the lower classes. It is a popular misconception, though, that most samurai swaggered about the streets of Edo or rural highways indiscriminately killing one another or some unfortunate ch
nin and nomin out of anger over the slightest perceived offense. Although this type of incident is a widespread occurrence in historical dramas and novels, the truth is actually much more mundane.
It is true that the convention of kirisutegomen (killing and going away) was formally recognized under the Tokugawa sh
