If there’s one thing tourists love to do when visiting Japan, it’s picking up a Japanese sword and pretending to be a samurai. Okay, maybe not all tourists. But enough for it to be a trend. Unfortunately, one aspect of this experience offered in the birthplace of the Iaidō tradition is ending due to police decree.
Birthplace of Iaidō
The “Samurai Experience” in the city of Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, has run since 2017. Murayama’s Hayashizaki Iai Shrine is the birthplace of Iaidō, a sword-handling tradition dating from Japan’s Warring States Period that gained popularity in the Edo Era. The practice emphasizes the spiritual aspects of sword handling and use over military use.
One aspect of Iaidō is tameshigiri (試し斬り), or testing a new sword prior to real-world use. In the rough-and-tumble days, this means “testing” it on a convict or unlucky townsperson. In modern Iaidō, this means cutting through tatami mat rolls or bamboo stalks.
A reversal
Initially, the Yamagata Prefectural Police approved this practice. The Japanese government also lauded the Murayama program as a unique cultural attraction, granting it a Sports Tourism Award in 2020.
In an about-face, however, last year, Japan’s National Police Agency issued a reversal. The statement sent to Tokyo and other prefectural police agencies said that, as a general rule, allowing tourists to slice actual objects with samurai swords violates Japan’s Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law and is not allowed.
The reason for the reversal? According to Sponichi Annex, the police became worried that tourists might accidentally injure someone. They also worried about someone with bad intentions using the blades specifically to cause harm.
The nation’s weapons laws are strict, regulating the types of blades that can be carried and how they can be used down to the minute detail. In one case, for example, a man was fined for carrying around scissors that were 8.86cm long – 0.86cm longer than legally allowed. The law also forbids carrying around items such as a Swiss army knife.
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The Murayama Samurai Experience will still allow foreigners to visit and practice Iaidō. It’s replaced student tameshigiri, however, with a live demonstration by an instructor.
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Sources
真剣で試し切りが一転ＮＧ、山形 訪日客に人気、地元落胆. Tokyo Shimbun
居合道体験プログラム. Murayama City Website
Firearm and Sword Possession Control Law. Wikipedia
訪日客に人気も…真剣で試し切り 一転NGの理由. Sponichi Annex
