What was the sword chase in Japan?

In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi , the second of the three unifiers of Japan, issued a decree. Thereafter, farmers were prohibited from carrying swords or other weapons. The swords would be reserved for the class only of samurai warriors . What was the “sword hunt” or katanagari what followed? Why did Hideyoshi take this drastic step?

In 1588, the kampaku of Japan , Toyotomi Hideyoshi, issued the following decree:

1. It is strictly forbidden for peasants from all provinces to have swords, short swords, bows, spears, firearms or other types of weapons in their possession. If unnecessary war implements are kept, the annual rent charge ( nengu ) can become more difficult, and without provocation, lifts can be encouraged. Therefore, those who commit improper acts against the samurai who receive a land grant ( kyunin ) must be judged and punished. However, in that case, their wet and dry fields will remain unattended, and the samurai will lose their rights ( chigyo ) to the yields of the fields. Therefore, the chiefs of the provinces, the samurai who receive a land grant, and the deputies must collect all the weapons described above and hand them over to Hideyoshi’s government.
2. The swords and short swords collected in the previous way will not go to waste. They will be used as rivets and bolts in the construction of the Great Buddha Image. In this way, the farmers will benefit not only in this life but also in the lives to come.
3. If farmers own only agricultural implements and devote themselves exclusively to cultivating the fields, they and their descendants will prosper. This compassionate concern for the welfare of the estates is the reason for the issuance of this edict, and such concern is the basis for the peace and security of the country and the joy and happiness of all the people… Sixteenth Year of Tensho [ 1588], seventh month, eighth day

Why did Hideyoshi forbid farmers to carry swords?

Before the end of the 16th century, Japanese of different classes carried swords and other weapons for self-defense during the chaotic period Sengoku , and also as personal ornaments. However, sometimes people used these weapons against their samurai overlords in peasant revolts ( ikki ) and the even more threatening combined uprisings of peasants and monks ( ikko-ikki ). Therefore, Hideyoshi’s decree was aimed at disarming both farmers and warrior monks.

To justify this imposition, Hideyoshi points out that farms are left unattended when farmers revolt and have to be arrested. He also claims that farmers will be more prosperous if they focus on farming instead of getting up. Finally, he promises to use the metal from the melted swords to make rivets for a statue of the Great Buddha in Nara, thus ensuring blessings for unwitting “donors”.

In fact, Hideyoshi sought to create and enforce a four level class system stricter, in which everyone knew their place in society and respected it. This is quite hypocritical, since he himself was from a farmer-warrior background and was not a true samurai.

How did Hideyoshi enforce the decree?

In the domains that Hideyoshi controlled directly, as well as Shinano and Mino, Hideyoshi’s own officials went house to house looking for weapons. In the other domains, the kampaku simply ordered the daimyo It was his duty to confiscate the swords and weapons, and then his officers would travel to the domain capitals to collect the weapons.

Some domain lords were assiduous in collecting all the weapons from their subjects, perhaps out of fear of uprisings. Others deliberately did not comply with the decree. For example, there are letters between members of the Shimazu family of the southern Satsuma domain, in which they agreed to send a paltry 30,000 swords to Edo (Tokyo), despite the fact that the region was famous for the long swords carried by all adult men. .

Despite the fact that Sword Hunt was less effective in some regions than others, its overall effect was to solidify the four-tier class system. It also played a role in the cessation of violence after Sengoku, which led to the two and a half centuries of peace that characterized the Tokugawa shogunate .