Japanese Martial Art

When The Samurai Were Ordered To Give Up Swords

The Samurai are possibly the most famous warrior clans in the world. Stately, sombre and meditative in manner and lifestyle alike, they enjoyed a highly superior social status for nearly two millennia.

What could threaten a warrior class as well-respected and powerful as the Samurai? It may seem astonishing, but the force that took the Samurai's power away from them was nothing other than the rot eating away at the 21st century mind and society - politics.

In 1876, the Meiji government - then in power in Japan - issued an edict called the Haitorei edict. This prohibited the carrying of swords by everyone, except the military and law enforcement officials.

Obviously, it did not prove to be easy to separate the samurai from his sword. The samurais continued to carry swords, except that they did so in disguise. Rather than disguising themselves, they merely disguised the sword as a cane made out of wood or bamboo. The imperfections of wood and the regular joints in bamboo enabled the samurai to make joints and add buttons to scabbards made out of these materials, without risking instant discovery by passers-by or law officials.

These disguised swords were not identical to the traditional swords the Japanese carried. To fit within a bamboo sheath(as most of them were), the blades needed to be straight - a LOT straighter than a curvy katana arcing its way across a holder on the back. From the outside, a disguised bamboo-cane sword really did have to look like a walking-stick being carried by any gentleman.

The "stick swords" thus made were of less quality than the traditional Katana and Wakizashi - the long and short swords, respectively, carried by the samurai in days when they were permitted to carry weapons. However, one man - albeit fictional - has grown famous for his ability to wield the stick sword, despite his blindness.

This man is called Zatoichi.

Zatoichi is a character from Kan Shimozawa's novels. Blind and a masseur, he is seen as someone perfectly harmless by those who have not seen his intricate swordplay. Keep in mind here that blind people in Japan were treated as if they had been cursed by God, which is to say they were treated worse than dirt. As a result, the origins of his dazzling sword skills are doubly mysterious - as if leaving them unrevealed throughout the book was not suspense-inducing enough!

The name "Zatoichi" can be seen in two ways etymologically. Zatoichi's actual name, though, is "Ichi". "Zato" is the lowest of four official ranks in the guide of blind men, the Todoza. In slang, blind men would be referred to as "Zato." Therefore, "Zatoichi" comes out to mean "lonely, proud Ichi.

Other than this, "Za" stands for "master", "to" for sword, and "chi" for one. From here, Zatoichi's name emerges to mean "Master of the First Sword". The dichotomy between the blind masseur and skilled swordmaster is explored beautifully in the film versions of "Zatoichi", so make sure to watch them any day you feel like entering the world of Samurai Japan.