Having a Katana in Japan

Dark Gami · 30 Dec 2006

I heard that if you want to get yourself a katana in Japan you must have some kind of license and the number of those licenses is controlled by the government. And a thing which I don't enjoy too much, I hear that in Japan the people are not allowed to wear a sword katana style (with the side of the sharp part of the blade upwards). Is all this true?

Mike Cash · 30 Dec 2006

Do you think there are people licensed to walk the streets with swords in Japan?

pipokun · 30 Dec 2006

The govenment has recently strengthened the toy gun/sord regulation.
And you should not carry a screwdriver during your trip unless it is made of Belgian chocolate.

undrentide · 30 Dec 2006

Firearms And Swords Control Law in English (if you are interested).

I hear that in Japan the people are not allowed to wear a sword katana style (with the side of the sharp part of the blade upwards)

Katana is worn in its sheath and the shapt part of the blade downwards. The "katana style" you mentioned is not really the way Japanese sword is worn....

Mike Cash · 30 Dec 2006

undrentide said:
Firearms And Swords Control Law in English (if you are interested).

Katana is worn in its sheath and the shapt part of the blade downwards. The "katana style" you mentioned is not really the way Japanese sword is worn....

I think you may be confusing the katana with the tachi. Or perhaps confusing "sharp part" to mean "point" instead of "edge".

undrentide · 30 Dec 2006

Mike Cash said:
I think you may be confusing the katana with the tachi. Or perhaps confusing "sharp part" to mean "point" instead of "edge".

Thank you, Mike, for pointing out my misunderstanding.

yukio_michael · 30 Dec 2006

Dark Gami said:
And a thing which I don't enjoy too much, I hear that in Japan the people are not allowed to wear a sword katana style (with the side of the sharp part of the blade upwards). Is all this true?

God forbid you're walking to Lawsons & you have to defend yourself & the honour of your family against raiding ninjas.

But that's the man for you... always trying to keep you down.

MajideSaiaku · 30 Dec 2006

Nah, I always thought the weapon of choice these days was to sting your enemy into submission with a Tokyo Marui Airsoft AEG gun.

PHEAR MY PELLETS!!1!1

Mrjones · 30 Dec 2006

That would be my fists XD

Dark Gami · 30 Dec 2006

But what if I'm going to my weekly battojutsu practice? I can't take my katana out of the house or what?

hkBattousai · 30 Dec 2006

Dark Gami said:
But what if I'm going to my weekly battojutsu practice? I can't take my katana out of the house or what?

Battoujutsu, you say!!! It's my favourite attack .
But I improved a better one one year ago, Amakakeru Ryo no Hirameki!!

nice gaijin · 30 Dec 2006

Everyone I've seen who attends classes that involve weapons (剣道、棒術、弓道, etc) carries their weapon upright, in their hands, in a special bag. Nobody wears a sword, period. Nobody wears their uniform when they're on their way to class, to do so would be quite silly.

Elizabeth · 31 Dec 2006

Dark Gami said:
I heard that if you want to get yourself a katana in Japan you must have some kind of license and the number of those licenses is controlled by the government. And a thing which I don't enjoy too much, I hear that in Japan the people are not allowed to wear a sword katana style (with the side of the sharp part of the blade upwards). Is all this true?

Just buy one on ebay, at a gun show or flea market...I doubt you need a license for that.

MajideSaiaku · 31 Dec 2006

Nice Gaijin is right, all responsible practitioners of martial arts/hobbies when not using their weapons in appropriate locations carry them safely hidden in a bag.

If you go out into your back-yard swinging a sword about, and your neighbours see, you could very well expect the police firearms unit on your doorstep.

Most japanese people dont own a weapon, and those that do keep them saffely store/on show as decoration/in appropriate carrying bags or cases to only take them out-doors to transport to the appropriate location or for repairs.

No-one wears a sword like the old samurai fashion and if they did it would probably give the local constabulary cause for concern.

Iron Chef · 31 Dec 2006

Hey, if Beatrice Kiddo could do it why not the rest of us? 8-p

yukio_michael · 31 Dec 2006

nurizeko said:
[...]

Nuri, did you ever hear that there were apparently more than a few sword attacks in Aberdeen some time ago...? Maybe a few years. I don't know if they were perpetrated by the same individual but it was rather odd...

MajideSaiaku · 31 Dec 2006

And what evidence can you offer that proves they were infact responsible martial art/hobby practitioners?.

Every country has morons who think their big committing crimes with weaponry.

Edit: That reminds me, the above statement is even more good advice as to avoid carrying weapons about in public, since Firearm officers tend to assume everyone carrying an un-covered weapon in public is a criminally insane *****, their more likely to pop a real bullet between your eyes.

Mycernius · 31 Dec 2006

Nurizeko said:
Every country has morons who think their big committing crimes with weaponry.

Advantage of being a archer. I can't think of a crime in the UK involving any kind of bow in recent years. Might be that shops are few and far between and your average idiot hasn't the skill to use one properly. Hence there is no licence or age limit to own, carry or use one.

Dark Gami · 31 Dec 2006

I can't believe this!!!!!! You can't even practice in your own back yard cause if the neighbors see you, they'll put the police on you????????? And you can't even wear your costume on the way to practice!? But what if one day I simply feel like going out wearing a hakama!?

Grandpa Frank · 31 Dec 2006

The shopping mall rule.

I guess you could always ask yourself: If I went to my local shopping mall dressed in a costume carrying a sword or loaded gun, would I get in trouble or looked at like I was a crazy??
Chances are , if you answer yes, you wouldn't do it in Japan either. If you wouldn't want your friends or family (or your local police) to see you do something, probably shouldn't plan on doing it in Japan. Maybe too simplified an example?

Uncle Frank

pipokun · 31 Dec 2006

But what if one day I simply feel like going out wearing a hakama!?
In March, you can find some young women in hakama for their graduation ceremony. So March is your month here.

Emoni · 31 Dec 2006

Dark Gami said:
I can't believe this!!!!!! You can't even practice in your own back yard cause if the neighbors see you, they'll put the police on you????????? And you can't even wear your costume on the way to practice!? But what if one day I simply feel like going out wearing a hakama!?

Is there a reason why you want to swing a large razor around in backyards that are the size of a typical American doorway? Is there a reason you want to walk around through the streets in Japan wearing full practice armor and gear? Is there a reason you are posting here?

For someone who is enjoying talking about one's "practice" I find it hard to believe you are a serious martial artist or you would know better than to want to behave like you are implying in public. Go to a real dojo anywhere in Japan expecting and acting like you seem to want to, and they will seriously wonder what is wrong with you and probably ask you to leave.

Please also don't go buy a sword, dress up in full gear, and walk through the streets of the United States either. Hey, maybe I should go dress up as a cowboy and sling a gun around as I walk to shooting practice.

undrentide · 31 Dec 2006

Dark Gami,
If you are really interested in martial art, why don't you find a dojo in Romania? (Maybe kendo is the easiest to find, also iaido is another possibility.)

In Japan kendo is one of the most popular martial art besides judo, aikido and karate. Other sort of "Japanese" martial arts popular outside of Japan, are rather hard to find in Japan compared to those popular ones.
There are a few dojos where they teach how to cut with Japanese sword (like iaido and shinkendo), but I don't think that they'll let the beginners touch the real (cutting) sword let alone practice with it.
Those bujutsu (meaning martial arts) are not just to learn how to fight but rather learn the spirit, how to control oneself, etc.

So if you are serious about those martial arts, I'd recommend you to learn a little more about it, experience it (if possible), and after that you can worry about what to do with the sword.

Mike Cash · 31 Dec 2006

I think someone has a very warped idea of Japan thanks to anime and cosplay....

Emoni · 31 Dec 2006

Mike Cash said:
I think someone has a very warped idea of Japan thanks to anime and cosplay....

Finally someone said it... If only people would point this out to others more often.

Having a Katana in Japan

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