Tekkan
Encyclopedia
The Tekkan or "iron sword" (Tetsu-ken) is a Japanese weapon, used during the Edo period until the beginning of the 20th Century.
This weapon was an iron truncheon, and could closely resemble a wakizashi sized sword with a blunt iron blade or they could be a cast iron version of a hachiwari ( hachiwara ).
Tekkan became very popular during the Edo period
with wealthy merchants and farmers, since such people were denied by law from carrying or possessing swords or other edged weapons. The tekkan, bearing no edge, had always been permitted by law.
In 1876, the Meiji
government of Japan passed the Haitorei Edict
, often called the "Sword Abolishment Act". This law prohibited all Japanese people, including the former members of the knightly samurai
class, from bearing weapons in public. This prohibition led to a surge in popularity of a number of non-sword weapons, as well as disguised swords of various kinds. After the Haitorei Edict came into effect, members of the Samurai class also began carrying tekkan as self-defence weapons.
Image:Tetsu ken.JPG|Antique Japanese tetsu ken (tekkan) iron bar weapon.
Image:Hachi wari 2.JPG|Antique Japanese cast iron hachi wari. A type of tekkan.
This weapon was an iron truncheon, and could closely resemble a wakizashi sized sword with a blunt iron blade or they could be a cast iron version of a hachiwari ( hachiwara ).
Tekkan became very popular during the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
with wealthy merchants and farmers, since such people were denied by law from carrying or possessing swords or other edged weapons. The tekkan, bearing no edge, had always been permitted by law.
In 1876, the Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
government of Japan passed the Haitorei Edict
Haitorei Edict
The was an edict issued by the Meiji government of Japan on March 28, 1876 which prohibited people, with the exception of the military and law enforcement officials, from carrying weapons in public. Violators would have their swords confiscated....
, often called the "Sword Abolishment Act". This law prohibited all Japanese people, including the former members of the knightly samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
class, from bearing weapons in public. This prohibition led to a surge in popularity of a number of non-sword weapons, as well as disguised swords of various kinds. After the Haitorei Edict came into effect, members of the Samurai class also began carrying tekkan as self-defence weapons.
Gallery
Image:Tetsu ken.JPG|Antique Japanese tetsu ken (tekkan) iron bar weapon.
Image:Hachi wari 2.JPG|Antique Japanese cast iron hachi wari. A type of tekkan.