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The , also known as ''tetsu-ken'' or , is a Japanese weapon that was used during the Edo period until the beginning of the 20th century. It was an iron truncheon; it could closely resemble a
Image:Tetsu ken.JPG, A tekkan.
Image:Hachi wari 2.JPG, Antique cast-iron truncheon-type kabutowari.''Taiho-jutsu: law and order in the age of the samurai'' By Don Cunningham p.75
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The , also known as ''tetsu-ken'' or , is a Japanese weapon that was used during the Edo period until the beginning of the 20th century. It was an iron truncheon; it could closely resemble a wakizashi
The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (''nihontō'') worn by the samurai in feudal Japan.
History and use
The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:
-sized sword with a blunt iron blade, or it could be a cast-iron version of a kabutowari.
''Tekkan'' became very popular during the Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
with wealthy merchants and farmers, since such people were forbidden 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 Haitōrei Edict, often called the "Sword Abolishment Act". This law prohibited all Japanese people, including the former members of the knightly samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
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 Haitōrei Edict came into effect, members of the samurai class also began carrying ''tekkan'' as self-defence weapons.
Gallery
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See also
*Jitte
A is a specialized weapon that was used by police in Edo period Japan (1603 – 1868).
History
In feudal Japan, it was a crime punishable by death to bring a sword into the ''shōgun''s palace. This law applied to almost everyone, including the ...
* Hachiwara
The , also known as ''hachiwari'', was a type of knife-shaped weapon, resembling a ''jitte'' in many respects. This weapon was carried as a side-arm by the '' samurai'' class of feudal Japan.
Types
''Kabutowari'' were usually around 35cm long; s ...
* Iaitō
The
is a modern metal practice sword, without a cutting edge, used primarily for practicing iaido, a form of Japanese swordsmanship.
Other Japanese swords
A real (sharp) katana is called a . In contrast to shinken, iaitō have no cutting edge ...
References
Samurai clubs and truncheons Clubs and truncheons of Japan {{Blunt-weapon-stub