Knives in 17th-18th century Japan

SilverFoxKnows

SilverFoxKnows

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Sep 25, 2002
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My Google-fu is failing me so I'm hoping there are a few eastern history buffs here. What would a scholar have carried and what would a sailor (or pirate) have carried? A kwaiken for a scholar? Would a tanto have been allowed for a common sailor? What did working knives of the time look like? Analagous to kitchen knives (like trade knives in the west)? Would a Chinese or Indonesian knife have been common? A broken yari head mounted in a tanto handle? Any links, titles or authors I should look for? Thanks.

Frank
 
SilverFoxKnows said:
My Google-fu is failing me so I'm hoping there are a few eastern history buffs here. What would a scholar have carried and what would a sailor (or pirate) have carried? A kwaiken for a scholar? Would a tanto have been allowed for a common sailor? What did working knives of the time look like? Analagous to kitchen knives (like trade knives in the west)? Would a Chinese or Indonesian knife have been common? A broken yari head mounted in a tanto handle? Any links, titles or authors I should look for? Thanks.

Frank
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Japan was already quickly demilitarizing in 1588 due to acts like the "Great Sword Hunt" by Hideyoshi, and when the Tokugawa Shogunate permanently set everyone into 4 social classes in the 1600's (samurai, peasant, merchant, artisan), there was very little need or cause to bear weaponry. Besides, getting caught with a weapon could get you imprisoned, beheaded or crucified.

Plenty of tools existed, of course, but you will be disappointed by how they look just like tools used everywhere else in the world.

Now Pirates, OTOH, were interesting people. These were made-up of opportunistic fishermen, landless Samurai/ronin to even Christian Samurai (some joined the Spanish in the Philippines). The true pirates (Waka) were armed with anything they could get their hands on, including plenty of firearms but probably stuck with traditional for edged weapons. They raided all along the entire coast of Asia and were so blood-thirsty that it was the law in mainland ports that Japanese sailors were not allowed to debark if carrying any weapon (including knives).

Japan had always been a major weapons exporter to SE Asia for hundreds of years. It would be more likely that pirates kept their traditional Japanese weapons rather than used local weapons.
 
I am not sure if I am right but I don't think the sword hunt also included tanto's, correct me if I am wrong.
 
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