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Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?

Article about: Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers? Authors of Japanese military sword books, who are merely collectors, without the capability of researching original war

  1. #1

    Default Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?

    Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?



    Authors of Japanese military sword books, who are merely collectors, without the capability of researching original wartime documents in the Japanese language, seem comfortable to attribute the revival of the Samurai sword design in 1934 vaguely to a rise in nationalism.

    Readers of my threads already know that such an explanation is merely made-up nonsense, but to prevent future authors from repeating this mistake, I would like to show official cabinet discussion papers related to the launch of the Type 94 Army officer’s sword in 1934 as hard evidence.

    Authors, if you have any respect for the items you collect and write about, please at least read or get a translation of such official government papers as minimum scholarly discipline before making up and spreading fake stories that only does disservice to the militaria community.



    Like all Edicts that need to be signed by the Emperor to take effect, the Minister of the Army had to obtain approval from other cabinet ministers on a draft of the Edict. Then it got presented to the Emperor for his signature and finally got announced in the government gazette.

    In the case of the Type 94 officer’s sword, the detailed chronology of the approval process went as follows;

    January 23rd 1934: Senjuro Hayashi, Minister of the Army approved the army request and requested a cabinet meeting to be convened to gain cabinet approval.

    February 6th 1934: Cabinet Meeting was held and 12 Ministers affixed their signatures of approval

    February 14th 1934: Signed by Hirohito as Edict 26

    February 15th Thursday 1934: Launch of the new sword announced within the government gazette.

    March 10th 1934: New sword design went into effect as of this date.

    The attached photo below shows the Cabinet member signatures along with the page that explained to the cabinet the reason for the introduction of this new design.

    The recent experience they refer to is about the field complaints from the Manchurian Incident as detailed here.

    Also shown is the official public announcement in the government gazette.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?   Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?  


  2. #2

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    Once again, I appreciate your enlightenment on this subject. I had been duped by an uneducated author, just like you pointed out. Thank you again for the clarification!

  3. #3

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    Dummy Sabers In the Shadow of the Samurai style Gunto


    The revival of the Samurai style combat-oriented sword leaves the impression that the saber style European design became obsolete in Japan. Particularly stressing the nationalistic motive aspect mistakenly reinforces that impression, but the truth is that the 1934 sword design only applied to combat swords and the sabers were retained for official ceremonies.

    Back then, it was actually common practice for army and navy officers to have a minimum of two sets of swords. One was the combat sword and the other was the lightweight ceremonial version with a dummy blade called the Shiki-to 指揮刀 (commanding sword). This latter replica sword was what they wore for dress, service dress and military exercises, while the real sword was reserved for the battle field.

    Thus when the Emperor’s Edict 26 was made public, it caused commotion within the army, as no instructions were forthcoming about what to do with the ceremonial sabers. So on 29th November 1934, 7 months after the Type 94 design became mandatory, the army had to announce to all its members that “Until otherwise instructed or a new model is established, the previous saber design ceremonial swords are to be used along with their old knots.”

    Despite having caused this minor confusion, the army repeated the same oversight when they announced the Type 98 sword within their Type 98 uniform update program. Instead of commenting on the ceremonial swords within the Edict that defined the Type 98 program, the army made a footnote announcement on 1st June 1938 as army notice #3255. It said “Until otherwise instructed, the current ceremonial swords should continue to be used, despite the introduction of the new uniform regulations as defined in Edict 392. However, the lower Haikan (Support ring) on the scabbard is to be removed and new model tassels are to be used in combination.”

    If nationalism had been the reason for adopting the samurai design, the army would have insisted on dropping the old saber designs for all the showy occasions, but they actually preferred to maintain the European look for official occasions and limited the Samurai sword to combat gear.

    All this meant that even while the market was in uproar over supply shortages of the Samurai designs, officers had to continue to buy a dummy saber for dressing up.

    However, even these dummy sabers could not avoid being affected by material shortages by 1940, when on 9th August, army memo #5472 announced that “In order to conserve nickel supplies, the plating to be applied to ceremonial sabers as well as cavalry spurs are to be switched to chrome plating.” As I wrote in another thread, nickel was necessary to blend bullet-proof steel for helmets and entrenching tools.

    Of course, that was not the end of the deprivation, as the army launched a recycling program for unused dummy sabers on 1st December 1942. If you had an unused saber lying around in your closet, Kaikohsha would buy it up from you for the set price of 8 Yen a piece, provided it was in good shape. Buying price was reduced according to the degree of restoration work it demanded. This recall was to be conducted two times a year in March and September and the reconditioned pieces were to be resold to those in need of them.

    Continued material shortages would even make that recycle program untenable, as further production of dummy sabers was ordered to stop as of 21st May 1943 for the sake of conserving metal.

    At the end of the war, dummy sabers from army officers were to see a second life as police sabers in postwar Japan and a memo from 19th October 1945 said that senior GHQ members had requested that they be presented the ceremonial swords of leading IJA leaders, even listing whose sword was to be given to which American officer. This Army Ministry memo went as far as saying, “If you don’t have a ceremonial sword, find someone ready to give his up in your place”. Thus the dummy sabers even had to serve in a private surrender ceremony.

  4. #4
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    Default General Araki is to blame!

    In the West, the reference to nationalism being the reason for the introduction began as early as 1943. This is what Hillis Lory had to say about it in Japan's Military Masters: The Army in Japanese Life.

    It was General Araki who, after the Manchuria campaign, urged all officers to abandon the cheaper commercial weapon of the West and adopt the samurai sword as their priceless birthright. The beauty of the traditional Japanese sword, the excellence of its steel, the exquisiteness of its detail evoke spontaneous admiration from the most impartial observer.

    A Japanese officer today will mortgage his house and go into debt for years, if necessary, to own one of these swords. Five hundred yen ($115) is not considered a high price, although it is over three times the monthly salary of the highest ranking captain.

    In addition to his sword, the officer must pay for his food and uniforms. His food is inexpensive but clothes are high---often amounting to another 500 yen.

  5. #5

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    Nick,

    Wasn't General Araki Sadao deeply involved with the adoption of the tachi-style guntou?

    I seem to recall Nakamura Taizaburo sensei having a STRONG respect for him because of Araki's "patronage"???

    Thanks,
    -- Guy

  6. #6

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    Quote by Kiipu View Post
    In the West, the reference to nationalism being the reason for the introduction began as early as 1943. This is what Hillis Lory had to say about it in Japan's Military Masters: The Army in Japanese Life.

    .....It was General Araki who, ....
    I guess I was still typing when you posted!!!! (^__^)

    -- Guy

  7. #7

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    That is not nationalism, but simply knowing which tool is better for the job. Nationalism is when you choose an inferior tool just because it is made in your country. The Japanese simply knew too much about swords to bet their own lives on foreign designs that didn't work.

  8. #8
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    I would debate the idea that "foreign designs ..... didn't work", though certainly the adoption of the more traditional design for Japans military made sense for all the reasons given above and elsewhere. There is no doubt that the Shin-Gunto was a good weapon for the circumstances,
    I will point out though Western armies and adventurers had claimed huge Empires for their home countries all over the World, using these very same "foreign design" swords and despite confronting a vast array of different blades, kept with their own product. I will give a nod to the exceptions, the Tulwar and the Shamshir, but generaly sabres, cuttlasses, broad swords and Epee's ruled.
    I think you will find the below extract of interest, and the author did not dissmiss Japanese blades as inferior, but was clear that what he described was but a single encounter..... First printed as far as I can tell in 1856. Why did the army revive the Samurai sword design in 1934 for officers?

  9. #9

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    I guess if lopping off heads was one of the purposes for the tool, then the traditional sword was the better tool.

  10. #10

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    I see the point of Nick's comment - the western sabres were failing in the harsh Chinese winters - and it was believed that a return to traditionally made samurai styled swords would produce a sword that would survive those conditons.

    In truth, nationalism played a role in both the original purpose for the Emorer's attempt to "modernize" his forces to western military standards, and then the return to the samurai technology in swords - both were done because of love or country, in support of the cause.

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