Tekkan

The Tekkan or "iron sword" is a Japanese weapon, used until the beginning of the 20th Century. This weapon was a roughly sword-shaped iron truncheon, equipped with a haft. 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. One weapon which became more popular at this time was the tekkan. The tekkan had always been very popular with wealthy merchants and farmers, since such people had previously been prevented by law from carrying or possessing swords or other edged weapons during the Edo period. The tekkan, bearing no edge, had always been permitted by law. After the Haitorei Edict came into effect, members of the Samurai class also began carrying tekkan as self-defence weapons.