Complex sentence: During the Meiji period the samurai class was gradually disbanded, the Haitōrei Edict in 1876 forbid the carrying of swords in public except for certain individuals such as former samurai lords (daimyo), the military and police.
Split into simpler sentences: During the Meiji period the samurai class was gradually disbanded. The Haitōrei Edict in 1876 forbade the carrying of swords in public except for certain individuals, such as former samurai lords (daimyo), the military, and police.