Sword hunt Several times in Japanese history , the new ruler sought to ensure his position by calling a . Armies would scour the entire country , confiscating the weapon s of the enemies of the new regime . In this manner , the new ruler sought to ensure that no one could take the country by force as he had just done . The most famous sword hunt was ordered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1588 . Sword hunts in Sengoku Period . Prior to the sword hunt called by Oda Nobunaga towards the end of the 16th century , civilians were free to carry swords for defense or simply for decoration . Nobunaga sought an end to this , and ordered the seizure of swords and a variety of other weapons from civilians , in particular the Ikkō - ikki peasant - monk leagues which sought to overthrow " samurai " rule . In 1588 , Toyotomi Hideyoshi , having become " Kampaku " ( Imperial regent ) , ordered a new sword hunt ; Hideyoshi , like Nobunaga , sought to solidify separations in the class structure , denying commoners weapons while allowing them to the nobles , the " samurai " class . In addition , Toyotomi ' s sword hunt , like Nobunaga ' s , was intended to prevent peasant uprisings , and to deny weapons to his adversaries . This hunt may have been inspired by a peasant uprising in Higo the year prior , but also served to disarm the warrior - monks of Mt . Koya and Tōnomine . Toyotomi claimed that the confiscated weapons would be melted down and used to create a giant image of the Buddha for the Asuka - dera monastery in Nara . The ' Taikō ' s Sword Hunt , ' as it came to be called , was accompanied by a number of other edicts , including the Expulsion Edict of 1590 , by which Toyotomi sought to establish a census and expel from villages any newcomers who arrived in or after 1590 . The chief goal of this was to place a check on the threat posed by " rōnin " , masterless wandering samurai who had the potential not only for crime and violence in general , but for banding together to overthrow Toyotomi rule . It may be important to note that Hideyoshi , like most of this period , believed in rule by edict , paying little or no attention to legal principles . Also , while the Sword Hunt ostensibly succeeded in denying weapons to potential rebels , it also created discontent throughout the nation , increasing the number and passion of potential rebels . By the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu ( r . 1623 - 1651 ) , the third of the Tokugawa shoguns , this separation was hereditary and unchangeable . Sword ban in Meiji Restoration . The Meiji Restoration of the 1860s was the beginning of a period of major modernization and Westernization . In 1871 , extensive reforms were passed and executed , abolishing the " han " system , and thus ending feudalism and the class system . In 1876 , " samurai " were banned from carrying swords . A standing army was created , as was a police force . This " sword hunt " was performed for , ostensibly , different reasons , and certainly with different methods than those of several centuries earlier . Ironically , perhaps , this sword hunt put an end to the class system while the earlier ones were intended to deepen the distinctions between commoners and nobles . Today , Japan has a Sword and Firearms Law which , much like gun control laws around the world , governs the possession and use of weapons in public . The purchase and ownership of certain swords within Japan is legal if they are properly registered , though the import and export of such items is tightly controlled , particularly in the case of items that might be labeled as national or cultural artifacts . Swords that are not produced by licensed smiths ( including all machine - made swords ) are prohibited for individuals . Japanese military swords are legal in Japan if they were made with traditional materials and methods .