LAW & ORDER

When we think of ancient Japanese fighting implements, we usually consider the archer’s bow, the sword, the naginata (halberd) and the yari (spear), as well as a few others that also were created as weapons of war. However, some Japanese weapons were developed for another purpose.

At the center of this process were the samurai. They were vassals of their lords, and while there was essentially no warfare in Japan after about 1600, they nonetheless had to be prepared for war, often while performing additional duties of a civil nature. For example, some samurai served as police.

In 1635 Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa or city magistrate, a person who was responsible for matters related to the commoner districts. Those matters included supervising the population, firefighting and policing. (They had no policing authority over samurai, however.)