After Japan's unconditional surrender in 1945, U.S. troops were stationed in Japan and also tried to completely disarm Japan, including destroying all Japanese swords.
These swords are not only wartime weapons, but also an important cultural heritage that symbolizes the spirit of Japanese bushido, and the U.S. military hopes to destroy the Japanese militaristic spirit by destroying these swords.
However, in the process of implementation, it encountered many obstacles and complex international public opinion, and finally failed to fully realize it, which is also known as the "Akabane Knife Incident". So, what's the story? Let's talk about it today.
Full disarmament after Japan's surrender
In August 1945, after suffering two atomic bombs and the Soviet Union's declaration of war, Japan finally accepted its fate of unconditional surrender.
Emperor Hirohito announced his acceptance of the Potsdam Proclamation of the end of the war on a radio broadcast, marking the end of Japan's aggression against foreign countries for more than 70 years since the Meiji Restoration, and the once invincible Japanese Empire was forced to bow its head.
With the surrender of Japan, tens of thousands of U.S. troops began to be stationed in Japan to undertake the task of post-war reconstruction and military control, and the U.S. warships anchored in Tokyo Bay and the U.S. planes flying in the sky brought Japan under the control of the U.S. military.
Although the Japanese emperor was still on the throne, MacArthur, commander-in-chief of the Allied forces in Japan, was the de facto "ruler," and the Japanese emperor and officials at all levels had to obey his orders.
During World War II, Japan's industrial base was severely destroyed in the war, and the city was in ruins, and the economy was paralyzed, which was one of the great difficulties faced by Japan.
At the same time, how to demilitarize Japan despite its defeat is a huge challenge for the US military, because the "militarist mentality" is still very serious in Japan.
In order to prevent Japan from rising again as a military power, the US military decided to completely disarm Japan, and in addition to modern weapons such as rifles, artillery, airplanes, and tanks, traditional cold weapons such as Japanese swords, spears, swords, and halberds were also confiscated.
Soon the Allied General Headquarters issued Order No. 1, which explicitly demanded that the Japanese people surrender all weapons, and this order spread rapidly throughout the country, and the old Japanese army and ordinary people began to passively cooperate with the actions of the American army.
A large number of U.S. soldiers carried out searches in various places, and launched a nationwide weapons search and seizure, confiscating swords and other cold weapons one by one, and this seizure campaign was called the "modern sword hunting" operation.
It is not enough to "demilitarize" the collection of weapons, and the "modern sword hunting" seems to be the collection of weapons at first glance, but through the phenomenon, the essence is an act of changing the mind, why do you say that?
As we all know, in Japan the sword is not only a weapon, but also a symbol of Japanese culture. Since ancient times, Japanese swords have been known for their beautiful shapes and exquisite craftsmanship, and are also regarded as a symbol of the samurai spirit.
From the root, the samurai spirit mainly originated in ancient times on the mainland, more precisely in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the Chinese people advocated loyalty, benevolence and filial piety, the style of the countryman, and the death of the confidant is still circulating today.
During the feudal period, Japan sent envoys to the mainland many times to study the ideas of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, but after these ideas were introduced to Japan, they underwent relevant changes, and bushido was one of them.
During the Kamakura shogunate period in Japan, two branches of Confucian bushido and Buddhist bushido were gradually developed, the main content of which was loyalty, faithfulness, honesty, martial arts, and reputation, but some positive ideas were replaced and replaced by ideas such as "absolute loyalty".
Therefore, if we cannot change this extreme thinking, the "belligerent" situation in Japan will still not be changed, and only by breaking this thinking can we fundamentally solve the problem.
A cultural symbol of the Japanese sword
Many famous swords in Japan are a precious heritage that has been passed down from family to generation, and they carry a lot of historical and cultural significance. For the Japanese people, the Japanese sword is not only a cold weapon, but also a kind of spiritual sustenance, even now.
For the U.S. military, the Japanese sword was an important symbol of the aggressor and a symbol of Japanese militarism. Therefore, the complete destruction of these swords was seen as an important step in destroying the spirit of Japanese militarism.
From the moment the order was issued, the U.S. soldiers searched from house to house, collected handfuls of exquisite Japanese knives, and stored them in the old army warehouse in Tokyo's Akabane Ward, ready to be destroyed in a unified manner.
These confiscated swords also have a collective name, which is "Akabane Sword". As the saying goes, "You have a good plan, I have a ladder over the wall", and the Japanese people are trying to protect their precious heritage by all means.
Some people hide their swords in the ground, and some people disassemble them and hide them separately; Others simply give their swords to distant relatives and friends for safekeeping.
However, most of these measures were to no avail, and in the face of intense searches by the US military, many precious swords were confiscated one by one.
In the process, there are also many buried swords that are buried too deep or forgotten in the buried location, and eventually rot in the soil, of course, this is another story.
If this action is implemented, then it is likely that Japanese bushido ideas will be hit hard, and there will be no modern situation. It is a pity that there were many problems in the implementation of the "Modern Sword Hunt" operation, so that it was abandoned halfway.
Let's take a look at the process, the initial collection operation of the US military was effective, but over time, many problems arose in the implementation process.
The management of the U.S. military was chaotic, and a large number of seized swords were not properly registered and properly kept, resulting in the disappearance of some precious swords. For example, a famous sword from the Kamakura period, "Hotarimaru", which is considered a national treasure, disappeared without a trace after being handed in.
In the process of confiscation, some US soldiers privately took some of the swords for themselves, believing that since these swords were to be destroyed, it was better to bring them back to the United States for collection or sale, so that they could obtain certain profits from them.
The Japanese were already opposed to the "modern sword hunting" operation, but as a result, the US military not only failed to carry out the operation well, but also used public weapons for personal gain, which caused the Japanese people to express dissatisfaction one after another, and the already chaotic process of confiscation became more complicated.
The decision-making of the Allied command and the reaction of the Japanese government
In the face of the draconian measures taken by the U.S. military, the Japanese government and people quickly launched a response strategy, knowing the importance of Japanese swords to Japanese culture and spirituality.
If these swords were to be completely destroyed or lost overseas, it would cause irreparable damage to Japan's cultural heritage.
For this reason, the Japanese government began to protest to the Allied Command, and sent representatives to negotiate with the Allied Command on many occasions, emphasizing that the Japanese sword is not only a weapon, but also a precious cultural heritage and an important part of Japanese culture.
Japanese swords have important historical and artistic value and should be considered works of art rather than weapons, and should be protected rather than destroyed.
The Japanese side has also invited some internationally renowned historians and cultural scholars to endorse the cultural value of Japanese swords and win the support of international public opinion.
Under the strong public relations offensive of the Japanese government, MacArthur's attitude began to loosen somewhat, and on September 7 it was decided to suspend the plan to destroy the Japanese sword.
This decision quickly provoked a strong opposition from the people of the anti-fascist countries of the world, who believed that the destruction of Japanese swords was a necessary blow to Japanese militarism and should not be canceled in the name of cultural heritage.
In the face of tremendous international pressure, the Allied Command again decided to destroy all Japanese swords on September 11, but the Japanese government did not give up its efforts and continued to lobby the US military top through various channels.
Eventually, MacArthur changed his tune again and allowed the Japanese government to register and protect some of the swords.
On 16 September, the Japanese Government sent a document to the prefectural governors requesting that the registration and collection of weapons be completed by early October in accordance with the Allied deadlines.
The "antique sword collection" in people's homes only needs to be registered with the local police, and there is no need to hand over the physical object, and the Japanese police continue to issue so-called "art permits" to allow people to reasonably hold swords.
The US military was very dissatisfied with this decision, believing that the Japanese government was playing with the rules and trying to protect these swords, and finally decided to cancel the appraisal qualification of the Japanese police and let the Japanese Ministry of Education conduct the appraisal work instead.
Afterward. Most ordinary Japanese swords were not so lucky, and many were melted by the heat or thrown directly into the sea.
However, Japan's Ministry of Education identified more than 5,000 of the swords stored in the Tokyo Akabane warehouse as national treasures, saving them from destruction and preserving many of Japan's katanas.
Thanks to the efforts of the Japanese government, a large number of swords of historical and cultural value have been preserved, which are not only an important part of Japanese culture, but also the sustenance of their bushido ideas.
The samurai spirit of the Japanese is culture, and the Japanese sword is also a part of it, and the "Akabane Sword Incident" was an act of the US military in the process of demilitarization of Japan after the war, trying to combat the militaristic spirit of Japan by destroying the Japanese sword.
Although the goal was partially achieved, it was difficult to destroy all of them, and under the strong opposition of the Japanese government and the pressure of international public opinion, some of the swords with cultural and historical value were finally retained.
This event was a reckoning with the legacy of post-war Japanese militarism, and it was also an act of protection by Japan against itself, and the two sides finally reached a balanced result.
In fact, from God's point of view, if this matter were handed over to the Soviet Union, there would be nothing to do with Japan in Asia now, and the elimination of the katana would only be a matter of minutes.
What do you think differently about this?
Resources: https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=0uJvuxkiqRtYnJF0KsK35hfjF_w8SO7sHYtJIbJXIx_81UGPQ2Ib3i5rTpvJAgR1K-CrkpC_xy2FGSM8ZFIazNsIXuwinTycYMe6fze3ALjYDFy4g6-lsKa2LNoy1N0mc8R9rk9z1n_Z9Bq3wbFdxg==&uniplatform=NZKPT&language=CHS
After Japan officially signed the surrender, did the Japanese lay down their arms? (gmw.cn)
Lianhe Zaobao: Can the United States still "control" Japan-International Channel-Xinhuanet (xinhuanet.com)