Editing Japanese sword (section)

=== Gendaitō (Modern or contemporary swords) ===
[[File:Blade and Mounting for a Sword (Katana) 4.jpg|thumb|300px|''Katana'' mountings decorated with ''[[maki-e]]'' lacquer in the 1800s. Although the number of forged swords decreased in the [[Meiji period]], many artistically excellent mountings were made.]]
In 1867, the Tokugawa Shogunate declared the return of Japan's sovereignty to the emperor, and from 1868, the government by the emperor and rapid modernization of Japan began, which was called the [[Meiji Restoration]]. The [[Haitōrei Edict]] in 1876 all but banned carrying swords and guns on streets. Overnight, the market for swords died, many swordsmiths were left without a trade to pursue, and valuable skills were lost. Swords forged after the Haitōrei Edict are classified as ''gendaitō''. The craft of making swords was kept alive through the efforts of some individuals, notably Miyamoto kanenori (宮本包則, 1830–1926) and Gassan Sadakazu (月山貞一, 1836–1918), who were appointed [[Imperial Household Artist]]. These smiths produced fine works that stand with the best of the older blades for the emperor and other high-ranking officials. The businessman Mitsumura Toshimo (光村利藻, 1877–1955) tried to preserve their skills by ordering swords and sword mountings from the swordsmiths and craftsmen. He was especially enthusiastic about collecting sword mountings, and he collected about 3,000 precious sword mountings from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period. About 1200 items from a part of the collection are now in the [[Nezu Museum]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201230083406/http://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/jp/exhibition/past2017_n07.html Pinnacle of Elegance －Sword fittings of the Mitsumura Collection－.] Nezu Museum</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4eudqKmvHA The World of Edo Dandyism From Swords to Inro.] Internet Museum</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXnOzXAdFzU Pinnacle of Elegance －Sword fittings of the Mitsumura Collection－.] Internet Museum</ref>

The Japanese sword remained in use in some occupations such as the police force. At the same time, [[kendo]] was incorporated into police training so that police officers would have at least the training necessary to properly use one. In time, it was rediscovered that soldiers needed to be armed with swords, and over the decades at the beginning of the 20th century swordsmiths again found work. These swords, called ''[[guntō]],'' were often oil-tempered, or simply stamped out of steel and given a serial number rather than a chiseled signature. The mass-produced ones often look like Western cavalry sabers rather than Japanese swords, with blades slightly shorter than blades of the ''shintō'' and ''shinshintō'' periods. In 1934 the Japanese government issued a military specification for the ''[[shin gunto|shin guntō]]'' (new army sword), the first version of which was the Type 94 ''Katana'', and many machine- and hand-crafted swords used in [[World War II]] conformed to this and later ''shin guntō'' specifications.
<gallery class="center" caption="Military Swords of Imperial Japan (Guntō)" heights="180px">
File:Japanese army sabre.jpg|[[Kyu gunto|kyu guntō]] army sabre
File:Gunto type 98.jpg|"Type 98" officer's sword
File:Sabre-seconde-guerre-mondiale-p1000712.jpg|"Type 95" Non Commissioned Officer's sword of World War II; made to resemble a Commissioned Officer's ''shin guntō''.
File:Kai gunto.JPG|World War II Japanese naval officers sword ''kai gunto''.
</gallery>

Under the United States occupation at the end of [[World War II]] all armed forces in [[occupied Japan]] were disbanded and production of Japanese swords with edges was banned except under police or government permit. The ban was overturned through a personal appeal by Dr. Junji Honma. During a meeting with [[General Douglas MacArthur]], Honma produced blades from the various periods of Japanese history and MacArthur was able to identify very quickly what blades held artistic merit and which could be considered purely weapons. As a result of this meeting, the ban was amended so that ''guntō'' weapons would be destroyed while swords of artistic merit could be owned and preserved. Even so, many Japanese swords were sold to American soldiers at a bargain price; in 1958 there were more Japanese swords in America than in Japan. The vast majority of these one million or more swords were ''guntō'', but there were still a sizable number of older swords.

After the Edo period, swordsmiths turned increasingly to the production of civilian goods. The Occupation and its regulations almost put an end to the production of Japanese swords. A few smiths continued their trade, and Honma went on to be a founder of the {{Nihongo|Society for the Preservation of the Japanese Sword|日本美術刀剣保存協会|Nippon Bijutsu Tōken Hozon Kyōkai}}, who made it their mission to preserve the old techniques and blades. Thanks to the efforts of other like-minded individuals, the Japanese swords did not disappear, many swordsmiths continued the work begun by Masahide, and the old swordmaking techniques were rediscovered.

Nowadays, ''[[iaitō]]'' is used for ''[[iaidō]]''. Due to their popularity in modern media, display-only Japanese swords have become widespread in the sword marketplace. Ranging from small [[letter opener]]s to scale replica [[sword-like object|"wallhangers"]], these items are commonly made from [[stainless steel]] (which makes them either brittle (if made from cutlery-grade 400-series stainless steel) or poor at holding an edge (if made from 300-series stainless steel)) and have either a blunt or very crude edge. There are accounts of good quality stainless steel Japanese swords, however, these are rare at best.<ref>[http://www.swordforum.com/metallurgy/stainlesssuitable.html Sword Forum Magazine – Metallurgy – Is Stainless Steel Suitable for Swords?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806143312/http://swordforum.com/metallurgy/stainlesssuitable.html |date=2007-08-06 }}</ref> Some replica Japanese swords have been used in modern-day armed robberies.<ref>{{cite web | title = Sword Robbers Strike Third Shop | publisher = IC Coventry | url = http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/printable_version.cfm?objectid=16532854&siteid=50003 }}</ref> As a part of marketing, modern ahistoric blade styles and material properties are often stated as traditional and genuine, promulgating disinformation. Some companies and independent smiths outside Japan produce ''katana'' as well, with varying levels of quality. According to the Parliamentary Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Japanese Swords, organized by [[National Diet|Japanese Diet]] members, many Japanese swords distributed around the world as of the 21st century are fake Japanese-style swords made in China. The ''[[Sankei Shimbun]]'' analyzed that this is because the Japanese government allowed swordsmiths to make only 24 Japanese swords per person per year to maintain the quality of Japanese swords.<ref name="sankei1806221">[https://web.archive.org/web/20190603094148/https://www.sankei.com/politics/news/180622/plt1806220018-n1.html Sankei Shimbun, June 22, 2018. p.1]</ref><ref name="sankei1806222">[https://web.archive.org/web/20190519182536/https://www.sankei.com/politics/news/180622/plt1806220018-n2.html Sankei Shimbun, June 22, 2018. p.2]</ref>

In Japan, genuine edged hand-made Japanese swords, whether antique or modern, are classified as art objects (and not weapons) and must have accompanying certification to be legally owned. 
Prior to WWII Japan had 1.5million swords in the country – 200,000 of which had been manufactured in factories during the Meiji Restoration. As of 2008, only 100,000 swords remain in Japan. It is estimated that 250,000–350,000 sword have been brought to other nations as souvenirs, art pieces or for Museum purposes. 70% of ''daito'' (long swords), formerly owned by Japanese officers, have been exported or brought to the United States.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Yumoto |first1=John |title=Samurai Sword: A Handbook |date=2008 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |location=North Clarendon |page=47 }}</ref>

Many swordsmiths since the Edo period have tried to reproduce the sword of the Kamakura period which is considered as the best sword in the history of Japanese swords, but they have failed. Then, in 2014, Kunihira Kawachi succeeded in reproducing it and won the Masamune Prize, the highest honor as a swordsmith. No one could win the Masamune Prize unless he made an extraordinary achievement, and in the section of ''tachi'' and ''katana'', no one had won for 18 years before Kawauchi.<ref name="toukenutsu"/>

The popularity of Japanese swords among Japanese women increased dramatically after the release of a browser video game called ''[[Touken Ranbu]]'', featuring anthropomorphic characters of famous Japanese swords, in 2015. Since then, sales of books on Japanese swords have increased dramatically, and the number of special exhibitions at various museums featuring famous historical swords has increased dramatically, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to museums. In addition, museums and [[Shinto shrine]]s have launched a number of crowdfunding programmes to purchase historical swords featured in games from private owners, as well as reproductions of swords and new sword mountings, increasing the number of opportunities to view these masterpieces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.touken-collection-nagoya.jp/touken-nowadays/tokenboom-effect/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520111913/https://www.touken-collection-nagoya.jp/touken-nowadays/tokenboom-effect/|script-title=ja:刀剣ブームの効果（刀剣女子）|language=ja|publisher=The Japanese Sworm Museum Nagoya Touken World|date=|archive-date=20 May 2023|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASRD83RW7RD7PLZB01H.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207014319/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASRD83RW7RD7PLZB01H.html|script-title=ja:北野天満宮の名刀「鬼切丸」、刀剣ファン後押し CFは目標2倍超え|language=ja|publisher=[[The Asahi Shimbun]]|date=10 December 2023|archive-date=7 February 2024|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP1F3QXNP1BUZVL001.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229090943/https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASP1F3QXNP1BUZVL001.html|script-title=ja:「刀剣乱舞」が教えてくれた刀の美 知識深める女性たち|language=ja|publisher=The Asahi Shimbun|date=14 January 2021|archive-date=29 February 2024|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> With the increased interest in Japanese swords, ''gendaitō'' swordsmiths are now being asked by women for their autographs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.j-cast.com/trend/2018/02/09320644.html?p=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404073213/https://www.j-cast.com/trend/2018/02/09320644.html?p=all|script-title=ja:刀鍛冶にサインを求める女性殺到 「刀剣乱舞」の影響？職人に聞いてみた|language=ja|publisher=J cast|date=9 February 2019|archive-date=4 April 2024|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>