Cat Vincent's Journal

Banned swords, the monopoly of force and the history of Okinawa
Samurai swords were outlawed in the UK today.

" Legislation against selling, making, hiring or importing samurai swords in England and Wales has come into force. Those breaking the law face six months in jail and a £5,000 fine. Carrying a sword in public is already illegal.

Exemptions will cover swords which are used for re-enactments or antique weapons kept on display by collectors. "

Now it's a truism that government is by definition an organisation which holds a monopoly on the use of force - and they really like having that monopoly. Of course in other countries - rightly or wrongly - firearms are acceptable forms of personal or home defence. Those governments include registration of the firearms, limits on public concealment etc. We Brits have no right to firearms, except in limited conditions (basically, being a farmer allows you a shotgun as a needed tool & that's it) and our right to carry other defensive tools is highly restricted. Blades above a very short length, collapsible batons - banned in public (but somehow, not for sale) for 10 years.

This is why the history of the little island of Okinawa is notable. When Shogunate Japan banned edged weapons from the farmers and other peasants, fearing a revolt, the farmers complied - turning their farm tools into weapons themselves. The Sai is a threshing fork, the nunchuku a flail for rice threshing, etc. The peasants also came up with a style of fighting movement designed to work empty-handed - Shotokan Karate, by name.

I wonder what martial arts and weapons our society will discover/adapt/invent? Homebrew tasers are already out in the wild. A mobile phone kata would turn the ubiquitous object into a nice little short-range club, similar to a Kongo. Umbrellas and walking sticks have a noble tradition in improvised (and sometimes not-so-improvised - hat tip to John Steed) weaponry.

NEVER FORGET - as my wife answered the Customs officer at Heathrow once, "anything can be a weapon if you try hard enough". And of course don't start fights... but always finish them.

Current Mood: peeved
Current Music: Kashmir-Led Zeppelin