[2025] Firearms and Swords Control Law

I am Okudaira, the owner of "Japanese Kitchen Knife TOKU''.
We want to sell knives made in our hometown of Sakai, Osaka, so we purchase and sell knives made in Sakai from a knife manufacturer in Sakai.
We don't just sell knives, we visit a number of blacksmiths and bladesmiths in Sakai to help our customers understand knives, experience the actual work, and hear from the craftsmen. I'm here. In addition to Sakai, we also visit Seki in Gifu, Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata, Tanegashima in Kagoshima and Katsushika in Tokyo, in an effort to deepen our understanding of the characteristics and commitment of each.

Sword and Firearms Control Law

How do you carry your knives when you send them out to be sharpened or when you take them to a barbecue? There is a law that you need to be careful of when carrying knives, called the Swords and Firearms Control Law ( Law Concerning the Possession of Firearms and Swords ) . In this article, we will look at the Swords and Firearms Control Law, which you should be careful of when carrying knives.

Under the Sword and Firearms Control Law, kitchen knives are classified as "swords and other weapons."
So, what exactly does "swords and other weapons" refer to? The definition includes swords, spears, and naginatas with a blade length of 15 centimetres or more, swords with a blade length of 5.5 centimetres or more, sword blades, and flip-out knives that have a device that automatically opens the blade to more than 45 degrees.
The Swords and Firearms Control Law states that one is prohibited from possessing a gun, crossbow, or sword, so I imagine that many people worry about whether they are violating this law when carrying a knife.

Possession of knives, scissors, cooking knives, and other bladed items used in daily life is not considered a violation of the Sword and Firearms Control Law. However, "carrying them without a legitimate reason is not permitted." This is stated in Article 22 of the Sword and Firearms Control Law, which states, "No person may carry a bladed item with a blade length of more than 6 centimeters. However, this does not apply to scissors or folding knives with a blade length of 8 centimeters or less measured in accordance with the provisions of Cabinet Office Ordinance, or other bladed items of a type or shape specified by Cabinet Order."

To sum up regarding knives, "you should not carry around any blade with a blade length of more than 6 centimetres without a reason."

So what is a legitimate reason?
"Buy a knife and take it home"
"Send the knife to be sharpened" "Take the knife you sent out to be sharpened and go home"
"Take it to a camping trip or barbecue/take it home"
Some of the reasons include:
However, leaving a knife that you bring to a camping or barbecue in your car may be in violation of the Minor Offenses Act, so be careful not to carry a knife with you or leave it in your car even if it is not the day of your camping or barbecue.

So, what is the best way to carry a knife without violating the Sword and Firearms Control Law or the Minor Offences Act?
The key is to make sure that you cannot quickly take out the knife and use it to harm someone, and to make sure that others do not realize that you are carrying a knife (a dangerous object).
Specifically, the best way to do this is to put the knife in a knife case and then put the knife case in a bag or similar and carry it around. If you don't have a knife case, you can wrap it in newspaper or something similar and carry it around, but there is a video on YouTube on how to make a simple sheath, so please refer to that.
https://youtu.be/_S-X5aZZeRc
I don't think there's any problem as long as you carry it in this simple sheath in your bag and have a legitimate reason to do so.
If you are bringing the knife to our shop to be resharpened or bringing it in for self-sharpening, then there is a valid reason, so there will be no problem if you just wrap the knife in a simple sheath and bring it in your bag.

I hope this has helped to alleviate some of the worries and anxieties you may have when carrying knives.
If you have a correct understanding of the Sword and Firearms Control Law and the Minor Offences Law, and if you master how to make a simple sheath, I believe you will be able to carry your knife with peace of mind, so I would encourage you to deepen your understanding and knowledge.

Let's go to a knife store!
Sakaitoku Knife Shop opened a store in Asakusa, Tokyo on April 5th. The store is located on the 6th floor of a building right outside the north exit of Tobu Asakusa Station. It is also about a 3- minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
We also hold sharpening classes and sharpening experiences, so please feel free to stop by if you are in the area.
Sakaitoku Knife Shop also has channels on YouTube , Facebook and Instagram .
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Sakaitoku Knife - YouTube