Why does Japan ban real swords from being in films?

[No Wikipedia Cites]

According to IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056058/), on the movie Harakiri (1962), the movie was filmed with real swords with trained swordsmen, though the director was scared they would hurt themselves.

While filming, Tatsuya Nakadai was afraid during most of the sword and spear fighting scenes because real swords were being used, a practice now forbidden in Japanese films. His concern was not alleviated even though professional swordsmen were employed during the choreographed swordplay.


I'm guessing the swords were as unsharp as possible, similar to swords used in US Civil War reenactments.

Um, so if the swords aren't sharp, why did Japan ban "real swords"? What did they use after the 1960's, light sabres? Did some horrible accident happened when the Japanese equivalent of Mel Gibson chopped some extra's head off?

[aceplace57]

A WAG - maybe it's tied in with Japans pacifism?

Since WWII they've worked hard to downplay Japan's long military traditions. The Bushido Code and Samurai traditions helped lead them into conquering much of Asia in the 1930's.

Every Japanese officer carried a sword. They used them to execute prisoners and during their banzai charges.

[MrDibble]

I'm guessing the swords were as unsharp as possible, similar to swords used in US Civil War reenactments.
That's not how it read to me. I read "real swords" as "real, sharp swords" - bearing in mind that bated weapons weren't mass-produced until recently, I think it was probably easier to get real real ones at the time.

[Elendil's Heir]

...Every Japanese officer carried a sword. They used them to execute prisoners and during their banzai charges.

And other unpleasantness: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contest_to_kill_100_people_using_a_sword