gun and sword control started in japan as early as the late 16th century under toyotomi hideyoshi in order to disarm peasants and control uprisings. since then, control on guns became increasingly strict for civilians, leading to a number of revisions and new laws during the meiji restoration. after world war ii, the japanese military was disarmed, which led to the japanese government eventually enacting the swords and firearms possession control law in 1958 to prevent gang fights involving guns and swords.