The Silent Language of Samurai Etiquette

Your teacher never taught you this samurai rule, and it could quietly decide whether you

walked out of the room again. This is about etiquette, not random murder. In a formal audience,

a samurai would kneel on the tatami in seiza and remove the long sword. The correct move

was simple. You placed the sword on your right side, with the blade turned inward,

away from your host. That position made it hard to draw fast. The message was

clear. I trust you. I am here as a guest. Now imagine you do the opposite.

You sit down and put the sword on your left side, blade facing out, easy to grab in

one motion. In some samurai courts, that tiny change could be read as