Japanese Dolls and Crafts : Kimura Ohshido

Samurai warriors, when thery went out, wore their sword and/or dagger on the left side of their body. Well-traind warriors could hold the sheath by left hand, pull out the sword by right hand, and slash at their enemy all in the blink of an eye. Therefore, if a samurai sat in a room and placed his sword on the tatami mat just to his left, it was regarded as a sign of his headiness to attack the other person sharing the place. So it used to be good manners for samurai warriors to put down their sword to their right, which showed they had no intention to attack and that they were either friendly, respectful, or at ease each other.

Origin : Japan