Archive for the 'Samurai' Category
In the 16th century Japan began trading with Europe during what would become known as the Nanban trade. Samurai acquired European armor, including the cuirass and comb morion, which they modified and combined with domestic armor as it provided better protection from the newly-introduced matchlock muskets. Armor was also worn during the Tokugawa Shogunate, even after guns had replaced the naginata and bow, and was still in use by rebel samurai during the Boshin War and Meiji Restoration.
Japanese armor was generally made of many small steel or leather plates connected to each other by rivets, lace, or chain armor kusani. These armor plates could be attached to a leather or cloth backing. It was designed to be as lightweight as possible. It was developed repeatedly over the centuries since its introduction to the battlefield. The samurai were notably the most common to wear the armor.
The term Samurai was first noted in writings of the Eighth Century. The first Samurai were servants. The word, “Samurai,”means retainer. As precarious circumstances developed around the inhabitants of the castle, the Samurai were asked to perform military duties.
They first fought with bows and arrows. As the battles became more fierce, fewer of the archers were seen, because very few possessed the skill to ride and manage to hit their human target. A more accurate weapon was the spear (yari) which was ideal for stabbing a foe to death as well as throwing from the back of a horse.
Confucianism and Zen Buddhism were very strong intellectual influences on the Samurai. The most important ethical demands made by Confuscianism were filial piety and loyalty, both of which were fundamental to the beliefs of the Samurai.
When the famous Samurai sword became the most important weapon of the Samurai, it was not a simple matter of just the mastery of the sword. Confuscianism which was part of the core of the Samurai’s belief, stressed the prowess with the sword combined with the need to serve the master. The sword was to be more than a simple weaspon, it had to be an answer to life’s questions.
In this blog we have written about swords that possess souls, have names, and are an extension of their human bearer. The Samurai sword is perhaps the most soulful weapon of any, and we will explore all the facets of the Samurai and his weapons in weeks to come.