equipment & weaponryThe samurai used a variety of different weaponry and equipment. There was the katana, a curved sword that is legendary for its razor edge and effectiveness; the wakizashi, which is a short sword that is used with the katana in a combination known as 'daisho'; the fan with concealed iron blades known as the tessen; the tanto, a small, asymmetrical dagger; as well as many more.
Armour-wise, the samurai wore a special type of chain mail known as 'kusari'. There is different types of kusari, some have riveted links, others have twisted or split. They also made of use armour such as cuirasses and faceplates. (Did you know that Darth Vader's mask was based on the faceplate worn by samurai?) The samurai also carried around a napkin with them, to clean their swords and wipe their foreheads when they were sweaty. It could also be used to hold things such as food and it was considered samurai etiquette to have one on your person. |
TRAINING & PREPARATIONSamurai training begun as early as three, with the children practicing with wooden swords. At around the age of five or so, they would begin training with real swords. They would also be taught reading and writing as soon as possible, as an academic education was important for the samurai.
As they grew older, they were trained in the use of many different weaponry. They were taught how to use the 'yumi' (longbow), naginata (pole-arm), katana (sword) and the tanegashima (matchlock). Occasionally they would also use staves, clubs and even the kusarigama. Unarmed fighting was also a major part of their training and they would practice 'kata', formal practice exercises. The samurai were also conditioned physically and mentally. They were prepared for the thought of death and had a strong sense of duty. Some would also purposely put themselves in pain to make them stronger, or standing naked in ice-cold water. On the other side of the spectrum, some purposely got drunk to increase endurance and enhusiasm. |
ROLES IN SOCIETYIn the shinokosho system Feudal Japan followed, Japan were part of the 'shi' class; the upper class. They followed their masters, the daimyo, but held more authority than the 'no', the peasant and proletariat class. They also technically held more authority than the samurai, as a master-less samurai doesn't have as much power as one currently sworn to a lord.
Their actual roles in society changed as the times changed. The samurai started off as horseback archers during the Heian Period. They were all part of certain clans. These clans then began to spread, coming to mean an umbrella term for any clan that took up arms. They eventually grew into the lethal fighting force that worked for the daimyo. They were expected to be able to both read and fight, as they needed to help their lord in any way they could. Near the end of Feudal Japan, they more just became honorary, as they were rarely required to fight and the flintlock pistol had made them obsolete. |
RONINIn Feudal Japan, a ronin was a samurai who did not currently have a master. This could be for numerous reasons: death or loss of favour from the master, exile or perhaps the samurai chose to just leave. In modern Japan, it refers to someone between employers or a secondary school graduate not yet in university.
They often worked as mercenaries and sellswords, as they were too proud to just change jobs and still wanted to work as warriors. After a samurai lost his master, he was expected to commit seppuku. So ronin were often shamed by the daimyo and other samurai, as they had not fulfilled their duty. |
NINJAThe ninja (also known as shinobi) were covert agents and mercenaries during Feudal Japan. They were used for things such as espionage, assassination, sabotage and infiltration. Their methods of stealth contradicted the code of the samurai: honour and nobility.
The ninja originated sometime in the 15th century, but it was possible that there were 'prototypes' before this going all the way back to the 12th century in the Heian Period. They became popular during the 'Warring States' Period, when there was lots of civil war and infighting going on in Japan. So their skills were very useful in that time. The equipment had a wide arsenal of equipment and weaponry that they put to use. They used to dress up as normal civilians (not all in black as pop culture would have you believe). A tool known as the 'kunai' was used as a grappling hook and occasionally a weapon. The ninja were also said to use shoes known as 'mizugumo' to walk on water. (This was proven false in 'Mythbusters'.) They also used other weaponry such as: the kusarigama, a scythe attached by a chain to a weighted ball which could pin the target's arms to their sides while the scythe moves in for the kill; a wide variety of darts, knives and throwing stars collectively known as 'shuriken'; a short bow; explosives, poison gases and smoke bombs; as well as caltrops, blowguns, cane-swords and poison darts. Many of them came from the Iga Province and areas surrounding the town of Koga, Shiga. It is the history we have drawn from this town that is how we know what we do about the ninja. By the time Feudal Japan had ended with the 'Meiji Restoration', ninjas had faded into obscurity. Whether this is a testament to their effectiveness or if they just died out, we'll probably never know. |
BUSHIDOThe Bushido Code is the Japanese form of chivalry, which focuses on compassion, nobility and honour. To quote Nitobe Inazo's work (which popularised the term)"Bushido: Soul of Japan":
"Bushidō, then, is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe.... More frequently it is a code unuttered and unwritten.... It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career. In order to become a samurai this code has to be mastered." It must be said that Bushido is more a modern interpretation than a set-in-stone code that the samurai followed hundreds of years ago. It is based on various religions, such as Shinto, Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as traditional samurai values and texts. The term Bushido isn't mentioned in any Japanese pre-modern literature, as it came into being during the 17th century under the Tokugawa Shogunate. |