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Introduction: During much of the Middle Ages, warfare was common in Japan. Warlords were battling warlords to get more land and power. They hired professional soldiers called samurai and had large armies of common soldiers. They built strong castles for protection against attack. After centuries of battles, a shogun (great general) sometimes triumphed and united much of Japan under his power. His word was law. But there were always those who wanted his power. And so war continued.
The common people suffered much during all this warfare, and they were not even allowed to have weapons. They sometimes resorted to using their farm tools as weapons. Some of them became ninja (secret warriors or assassins) and had their own secret weapons.
During the Edo period, Japan had been united under the Tokugawa shogun in 1603. There was a period of relative peace for about 250 years. This, of course, put a lot of warriors out work. The ronin (or unemployed samurai) changed their lives. Some became criminals, while others became teachers of martial arts and scholars.
But warfare was not just a bloody and selfish preoccupation of greedy men. It was also thought to be a spiritual way of life. The way of the samurai, of Bushido, had definite rules and most samurai followed Zen Buddhism - even though Buddhism was opposed to the taking of life.
I. Traditional Weapons of Medieval Japan
Traditional Weapons in Japan (includes bow, spear, sword, ninja star, and more)
A. Japanese swords
According to archaeological evidence, swords have existed in Japan for its entire history. Short straight swords imported from China and Korea are among the earliest weapons found in historical sites around Japan.
After 2000 B.C., the Japanese learned to make metal and began making their own swords. Around 700 A.D., Japanese swordsmiths forged the first of what are now considered the finest swords ever made.
There was a huge demand for swords by leaders and their soldiers. Conflicts over land rights and power were almost constant, and, when not warring among themselves, the early Japanese were invading the Korean peninsula or China, or defending themselves against Korean and Chinese invaders. A leader with a supply of superior weapons was at a great advantage. As a result, swordmakers improved the techniques of making swords.
The early long sword in Japan were "straight swords". The handle size of these blades suggests that they were held in one hand. The two-edged blade suggests a thrusting and hacking style of fighting.
Around the 700s, there was a change from straight swords to curved swords. Warriors found that a curved sword could be drawn from the scabbard more quickly and can provide a more effective cutting angle. As a result, swordsmiths developed ways to make a curved blade at least as strong as the earlier straight ones. They were extremely long, nearly four feet. They were generally used by soldiers on horseback. The long, curved blade was ideal for a sweeping draw and slash against enemies on the ground or mounted on horses.
Most soldiers fought battles on foot or fought against one another. In such situations, the long swords were too long to be drawn or wielded comfortably, so a shorter sword was developed. This sword was the katana. Katana are generally between two and four feet in length and, though curved, are less curved than the earlier long swords. They can be drawn from the scabbard into position for a horizontal, diagonal, or vertical cut.
Abridged from "Short History of the Japanese Sword"
Another history of swords is http://anime.jyu.fi/~saren/Docs/Sword.html
Three swords:
The Katana - Not just a weapon, but the soul of samurai. It has a deadly sharpness and a slightly curved blade. The beauty of a katana appears on its blade and edge. Its graceful form and grim beauty have fascinated many warriors.
The Wakizashi - Shorter than the Katana (about 68 cm), this sword was worn indoors by the Samurai, because the Katana was too long to fight in small rooms.
The Tanto - This is a small Japanese knife made from the same steel as the Katana and the Wakizashi. This knife was sometimes worn instead of the Wakizashi.
B. Archery (Bow and Arrow) - Kyudo - The Way of the Bow
Every samurai was also expected to be an expert at archery and the bow was a powerful weapon for killing. But the bow was also part of religious ceremonies. Ceremonial archery emphasized archery as an art form and a Shinto tool. (Even today the bow is presented at Sumo tournaments, Shinto rites and holidays, when a child is born, and specific events like coming-of-age-day.) The sound of the string being plucked is supposed to strike fear in evil spirits' hearts, and the sound of a master-archer shooting is supposed to bring spiritual enlightenment. The combination of both forms was thought to be beautiful and spiritual.
Kyudo, the Way of the Bow, is the oldest of Japan's traditional martial arts. The bow has been used in Japan since prehistoric times. From the fourth to the ninth century, close contacts between China and Japan had a great influence on Japanese archery. The Japanese nobles also followed the Confucian belief that through a person's archery their true characters could be determined. Shinto and Zen Buddhist religions influenced archery for over hundreds of years. Centuries of warfare exerted a powerful influence, as well. Court nobles concentrated on ceremonial archery while the warrior class emphasized the martial technique of using the bow in actual warfare.
With the introduction of firearms in the 1500s, the bow as a weapon was neglected and almost died out all together. Today archery is only for recreation or for a mediative martial art.
The Japanese bow is one of the longest in the world, usually over seven feet in length. But the length of the bow varies with the height of the archer and the length of his arms. The taller the archer and the longer his arms, the larger the bow required for him.
It is traditionally made of hardwoods laminated front and back with bamboo
The draw weight of bows depends upon the archer. It should not be too heavy nor too light! From history it seems that the average draw has become much less than it used to be. During the war of the Heike (the middle ages) one master archer sunk two boats with one shot of his massive bow. In those days bows were measured by how many men were required to string it, the average being a three man bow, this monster that sunk two boats being a seven man bow!
The old style training in archery was very rigorous. Several hundred arrows were shot each day.
[Abridged from Kyudo: Japanese Archery]
Mythical archer with huge arrow.
The Yumi - The Japanese bow was the main battlefield weapon for the bushi (soldiers) until the 1530's. A typical Japanese bow is 2.3m length, made of bamboo with a string of silk and pine resin. An arrow is made of bamboo and bird feather. Bamboo is the best material for bow in the plant kingdom. It was a deadly weapon. Until the musket was brought from Europe in 17th century, the bow was most respected by bushi (soldiers).
C. Spears and Maces
The Yari - The Japanese spear didn't differ largely from that of other countries. During the Civil War Era, the spear was the standard weapon of the soldiers.
The Jutte - Jutte are implements that were used by the samurai as well as the feudal era police. They were used for trapping the blades of weapons as well as jabbing, striking and trapping fingers.
The Bo - A large staff (about 2 M) used as a self defense weapon by the common people who were not allowed to carry weapons.
The Jo - A shorter staff (about 1.35 M) also used as a self defense weapon by the common people.
The Keibo - A small stick (about 35 cm) used for fighting in small area's.
D. Ninja Weapons
Kama
The Kama - Originally a farming tool to weed plants. Because the farmers were not allowed to carry weapons they used their tools to defend themselves. This weapon is most know for its use by ninjas.
Shurikan - Small Daggers
Some shurikan are starlike shaped, and thrown with spin. Some other are needlelike shaped, and thrown just like a throwing dagger. Though a shuriken cannot penetrate armor, it was still useful because ninjas threw it mainly at unarmed targets. Poison was often put onto the small daggers to ensure a kill.
Ninja (secret assassins or spies)
- Ninja Virtual Museum is shown with links to architecture, costumes, and weapons. In "Architecture" you can see how mazes or labyrinths, secret passageways, and traps are built into the home to defend against surprise attack. In "Costumes" you see ninja costumes. In "Weapons" you see stars, claws, grappling hooks, swords, and more!
- Before Ieyasu established himself as shogun (ruler or the "great general" who took the power from the emperor) in 1603, there were many ninja schools in Japan. They were hired by many nobles/daimyo during the Civil War Era. When Ieyasu became shogun, he organized all ninja throughout Japan under his power. The organization was called Onmitsu. Onmitsu was the espionage (spy system) of the shogunate. Their primary purpose was to gather information about other nobles/daimyo, especially evidence of the noble's/daimyo's faults. The shogun was always looking for nobles'/daimyos' faults so he could confiscate their territories.
On the other hand, nobles/daimyo hired their own ninja, too. It was illegal, because all ninja had to belong to Onmitsu. But they had to hide their secrets from the eyes of the shogunate. There were silent but severe struggles between ninja, staking the destiny of nobles/daimyo. [Adapted from "History of Japan" by Nishio at http://www.io.com/~nishio/japan/history.html
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