The Samurai - Arms and Armours

CLASSIC ARMOUR FEATURE

The Samurai, their arms and armour

Antony Cummins takes a look at the relationship of Japan’s warrior elite to their armour and weapons

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amurai arms and armour is a technical subject and whole library shelves of research have been dedicated to their cataloguing and history. One interesting way to try to understand the topic is to approach it from the standpoint of the samurai themselves, and ask questions such as: Why was a garden hoe used as a crest on a commander’s helmet? How did the colours of the lacings interact with the colours of the armour plates? And how did the spirit of the god of war imbue the samurai with power?

The development of the samurai armoury Early or archaic armour is known in Japanese as oyoroi. This was used by the first samurai proper and is seen as an icon of the age of chivalry. The more compact and practical armour known as gusoku evolved during the Waring States Period (c. 1450–1603), when the system of warfare changed from cavalry based to soldiers on foot.

The Japanese sword is often thought of as the ultimate symbol of the samurai, but this only emerged as an icon in the late 1500s, at the end of the Waring States Period, when common folk were banned from carrying weapons, including the two-sword combination that has famously come to represent the samurai. In fact, the primary samurai weapon

was originally the bow, used by cavalry, and archery continued to be considered the elite form of warfare. Next came the spear, which was the primary weapon of fighting in the civil wars of the 1400s and 1500s, and was later used as a symbol of authority by samurai

magistrates. The greatest achievement in battle was termed as ichiban yari, meaning ‘the first spear’ and denoting the victory of the first man into action.

Different types of bows, spears and swords were manufactured in accordance with the hierarchy of the time, with some only permitted to certain ranks or successful individuals.

For example, a red line painted in a spear groove (often seen on museum and collection pieces) was the sign of a warrior of excellence.

Working in harmony with the Five Elements Buddhism, Shinto and Confucianism, the latter bringing elements of Taoism with it, all contributed to shaping the world of the samurai. The Taoist theory that the universe is made up of

yin (negative energy) and yang (positive energy) is played out in the Chinese version of the Five Elements theory, in which the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water interact in the Cycle of Creation and the Cycle of Destruction. This theory was a core part of Japanese and samurai life. The colours and ornaments www.armourer.co.uk // December 2018

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The Samurai, their arms and armour of a set of armour, for example, were carefully chosen to avoid any clashing on a cosmic level and to work together to generate positive energy. Each element was represented by a colour, such as black for water and yellow/gold for earth, reflecting a Cycle of Creation in which earth is nourished by water. Meaning the colours of the thread and the colours of the plates they held in place were expected to work in harmony, while the gold or silver vertical bands on the helmet – which represent the sun (yang) or the moon (yin) – had to be of the correct number. The bamboo used for the banner pole had also to be of the correct element and direction of growth, so that its energy worked in harmony with the samurai and the set of armour.

The front helmet crest of military commander was gold, shaped in the form of a garden hoe and often embellished with a dragon. A golden/ yellow garden hoe represented the element of earth, which according to tradition was the element at the centre of all other elements, while the dragon was a symbol of rising chi energy; the overall meaning was that a leader was a sturdy central figure who commanded all others with the power of a rising dragon. This vastly complex symbolic scheme fell out of favour in the second half of the samurai epoch, meaning that samurai armour began to adopt colour fashions instead of colour meanings – something to consider when collecting.

The helmet A helmet peak had to be neither too long nor too short. If it was too long a samurai would have to tilt his head backwards and invite an arrow in the throat. Too short and a samurai would have to hold his head down to avoid arrows hitting below the peak, making him appear weak in the presence of his comrades.

A perfect peak length allowed a warrior to walk with his head

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CLASSIC ARMOUR FEATURE

Above left: There are two categories of samurai armour: The archaic oyoroi armour and the more modern armour known as gusoku – although these terms were sometimes used interchangeably. Above centre: Samurai armourers took into account the theory of the Five Elements and the interplay between the Cycle of Creation and the Cycle of Destruction. Above right: The great sword known as tachi, which predates the famous katana. It was worn blade edge down and there were restrictions on the use of different types of tachi by the various ranks of samurai at court and in battle

Above left: The garden hoe crest, often gold/yellow, represented the centre of all things in Five Elements theory and was usually adorned with a rising dragon, making it the symbol of a leader. Above centre: Leg protection could be fully enclosed or forward-facing only; note the square in the bottom right corner – this was a leather patch to stop the greaves rubbing against each other. Above right: A digital version of an original 17th-century drawing of a helmet representing fire erect without fear of being hit in the eye – a concept known as the ‘boar’s neck’. Archers had very small, removable or hinged helmet wings, so that the bowstring did not get caught up when they were shooting.

The ventilation hole at the apex of the helmet was known as the ‘seat of the god Hachiman’ and represented a boundary between heaven and earth.

It was said that through this hole came a giant war serpent deity with 98,000 scales, imbuing the warrior with courage. Small cloud-like decorations on the helmet further denoted this celestial division. A samurai should never put his finger in the hole of the helmet, unless taking it off to commit ritual suicide, and must never show the inside of the helmet lining except for in times of surrender, as this was seen as a sign of submission, as was inverting the spear.

Helmets were sometimes covered in fur, but the fur could never be of two different colours because the Japanese word for ‘two-colour fur’ sounds the same as the verb ‘to flee’, which would

be improper. Helmet crests could go on the front, the side or the rear, and could sweep backwards, forwards or directly up. The classic samurai facemasks – which were normally taken off for battle – had a small hole at the bottom of the chin to release saliva.

When marching the helmet was carried by an attendant on a pole on the left side of the samurai, while the spear was carried on the right side so that it could be grabbed quickly.

The greaves Greaves ranged from cloth with protective metal or bamboo vertical splints to fully enclosed and sculptured leg encasings. Each had a rubbing patch on the inside, to protect the horse and avoid causing damage when they knocked against each other. The greaves of a mounted warrior had knee guards with three mounds, said to represent the crown of the king of hell, while greaves for foot soldiers had no knee protection so as not to become an annoyance when walking.

The loin cloth and the battle jacket Dressing for war, a samurai first put on the loincloth, tying it at the front. Japanese belts are usually tied at the rear, but the loincloth and all knots on Japanese armour are tied at the front, to represent death or the prospect of death. This determination to show a willingness to die was further enhanced by cutting all the armour ties down to the knot, so they could not be untied again, meaning that the samurai was prepared to come back victorious or never to remove the armour again. Over the top of armour was the battle jacket, a sleeveless open-front garment emblazoned with the warrior’s heraldic crest or other icons of power.

Other points of interest on samurai armour The armoured clasps that protect the shoulder cords were shaped like the leaves of a plum tree. The main body www.armourer.co.uk // December 2018

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The Samurai, their arms and armour

A stylistic representation of greaves with knee guards, representing the silhouette of the crown of Yemma, the king of hell and judgement

The battle jacket or jinbaori was worn over samurai armour, much as a knight’s surcoat was used in the West; it too was adorned with heraldic images or esoteric symbols

armour was joined on the right side and often overlapped so that when shooting arrows, enemy projectiles hit the hinged line instead of entering where the sides are secured.

As mentioned above, all armour knots tied at the front, but in very ancient days the armour tied at the rear and the plate that covered that joint was known as the ‘coward’s plate’ because it faced the enemy when retreating. The lowest band of the armour curved upwards; this curve was known as the ‘spear stopper’ and angled spear blows away. This protruding band was always hidden below the tasset lacings and is therefore never seen, so modern replica armour often omits this vital element.

Beneath the tassets, pouches were attached so that a warrior had a place for his personal effects. At times, monkey-skin leather was used for lacings and linings because of its strength, while various leather linings were also used to make nonclanking armour for night raids.

Japanese scale armour was often based on the tengu, or demon crow, who were thought to be masters of military arts. Finally, full armour and weapons can be referred to as ‘the six parts’, a term which has Buddhist and military connotations but which overall means tools of universality.

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A digital version of a 17th-century image showing the plate names, the lowest band holding the ‘spear stopper’ curve

Collecting samurai armour and swords Collecting has its difficulties and, of course, its expense. Buying bladed weapons from Japan is an exercise in overcoming bureaucracy. It is much easier to obtain them from Western dealers, because in Japan each blade is licensed and registered with a governing body overseeing private traders. That governing body is Bunka-cho Bunkazaibu Bijutsu gakugei-ka (文化庁文化財部 美術学芸課), The Agency for Cultural Affairs which issues an identification card for all swords is known as a Juho token rui torokusho (銃砲刀剣類登録 銃砲刀剣類登録 ). This card has to be logged and 証). returned when a sword leaves Japan.

When buying armour, take into consideration that there was a resurgence in the popularity of the archaic oyoroi armour during Japan’s Edo Period (1603–1868). This means that armour that appears to have been made between the 1000s and the 1400s is actually most likely to have been made in the 1800s, albeit looking the same and often in a similar condition.

The second issue is the mixing of sets.

Japanese armour should come as an original set, with matching heraldic crests, plates and lacing. However, often pieces from different sets are sold together, with new lacing, new plate lacquer work and sometimes the addition of new crests, making a set appear authentic when it is actually a piecemeal ensemble. Do your research to avoid these potential pitfalls. ■

This jingasa or battle-hat is the original used by the last grandmaster of Natori-Ryu, the military school that produced the texts from which the information in this article is sourced. It is now with the grandmaster’s last descendent, Mr Yabutani of Wakayama, Japan

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THE BOOK OF SAMURAI SERIES

The Book of Samurai series, including the second volume Samurai Arms, Armour & the Tactics of Warfare Warfare, features the collected works of Japanese military tactician, Natori Sanjuro Masazumi. The author, Antony Cummins is a researcher and author focusing on Japanese samurai and ninja. He is the head of a team that translates and publishes historical texts on Japanese military culture and tactics. For more information and free download samples visit www.natori.co.uk.

Images from Samurai Arms, Armour & the Tactics of Warfare, recreated from the original Japanese manuscripts by Jay Kane, Vangelis Drosos and Andridja Dreznjak © Antony Cummins.