Samurai
THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR
The civil wars that swept Japan during the 12th Century
brought in a new age of strength and steel. Men from all over Japan
joined the ranks of the warlike Taira and Minamoto clans in their battle
for control of the country. A fierce new breed of armed noblemen,
the samurai, began to emerge. Artists turned their talents to the
production of superb swords and armor, which combined beauty with a deadly
use. Japan had put on armor for war.
It took more than just a sword and a metal suit,
however, to make a samurai. Part of his equipment was moral and psychological-
an unwritten code of personal courage and loyalty . The code, known as
bushido, or “The way of the Warrior,” demanded an almost religious commitment
to military life, in which physical hardship was expected, and a heroic
death in battle the most honorable goal.
A samurai’s first duty was to die fighting for his
lord. ‘If you think of saving your life,’ one legendary hero is supposed
to have said,” you had better not go to war at all.” Nevertheless,
Japanese warriors still took the precaution of wearing elaborate, extremely
effective armor in order to protect themselves from their opponents’ swords.
A warrior’s next defense was his skill at
fighting, gained through years of tough training designed to build strength
of character as well as physical skill. A samurai began as an apprentice
to a master of archery and swordsmanship, who toughened his body and spirit
with long fasts(periods without food ) and barefoot travels through the
snow. These hardships were to be endured without complaint, for as a character
in a Japanese story explains, if a man is a samurai, “ when his stomach
is empty, it is a disgrace to feel hungry.”
Despite the hardships of a samurai’s training
his methods of combat were based on a principle of skilled “ gentleness.”
The technique was similar to that of modern jujitsu, “ the gentle art”,
in which flexibility of movement wins out over brute strength .
It was the same with Japanese armor, which protected
its wearer with flexibility and “give” instead of solid mass. European
armor had massive steel plates but Japanese armor had tiny scales of lacquered
iron, called “lamellae”, laced together in rows with silk cords.
The result was a metallic fabric, as a flexible as European chain mail,
but considerably tougher.
Combined with flexibility, Japanese armor was fairly
light, weighing only about 50 pounds, allowing the warrior to run and jump
through rice paddies and over castle walls. In addition, it could
be folded into a compact box for easy carrying when not in use, and if
cut by a sword it could be mended by lacing on new scales of iron.
In the man-to-man combat of Japanese battles, samurai
sometimes took trophies- heads of their more important enemies- removed
from the body with the smaller of their two swords, carried especially
for that purpose. This bloody custom caused soldiers to wear particularly
sturdy head- and-neck armor in order to avoid decapitation.
Although samurai warriors looked fierce they were
very courteous before actually fighting. Each warrior would announce
his name, his family history and previous acts of heroism. When the
fight was over, a victorious samurai would often compliment his defeated
opponent on his bravery before taking his head. One courtesy extended
after death itself; before a battle, a samurai burned incense in his helmet
so that, if he were decapitated, his head would still smell sweet.
COMBAT READINESS
Fighting was a samurai’s life. He had to be ready at
a moment’s notice. Often he would have no time to fasten on his armor piece
by piece, and he would have to scramble to get ready all at once.
Being ready went beyond having his equipment in order - a good
samurai reacted instinctively to attack. A Japanese story tells of a young
swordsman who was being trained by a famous sword master. One day,
while cooking rice, he was given a painful whack with a wooden sword by
his master. This treatment was repeated at unexpected hours of the day
and night, until the boy learned never to relax his guard, and became the
greatest swordsman in the land.
Once a samurai mastered his craft, he never
let them drop. He trained daily, and often traveled around the country
in search of ever-better teachers. His commitment to the art of war
was total and unceasing, for according to his military code, “A samurai
should live and die sword in hand.. Brave and warlike he must always be
.”
A Flexible Armor
The procedures for putting
on the armor were complicated and time consuming.
To see pictures of Japanese armor being put
on CLICK HERE.
1. The first steps
involved putting on a series of underclothes: cotton underwear came
up
over the
chest, a kimono of fine linen or brocade called an “armor robe,”was tied
snugly at
the waist with
a special knot ,and baggy trousers were put on which allowed freedom of
movement.
These layers of cloth acted as padding over which the armor itself
was
strapped.
Multicolored stitching of braided silk cord covered
the outside surface of Japanese armor.
2. Strong shin-guards of
cloth or leather with strips of iron gave protection from the front.
3. Disposable thigh guards,
worn while on horseback, were often taken off for easy
movement on foot.
4. Metal sleeves had a Japanese
type of chain mail and iron strips sewn onto heavy cloth.
5. A breastplate and backplate,
made from rows of iron strips, included armored
skirt-panels for the hips.
6. Broad shoulder guards hung
from the shoulders of the body armor.
7. A cotton skullcap, which helped
to cushion the weight of the helmet, was tied over the
warrior’s
head.
8. An iron helmet with riveted
metal strips was worn with a visor and an armored neck fringe
of stitched
iron guarded the back of the neck. At the side of the helmet, looking like
a wisp
of flowing hair,
a flat metal tab turned back to reveal the warrior’s family crest.
In addition
to an iron helmet,
warriors used special neck protectors - an iron collar, with a metal bib
for additional
protection, which helped guard against decapitation.
9. A metal facemask, usually ferocious-looking
and made of lacquered iron was strong
enough to blunt
a spear point . It covered the face and was designed to scare the enemy.
It had another
useful function too – the helmet attached to the mask to make the helmet
stay on securely.
The helmet and mask completed the samurai’s costume.
The samurai’s armor could be quickly put on using one of these
methods :
To see pictures of these CLICK
HERE
UP FROM UNDER, a samurai climbs quickly from below into a suit of armor
that dangles from a hanger.
IN FROM THE SIDE, a warrior hurriedly slips into armor that has been
readied on a special armor-stand.
A DIFFICULT JOB, comes from taking armor directly from its box-a method
for emergencies only.