When not in armour, the uchigatana was worn thrust edge up. When the katana emerged as the primary weapon of the Samurai, the Uchigatana was shortened again and became the Wakizashi or companion sword. This was the pro-katana and the blade looks similar but length shorter than the katana. The Uchigatana was a shorted sword and ideal for drawing and striking in one motion. Not as curved as the Katana it was to become primarily a ceremonial weapon during the later Sengoku period. During the Heian period, the tachi was was given a slight curve. Its name probably comes from the word tatsu, which means cut. A much older sword than the famous katana, the tachi continued to be used alongside the Katana. The original and most typical Japanese sword is called a tachi, and was worn hanging by cords from the waist. Swords of Japan: Tachi – Japanese longsword It had a straight double-edged blade whilst the tachi had a single edge. Influenced by the Chinese the tsurugi gets its name from the word tsuranuku, which means thrust. The tsurugi and tachi swords were the two main sword types used in Japan before the Heian period. Swords of Japan: Tsurugi – Chinese thrusting sword Kyudo is still practised today as is yabusame (Japanese horse archery). Archery (kyudo) in Japan became a highly spiritual affair and master archers were held in high esteem. ![]() It was to protect themselves from arrows that the Japanese developed the oyoroi style of armour. The effective range of the bow was only 10 to 15 metres and a fully armoured Samurai could only be killed when shot in the face or exposed point of the torso. The bow was drawn using the thumb and forefinger (Mongolian release) rather than any of the European releases. Before a battle opposing Samurai generals would fire a whistling arrow into the air towards the enemy to announce the opening of the engagements. Whistling arrows that were used in China were imported to Japan. Various shapes of arrowheads reflected their purpose: to pierce armour, make a larger wound, break through shields and so on. Arrows also varied in length and style but were an average of 12 fists and went up to 23 fists in length. For greater power composite bows were in use, perhaps after the Mongol invasions. The ashigaru foot archers bows were actually quite shorter than a samurai’s and were mass produced. It was primarily fired from a horse but foot archers were not uncommon. To limit the stress on the bow when drawn, the weapon had to be long and it was fired from one-third the way up its length. The whole was lacquered and wrapped with strips of rattan. The bow was made as a laminate with a core of wood ad strips of bamboo. The Japanese longbow was just that – long, as much as 250cm (averaging 7-9 feet in length). ![]() ![]() Japanese warrior monks were also skilled archers. The primary qualification for an early Samurai was that they were a good archer. The early Japanese word for warrior can roughly be translated as “man of the bow”. Yumi – Japanese longbowĭespite the romanticised image of the Samurai and his/her (there were a few lady Samurai and many kunoichi-lady ninjas) Katana, the Japanese warrior was first and foremost an archer. Note that the following does not include gun powder weapons and similar firearms. Search Search for: Traditional Weapons of Japan
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |