Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (13 page)

♦
Concerning lightweight armor

♦
Understanding outfits

♦
Knowing which tools are appropriate to status

♦
Concerning high and low status as a warrior

♦
Concerning decoration

♦
Understanding the equipment that you excel in and the mindset to have

♦
Of advantages and disadvantages

♦
Preparation of armor

The clothes a samurai needs:

♦
Headband

♦
Under-jacket

♦
Undergarments—for both summer and winter

♦
The outer belt

♦
Underwear and loin cloth

♦
Leggings

♦
Outer trousers

♦
Straw sandals

♦
Straw boots

Gear for battle:

♦
Armor containers

♦
The helmet rest

♦
The banner holder

♦
The battle hat

♦
Rainproof gear

The basic parts of armor:

♦
The breast plate

♦
The helmet

♦
The face mask

♦
Gauntlets and arm protection

♦
Thigh plates

♦
Greaves

Arisawa continues with some hints and advice on tools and equipment that lower samurai should focus on—the headings are given here:

♦
The banner

♦
Small flags

♦
Flag attachments and poles

♦
Decoration on flag poles

♦
Short swords and daggers

♦
Identification marks

♦
War swords

♦
Sword handles—both long and short

♦
Issues on the length of the sword handle

♦
Hilt fittings

♦
Sword rivets—to hold the sword in place

♦
Concerning the “mouth” of the scabbard

♦
The hilt washer

♦
Hair arranger—a small blunt spike on the side of the sword [shinobi use these to climb]

♦
The sword cord

♦
The cord to tie the sword to the wrist

♦
The sword belt

♦
The different forms of daisho—long and short swords

The manual continues on the topic of spears:

♦
The fittings used on our own spears

♦
The advantages and disadvantages of spear length, especially in night raids

♦
Pikes and pole-arms

♦
The three types of spear haft

♦
The parts of the spear—blade, haft, butt with socket, iron bands on the haft and rings attached

♦
The size of spear scabbards

The above gives an understanding of the complexity of samurai equipment and offers only a brief overview of the samurai arsenal. The sword is not given a place of prestige: what is important is that a samurai maintain gear for war and be ready to move to battle at short notice, with all of the equipment needed.

Having understood that the sword is not the only weapon of the samurai, the following list is that which a samurai should take to help him in day-to-day life during military campaigns. Lists contained within original Japanese documents do differ; therefore the following items have been compiled from multiple sources and are things a samurai should carry in his portable box:

♦
Comb

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Scissors

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Tweezers

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Rolls of cloth—including a three feet cloth band

♦
Razor

♦
Whetstone

♦
Powdered makeup (white)

♦
Mirror

♦
Magnet or compass

♦
Needle and thread

♦
Glue

♦
Dried bonito

♦
Dried abalone

♦
Strong paper strings

♦
Torches

♦
Hooks and rings

♦
Digging tools

♦
Drills

♦
Saws

♦
Ropes of different lengths and thickness

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Hammer and nails

♦
Ink and ink stone (black and red)

♦
Paper

♦
Leather thongs

♦
Warning clappers (two blocks on a string to clap together to give signals)

The Sword of the Samurai

Now that it has been established that the sword is not in the exalted position of the single focus of the samurai, it has to be reinforced that it was still of high importance and is a constant companion in his life. One thing that must be clear is that
a
sword is of vital importance and
not
that a
certain
sword is of importance. A samurai may have his sword stolen, the blades taken or snapped by shinobi; a temporary servant may steal them and sell the swords on the market at Edo so that he can go off gambling; street thieves may take the samurai’s sword by force; a samurai may lend his sword to a man in a duel; or a sword can even be taken home by the wrong person after a drinking party. The main issue of samurai honor is to have and be seen
with
a sword, it does not necessarily have to be the
same
sword. In addition, a samurai will always carry his short sword at his side unless he is forced to remove it by a higher-ranking person. Normally, long swords are left in allotted rooms or put into storage when visiting others or when a guest in another’s house—the samurai can also put his sword next to him on the floor.

Sword Typology

The study of the sword is a deep and well-researched subject, and experts in both Japan and the rest of the world have dedicated their lives to the beauty and crafts-manship of the Japanese sword. Therefore, here I will give a brief overview of the evolution of the sword. Being a specialist subject, I have turned to Mr Paul Martin, a specialist on Japanese swords who has kindly provided the following chronology. The descriptions are heavy with terminology; however, Mr. Martin provides a full glossary of terms on his website
www.thejapanesesword.com
.

Mr Paul Martin at work in Japan. His work can be seen on social media sites under the name
The Japanese Sword
or at his website of the same name (
www.thejapanesesword.com
).

Paul Martin’s sword chronology:

1.  Late Heian to Early Kamakura
From the late Heian Period and the early Kamakura Period (1185–1333) we can see the Japanese sword as we know it:
shinogi-zukuri
(ridgeline) construction, with a wide base, narrowing acutely towards the small point section (
kokissaki
). They are quite slender blades with the curvature concentrated between the handle and base. This shape is called
koshi-zori
. From midway towards the point there is very little curvature. These blades are usually around 2.5–6 shaku in length (75.8–78.8 cm).

2.  Mid-Kamakura
At the zenith of the warrior class’s power during the Kamakura Period, the blade’s
kasane
becomes thick, the
mihaba
becomes wide, and they take on magnificent
tachi
shape. There is not much difference between the size of the
moto-haba
and the
saki-haba
. The blade still has
koshi-zori
, but the center of the curvature has moved further along the blade. The
kissaki
has become a compact
chu-kissaki
(
ikubi
). The hamon has developed into a flowing gorgeous
chojimidare
. Also around this time,
tanto
production appears.

3.  Late Kamakura
Tachi
at the end of the Kamakura Period have developed into magnificent blades. There are two types: one is wide throughout its length and the point section is the same as mid-Kamakura period
kissaki
, but slightly extended. The other is quite slender and similar in appearance to the late Heian, early Kamakura shapes. However, when you look further along the blade the shape has changed; the curvature has moved further along the blade. During this period
notare-gunome hamon
appeared. It is said that in Sagami province Goro Nyudo Masamune perfected the production of
nie-deki
blades.

The numbers on the image coincide with the numbers in the text on the opposite page and below.

4.  Nanbokucho
During the Nanbokucho Period many long blades of three shaku (90.9 cm) and other long
tachi
were made.
Tanto
of large proportions were also produced.
Tachi
were majestic, wide, and proportionally long. Among these were some over 90 cm in length and worn over the back. These types of blade are called
nodachi
and
o-dachi
. They were rather thin in construction to decrease the weight. Additionally, many have a
bo-hi
(groove) cut into the
shinogi-ji
area in order to lighten the blade. Many
tachi
from this period are
o-suriage
(shortened in later periods as they were difficult to wield). Consequently, many extant blades from the Nanbokucho Period are unsigned.