Samurai and Ninja: The Real Story Behind the Japanese Warrior Myth That Shatters the Bushido Mystique (15 page)

When the head inspection has finished, normally the lord will start the war cry—this is probably just the “A-A” section and the company around him should finish with “O.”

The above was taken from an Ohara family document and shows that different war cries were used for different situations.

Guaranteeing a Kill

A field of battle could stretch out over a long distance and war campaigns can reach across states, therefore the need for proof of kills is required. At the center of this requirement for proof is the headhunting cult of the samurai—this is because a head is undeniable proof of a kill. The problem is that at times there may be no time to take a head, a samurai may not have space to carry a head or additional heads or he may even be a shinobi or a member of a night raid, ordered not to take heads because the night raid has to move fast to have the advantage of surprise or momentum. To counter this, samurai had several ways to prove their kill without actually taking a head.

Taking the nose and top lip—In place of a head, a samurai or foot soldier could cut off the nose of the dead. However both the nose and the top lip were needed, this is because the top lip would have stubble or a moustache and therefore proves that a man has been killed and not a woman in place of a man. Sometimes the nose was taken along with the upper part of the skin of the face, including the section with the eyebrows, in essence ripping off the face. In addition the bottom lip and skin of the chin could be taken.

Hidden cloth—A samurai or shinobi could write his name on a cloth and screw it up, then when he has killed an enemy he pushes the cloth or paper to the back of the throat of the dead man. If the head is stolen by battlefield scavengers before the samurai or shinobi can come back to claim it, they could identify which was theirs by checking the back of the throat for their paper or cloth.

Wooden pegs—Samurai or shinobi may write their names on sharpened wooden pegs and as they move through on a night raid they would make a kill and then stab the wooden peg into the body to prove that they had been the one to make the kill if the head was later stolen.

Named arrows—Thin strips of paper with a samurai’s name can be threaded through the fletching; in an exchange of arrows, a samurai could identify which of his arrows killed which enemy.

Vows and promises—If on a battlefield a samurai had made a kill and there was time to spare but the head could not be taken, then the man who made the kill would ask a samurai near him to swear to the kill. As a reminder of this, the samurai would rip out a small section of cloth from his armor or helmet and give the other samurai a tag with his name on it; then if both lived until the end of the battle, the two would join again and match the cloth to the helmet and in this way the other samurai—whose word was considered solid—would testify to the kill.

The reason that a samurai may not be able to carry more heads is because he would normally attach the heads to the horns or rings of his saddle on both sides, or he would use a
kubibukuro
, a head-carrying sack—this was a bag of wide netting, not unlike a grandmothers’ shopping bag, where heads were placed to be carried back to the battle camp. However, if a samurai killed a
horomusha
(“samurai of the cape”), which is someone of high status, then he would wrap the head in that cape.

Mist, Wind, Rain, and the Sun

The samurai had a few tricks on the field of battle concerning the weather:

Mist—If there is a mist or a fog or even a smoke screen from burning vegetation, such as pine needles, etc., then a samurai or force will try to have their face to the wind. This is because the fog will move to the leeward, which means that the enemy will become the first to be visible—this is because the wind will bring them into the open before the samurai on the leeward side. This principle also applies to illumination at night. Wherever a light source will appear first is where the enemy should be and the defending samurai should not be.

Wind and rain—Rain will follow the direction of the wind. The general rule in most cases is that the rain and the wind must come over a samurai’s right shoulder—this is where his attack will come from, meaning that his enemy must look into the wind and the rain, while the samurai’s vision is shielded from them.

Sun and the moon—This is the same as the above.

Battles and Rivers

To move an army over a river, shinobi and long distance scouts were used to check the situation ahead. Then a landing position was set up on the opposite bank and troops would move over in stages and not all at once. Bridges may be built or life-lines put in place. The first troops over the river would set up defensively and leave room for the rest of the army to land. Then in stages the army would cross. If the army did not take these precautions and an enemy force was on the other side, the enemy army would let half of the army cross and then attack, making the fleeing troops collide with the crossing troops, drowning many in the process.

Troops can cross water using the following: bridges, with life-lines, by moving in teams and moving across together, by using life jackets, or by moving in teams holding on to horses.

The image on the facing page is an Edo Period block print and shows the now infamous “floating shoes.” The Japanese term is
Ukigutsu
and translates literally as “floating” and “shoe;” however, a more fitting translation would be “water platform,” and as can be seen, they do not go on the feet as a shoe but act as a platform to move through the water. Other types consist of floats held in cloth and tied around the body.

A samurai army on the move from field of battle to field of battle would invariably cross water. This created a need for water training to be used in battle and on campaign—this became quite a serious and technical affair.

Flotation device

Samurai Swimming

Suiren
is a term best translated as “aquatic skills” or “aquatic training.” These were collections of skills to help a samurai or foot soldier when swimming in a military capacity. One of the last surviving schools still in existence today is Nojima-Ryu and the following is a selection of their skills, which were written by Tada Ichiro Yoshinao in the late 1800s from a lecture concerning their school’s swimming skills:

平泳

Hira oyogi

Breaststroke

This is a basic swimming stroke of our school. This is the most simple and easiest way of swimming. In this stroke you are required to have a full view of both the right and left sides while facing the enemy in the water—just as if you were walking on the ground—and if needs arise to swim wearing your armor and swords. That is why this stroke is designated as a fundamental skill.

抜手

Nukite

Withdrawing hand

Use this when you swim facing the wind and waves or when crossing the tide. In this style your body naturally leans obliquely [in the water], which allows you to cut through the waves with your shoulder and to avoid the waves foaming against your face. This enables you to swim at a higher speed.

水入

Suiri

Diving under water

A method of moving under water.

底息

Sokoiki

Holding your breath

A method to hold your breath for longer periods in water.

捨浮

Suteuki

Floating body

A method of floating on the surface of the sea to rest when you are tired.

枯木流シ

Kareki nagashi

Flowing like a stick

Method used when you get leg cramps while swimming.

筏流

Ikada nagashi

Flowing raft

A method in which people, or even tens of people, perform the above skill of
kareki nagashi
in a united form.

輕石流シ

Karuishi nagashi

Flowing pumice stone

A method of floating on the water without using hands and feet—done in a similar way as pumice stone floats on the water.

安坐

Anza

Floating in a cross-legged sitting position

A method of floating in a cross-legged sitting position in the water.

鷗形

Kamome gata

Form of the seagull

A method used to observe the state of the river/seabed or to search for something sunk on the water bottom in shallower areas.

Note: Feet are most important for both swimming skills and the soldier himself. If you are wounded on the foot, it will significantly reduce your capacity for activity; therefore it is important to observe the bed of the water you are in when you are about to land on an unknown land.

飛込ミ

Tobikomi

Diving into the water

A method of diving into water from a high position.

鰹落シ

Katsuo otoshi

Bonito diving

A method used to dive into shallow water and to swim swiftly away after entering the water.

中轉リ

Chugaeri

To turn in water

A method used when you do not know how deep the water is or if there is the possibility of stepping in a muddy floor.

立泳

Tachioyogi

Treading water

Use this when you have to raise both of your hands out of the water to use them for some purpose or other.