P2+Swords,+Armor+and+Bows

Swords, Armor, Bows By Reese G and Chapman F

Armor, Swords and Bows __**Introduction **__ The samurai’s were the warriors of Japan. They fought using a wide variety of weapons and techniques. The two most common weapons used by the samurai were the katana (long sword) and yumi (bow). The samurai armor was important because it represented their clan.

__**Sword **__ The samurai carried around two swords, a short sword and a long sword called a katana. The short sword was used for seppuku, a ritual suicide. The only time they would commit seppuku was when they dishonored their master. They used the long sword for battle. If he drew the sword he had to use it. The sword was the most prized possession of the samurai. It was such a prized possession to the samurai that they slept with it under their pillow. Usually the finest sword was passed down as a gift. The sword was a symbol of power and position in society. The sword can give good luck, virtue or sickness to the owner. The sword could be good or bad, that’s why the sword maker had to have a high moral value. The sword maker had to have a high moral because their personality appeared in the blade. It took about a month to make the sword. They created a blade both sharp and strong by combining steels of different hardiness. The hardness of the steel depended on its carbon content. There are over 12 folds in the metal. Two kinds of steel are combined to create a sword with a soft flexible core and a hard outer edge to hold a sharp cutting surface. The sword only weighed 3 pounds. The sword was also used as a shield because of its unique design. The samurai knock the opponent’s sword away with the flat side of his sword. __**Bow **__ The second most common weapon was the bow called the yumi. Kyujutsu means the way of the bow. Besides the sword the bow is the most associated with the samurai. Again just like the sword the bow maker had to be person of the highest moral. First they make the face of the bow with bamboo. Rattan reinforced the poor qualities of the glue that connected all the parts of the bow together. The bow hade to be waterproof, that’s why the bow was made out of bamboo, bamboo does not rot. The bowstrings were made out of plant fiber, then it was coated with wax. The arrows were also made out of bamboo. The arrows had three feathers at the end.

__**Armour **__ The armour of the samurai had many pieces. The samurai wore an armoured robe under the set of armour. The samurai’s chest plate is called the dō. The kote is a sleeve armour which was worn with larger shoulder plates called sode. The kusazuri are tassets that hang from the chest plate to make an armoured skirt. The nodowa is a throat protector worn under the shikoro which is a neck guard. The shikoro hangs from the helmet which is called kabuto. The mempo is a facemask was worn on the helmet with features like horse hair mustaches. The haidate are thigh guards worn under the kusazuri. The suneate are shin guards worn below the haidate. These many pieces make up the astounding armour of the samurai.

__**Designs**__ Part of the reason the samurai are so mesmerizing is because of their beautiful design. The armour of the samurai has many bright colors and designs to distract the enemy and tell the samurai who is friend or foe. The samurai clan was showed by the flag on their back. Some samurai replace a flag with bright golden fans or distracting plumes of feathers. The helmet of the samurai had remarkable distractions like antlers or golden horns. Some samurai also had imitations of sword blades, conch shells carved in paper mâché or even more plumes of feathers. These designs are an important aspect that helped samurai win their battles along with the meditation and skills involved.

Bushido was a very important aspect of the samurai; it was “the way of the warrior”. The samurai were required to be loyal to their master. If they dishonored themselves they dishonored their master. If their master was dishonored they had to commit seppuku. Seppuku is a form of Japanese suicide where one kneels down and stabs their short sword into their stomach. Next they bring the sword up through their chest to inflict instant death and if done correctly one lands in bowing position. The sword of a samurai is so important that they sleep with it under their pillow. If a samurai lost his sword and would be dishonored and commit seppuku. The samurai put bushido as their main importance of life. The armor and the weapons of the samurai are more than an important part of their history. It’s an important aspect of what made them prevail in society. media type="custom" key="12653604" O'Neil, Tom. " Japan samurai: Way of the warrior". National Geographic. 'Dec 2003. Print
 * __Bushido __**
 * __Citations __**

 Osijek, Pamela. "Wars and Battles." The Japanese. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver Burdett Press, 1989. Print

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Turnbull, Stephen. "samurai armour." Warriors of Medieval Japan. New York: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2005. Print

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Williams E. Handbook to life in Medieval and early Modern Japan. New York: Fact on file ink. 2006. Print