Samurai armor

Did samurai warriors use any type of shield? If so could I please get
a description of it if at all possible? Thanks.

wood and wood and steel shields were used by both archers and when a castle was sieged
They were mostly tall and rectangular in shape big enough for a man to hide behind
i am not sure if foot soldiers ever carried a smaller one

slleestakk <toonakan@...> wrote:
Did samurai warriors use any type of shield? If so could I please get
a description of it if at all possible? Thanks.



---
Samurai Archives: http://www.samurai-archives.com
Samurai Archives store: http://www.cafeshops.com/samuraiarchives
---


Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT


---------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samuraihistory/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
samuraihistory-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In addition to the previous post on this topic, samurai weapons were primarily two-
handed - the bow and the spear (the sword was not a principle battlefield weapon).

The development of armour is tied in with the development of weapons which is tied
in with the development of technique, which has to cope with the developments in
armour (so there's a kind of evolutionary cycle going on) so as the samurai invariably
needed both hands to handle his weapons, shields did not figure, although I have
always thought the 'sode' - shoulderguards - served in this capacity somewhat
(armourers on the board might correct me here).

The swordsmanship of the Katori Shinto Ryu traces its roots from the battlefield, and
requires two hands to deliver accurate and effective strikes against a person in
armour, targetting the 'soft spots' or necessary 'gaps' to allow mobility, eg. neck and
the inner side of the limbs.

Thomas


--

Whatever you Wanadoo:
http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/time/

This email has been checked for most known viruses - find out more at: http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/id/7098.htm

One of the "Strategic Weapons" TV series featured the Japanese sword. I
think I recall an observation in the program that said the sword could also
be thought of as a shield because of its defensive capability to deflect
blows. Of course, is this making a virtue of a necessity as the sword
requires two hands to be used effectively, as Thomas notes? The program is
worth seeking out if you haven't seen it.

Barry Thomas.

----- Original Message -----
From: <tom.davidson@...>
To: <samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2004 9:06 PM
...
The swordsmanship of the Katori Shinto Ryu traces its roots from the
battlefield, and
requires two hands to deliver accurate and effective strikes against a
person in
armour, targetting the 'soft spots' or necessary 'gaps' to allow mobility,
eg. neck and
the inner side of the limbs.

Thomas

Hi Barry -

I missed that program!

Just a quick note - there are defensive techniques (parries) learned as well as
offensive cuts. One of the things I've only recently learnt is that whilst the sword is
lethally (and almost mythically) strong in the cut, it is prey to lateral pressures and can
often bend in the clash of blade on blade.

So when you see Hollywood swordplay with blades hitting each other almost at right
angles, it's unlikely the owner would ever be able to get the sword back in the saya.

If you ever get a chance to see 'Gohatto' there are three fencing session with bokken
at the very start. If you listen to the sound of bokken on bokken, the main character's
swordplay is a lot more subtle, the angle of deflection is a lot less (more acute) and
the 'clash' sound is noticably softer - his sword would survive the encounter whereas
the others might bend their blades.

In kenjutsu the technique is to 'catch and deflect' - to slide the incoming blade along
your own, rather than clash and stop it.

Lastly, if you look at the poster for the film 'Blade' the hero is employing a classic
deflection for an overhead blow, however as his left shoulder is visible beyond his
blade, the deflected blow would have taken his arm off!

Hopefully the blade experts online will add or correct my assumptions.

Thomas


--

Whatever you Wanadoo:
http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/time/

This email has been checked for most known viruses - find out more at: http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/id/7098.htm

I'm sorry about getting off topic but would you mind trying to find out some information on Sasaki Kojiro's life up until he died and if possible anything on his weapon the nodachi he named 'drying pole'. Domo Arigato.

"\" <tom.davidson@...>" <tom.davidson@...> wrote:
Hi Barry -

I missed that program!

Just a quick note - there are defensive techniques (parries) learned as well as
offensive cuts. One of the things I've only recently learnt is that whilst the sword is
lethally (and almost mythically) strong in the cut, it is prey to lateral pressures and can
often bend in the clash of blade on blade.

So when you see Hollywood swordplay with blades hitting each other almost at right
angles, it's unlikely the owner would ever be able to get the sword back in the saya.

If you ever get a chance to see 'Gohatto' there are three fencing session with bokken
at the very start. If you listen to the sound of bokken on bokken, the main character's
swordplay is a lot more subtle, the angle of deflection is a lot less (more acute) and
the 'clash' sound is noticably softer - his sword would survive the encounter whereas
the others might bend their blades.

In kenjutsu the technique is to 'catch and deflect' - to slide the incoming blade along
your own, rather than clash and stop it.

Lastly, if you look at the poster for the film 'Blade' the hero is employing a classic
deflection for an overhead blow, however as his left shoulder is visible beyond his
blade, the deflected blow would have taken his arm off!

Hopefully the blade experts online will add or correct my assumptions.

Thomas


--

Whatever you Wanadoo:
http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/time/

This email has been checked for most known viruses - find out more at: http://www.wanadoo.co.uk/help/id/7098.htm


---
Samurai Archives: http://www.samurai-archives.com
Samurai Archives store: http://www.cafeshops.com/samuraiarchives
---


Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT


---------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/samuraihistory/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
samuraihistory-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Practice with mediaeval longswords based on fencing manuals gives similiar output- hard blocking is a bane of ANY sword- no matter how well done and how thick so first thing fencing practicioners learn is how to block propertly. Apart from all other factors huge price of the sword (I presume there is some kind of similiarity between Europe and Japan in this matter) did not allowed freedom of sacrificing one sword per each combat and that's most likely output of hard blocking.

Robert Burhans <pimpswizzle6@...> wrote:I'm sorry about getting off topic but would you mind trying to find out some information on Sasaki Kojiro's life up until he died and if possible anything on his weapon the nodachi he named 'drying pole'. Domo Arigato.

"\" <tom.davidson@...>" <tom.davidson@...> wrote:
Hi Barry -

I missed that program!

Just a quick note - there are defensive techniques (parries) learned as well as
offensive cuts. One of the things I've only recently learnt is that whilst the sword is
lethally (and almost mythically) strong in the cut, it is prey to lateral pressures and can
often bend in the clash of blade on blade.

So when you see Hollywood swordplay with blades hitting each other almost at right
angles, it's unlikely the owner would ever be able to get the sword back in the saya.

If you ever get a chance to see 'Gohatto' there are three fencing session with bokken
at the very start. If you listen to the sound of bokken on bokken, the main character's
swordplay is a lot more subtle, the angle of deflection is a lot less (more acute) and
the 'clash' sound is noticably softer - his sword would survive the encounter whereas
the others might bend their blades.

In kenjutsu the technique is to 'catch and deflect' - to slide the incoming blade along
your own, rather than clash and stop it.

Lastly, if you look at the poster for the film 'Blade' the hero is employing a classic
deflection for an overhead blow, however as his left shoulder is visible beyond his
blade, the deflected blow would have taken his arm off!

Hopefully the blade experts online will add or correct my assumptions.

Thomas


---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I have read some interesting articles about turtle shells being used
as a shield in Japanese antiquity. But from what I gathered from the
literature the practice was a inherited from Korea and or China and
was all but forgotten by the rise samurai class. Other then that
the only shield I have seen was an over sized round disk in place of
the kekko on the left kote that was about the size of a small
buckler that could be used as a shield. But my guess is it was a
one of a kind piece and not at all common.

Ambrose

--- In samuraihistory@yahoogroups.com, "slleestakk"
wrote:

> Did samurai warriors use any type of shield? If so could I please

get

> a description of it if at all possible? Thanks.