The Taira clan took a fan and attached it to the gunwale of a boat atop a pole. In the Genpei War, one of the most famous feats of archery came at the outset of the Battle of Yashima. Archery was a highly prized skill and led to the distinctive, boxy o-yoroidesign of armor. At 2 meters (about 6.5 feet), the yumi is an exceptionally large bow, even longer than the English longbow.Įarly samurai often fought with bows on horseback. It's been around since the third century CE, and the design still used in marital arts today originated in the Sengoku period. The yumi is a large asymmetrical bow, meaning that it is shot well below the center. In a handful of cases, the lady of the castle and her retainers took to the field during sieges as a last-ditch defense. In the later Sengoku period, the naginata had largely fallen out of use, but was retained as a self-defense weapon by noblewomen. Still, in the right hands, the naginata was a brutally effective weapon. Supposedly, he cut down arrows mid-flight with his naginata and downed scores of enemies to earn the epithet “ Tajima the arrow-cutter.” It should be noted this fine story comes from a source written much later, so should be taken with a pinch of salt. At the Battle of Uji, a warrior monk named Gochi-in Tajima held off an opposing army on a bridge alongside two comrades. It was wielded by warrior monks and the (possibly fictitious) legendary female warrior Tomoe Gozen. The versatile weapon came to prominence in the 12th century during the Genpei War. It was also a formidable weapon on horseback, too. This extra reach meant that, unlike a katana, it could still be used effectively against cavalry. Its name means “mowing-down sword,” but the naginata can also be classed as a polearm, thanks to its long handle. It was there that he found another interesting use for his trusty spear: hunting tigers. Kato gained further martial distinction by defeating Niiro Tadamoto in single combat during the Kyushu campaign and in his victories in the ill-fated invasion of Korea. Among them was Kato Kiyomasa, one of the most accomplished warriors of the era. The most noteworthy retainers were later dubbed the Seven Spears of Shizugatake. At the Battle of Shizugatake, Toyotomi Hideyoshi led a small band of mounted troops through the night to win a key victory. It wasn’t only a weapon for mere peasants, however mounted samurai often used a yari to great effect when fighting. Although some clans experimented with much longer weapons, a yari was usually around 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length, so it provided a fair amount of bang for its buck. The end of the spear could take many forms, but most tended to be simple straight points. Instead, the majority of the ashigaru (peasant soldiers) fought with yaris. Because samurai only represented a small minority of the armies, it was simply impractical to equip mass peasant armies with expensive swords. You might think that the katana would take center stage in the military history of feudal Japan, and while the sword undoubtedly had tremendous cultural value, the real workhorse of the armies of the warring states period was in fact the yari. The final and most significant was put down in 1877, with the last of Saigo Takamori’s followers choosing to draw their swords and charge to a warrior’s death. The privilege of carrying swords was finally revoked during the Meiji Restoration it was this and the loss of other key perks that sparked a wave of samurai rebellions. Even after technological advances rendered swords militarily obsolete, the katana still carried tremendous cultural value throughout the Edo period.
Only samurai were granted the right to carry two swords in public. Many of the lesser quality swords were confiscated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1588 and melted down to make a giant Buddha statue. The katana was the larger of the two blades carried by samurai. It was more of a sidearm in the battles of the Sengoku Era, but it was also in this period the pairing of two swords - daisho - was born. Through a vigorous forging process and testing - on condemned criminals - the katana’s reputation for outstanding cutting ability was well-deserved. Most early katanas were simply remodeled tachis. The katana’s longer predecessor, the tachi, was originally around 3 feet in length and was shortened to 2 feet. Swordsmithing became a valuable skill in the Muromachi era. With the aid of fortuitous weather and a well-chosen defensive position, the Mongols couldn’t play to their strength, and the superiority of Japanese steel at close quarters promptly sent them packing. The early samurai mostly fought as mounted archers, and it wasn’t until the Mongol invasions that the quality of Japanese swords had a real chance to shine. No list of Japanese weapons would be complete without it, but the katana’s combat history isn’t as extensive as you might believe.
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