Assalamualaikum w.b.t.
On 23rd December 2018, I went
to Samurai Museum in Shinjuku, Tokyo. For your information, I am such a person
that loves history and my favorite place to hang out or release stress is
museum. Even when I was in Malaysia, I used to go to many museums around Kuala
Lumpur alone because it seems that I could not find anyone that shares the same
interest with me. When I’m in Japan, I have been to many museums and this
Samurai Museum is one of the best even though it is just a small-scale museum.
For those who in Japan or will come to Japan in the future, please visit this
museum and learn about samurai history. Samurai is real guys. They were here in
Japan.
In 1185, Japan began to be governed by
samurai and it is known as 鎌倉時代(read:
Kamakura jidai, meaning: Kamakura Period). This government was founded by the 源(read: Minamoto) family in Kamakura,
south of modern Tokyo. The establishment of this government shifted all real
political power in Japan to the samurai. Civil government at the Emperors court
continued and the law state were not changed, but a new samurai class came to
power and increasingly became the real rulers of the country. Samurai strength
rested on strong group loyalty and discipline. The samurai were usually
associated with a clan and their lord, and were trained as officers in military
tactics and grand strategy.
We used to see ‘tengkolok’ or ‘tanjak’ which
is traditional Malay male headgear, but for samurai warriors, they preferred 兜 (read: kabuto,
meaning: helmet). At the battle in 戦国時代 (read:
Sengoku jidai, meaning: Age of Civil Wars) between 1467 and 1600, the number of
warriors was increased, and the generals preferred different helmets which made
them outstanding in a crowd at the battle fields. Helmets were also used to
block the arrows from the air. Modern helmets related to animals such as
butterfly and rabbit, the gods and a family crest encouraged soldiers as a
symbol of the general at the battle.
Picture 1: Example of
Samurai Helmets
For samurai, leather or iron scales were
used to construct armors. Noble families had silk cords made in specific
patterns and colors of silk thread. Making these special silk cords could take
many months of steady work, just to complete enough for one suit of armor. The
armor was designed to be as lightweight as possible as the samurai had many
tasks including riding a horse and archery in addition to swordsmanship. The
armor was often brightly lacquered to keep this safe against Japan’s harsh
climate. There was an official way of putting on the armor as it has so many
parts from head to toe. It was recommended that some of the parts of the armor should
be able to be easily removed especially during difficult battle.
Picture 2: Outline of How
to Wear an Armor
If
in Tanah Melayu, ‘pahlawan’ used kris as weapons to fight enemies and defend
themselves, in Japan, samurai warriors used swords or in Japanese 太刀(read: tachi). Swords in the middle of
Kamakura Period were very elegant and have a great significance in samurai
culture. Warriors carried swords worn on their hips with blades down. There are
two kinds of swords which are very elegant one for 公家(read: kuge, meaning: Court noble) and the magnificent one
for samurai. For samurai women, they used short swords. They carried swords by
hiding inside their kimonos whenever they went outside. Usually only noble samurai
women have these kinds of swords.
Picture 3: The sword
used for Court noble
Samurai warriors also used matchlock guns
as weapons to fight enemies. Matchlock guns were used during Age of Civil Wars
extensively and had a decisive role in warfare. In 1549, 織田 信長 (read: Oda Nobunaga) a powerful feudal lord of Japan ordered
500 matchlocks to be made for his armies. At the time, guns were still rather
primitive and cumbersome. According to one estimate in 16th century
Japan, an archer could fire 15 arrows in the time a gunner would take to load,
charge, and shoot firearm. Furthermore, matchlocks were vulnerable to humid or
rainy conditions as the powder would become damp. However, firearms could be
manned effectively by farmers or non-samurai low-ranking soldiers.
Picture 4: Various Models
of Matchlock Guns
Samurai were not just simple soldiers,
but honor-bound warriors. They protect their honor till death and this was
shown as 切腹(read: seppuku, meaning cutting
belly). As the human spirit was believed to reside in the stomach during
ancient times, slitting the stomach open was considered to be the bravest way
to die as well as prevent the loss of honor for the family. Commoners were
allowed to hang or drown themselves, samurai women could slit their own throats
but only a samurai was allowed to commit seppuku. A samurai who committed
seppuku was often revered after his death. Defeated samurai who chose surrender
rather than suicide often found themselves reviled by society.
Picture 5: Illustration
of Samurai Performing Seppuku
There are 3 words that can describe
samurai. Loyalty, Discipline and Honor. These are the recipes that made samurai
govern Japan successfully for 700 years from Kamakura to Edo Period. They are no longer here
now but their spirits are still living in today’s Japanese people.
Source:
- https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/honorable-death-samurai-and-suicide-feudal-japan-005822
- http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1000ce_samurai.htm
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_armour
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