by Marina

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JAPANESE SAMURAI
by Marina
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JAPANESE SAMURAI
Learn about the Samurai
Play a fun game to test your knowledge
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YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO LEARN ABOUT THE SAMURAI!
Weapons
Daily lives
Ambitions
After you have learned everything, click on this
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Choose a weapon!
Sword
Manrikigusari
Jutte
Table Of Contents
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THE SWORD!
Back to weapons
The Japanese sword (nihonto) has been
internationally known for its sharpness and
beauty since feudal times. The sword used to be
the distinguishing mark of the samurai. Since
swords are extremely dangerous weapons, it is
forbidden to possess one without a permit in
Japan today. The Japanese sword, admired for its
artistic value as well as for its practical
merits, is often considered an emblem of the
samurai's power and skill. It was venerated by
the bushi, or warrior class, and was worn as a
badge of a samurai's status. The sword was the
"the soul of a samurai," and no self-respecting
bushi would be seen outside his home without his
daisho (pair of swords) prominently displayed.
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Back to weapons
The Manrikigusari
The manrikigusari consisted of a short length of
metal chain, about two to three feet long, with
weights on each end. The chain could be used to
parry a strike from sticks, swords, or other
weapons. The weights were also swung to strike
an opponent or to entangle a weapon. Once a
weapon was trapped by the chain and weights, the
samurai could easily disarm their opponent.
Finally, the length of chain could also be used
to temporarily restrain an attacker once he was
subdued. The manrikigusari was allegedly
developed by Dannoshin Toshimitsu Masaki, then
head sentry at Edo Castle, sometime during the
early 1700s. According to legend, Masaki was
inspired to create this unique weapon to prevent
unnecessary bloodshed while his guards defended
the castle from intruders. The manrikigusari was
later adopted by other constables and their
assistants to disarm and capture criminals.
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The Jutte
Back to Weapons
The jutte was an iron truncheon carried by feudal
era police officers called doshin, as well as by
their non-samurai assistants. The jutte evolved
from a very strange battlefield weapon commonly
believed to have been designed by Goro Nyudo
Masamune, a renowned swordsmith. Hachiwari,
literally "helmet splitters, were curved,
pointed metal bars with a hook near the base of
the handle. Worn by the bushi like a dirk,
hachiwari were probably used as a parrying
weapon, held in the left hand while wielding a
sword in the right, or used to pierce through
body armor. Much like the hachiwari, a single
hook or fork on the side near the handle allowed
the jutte to be used for trapping or even
breaking the blades of edged weapons, as well as
for jabbing or striking. Thus, the jutte was
used to disarm and arrest suspects without
bloodshed. Eventually, the jutte became a symbol
of a doshin's official status. Munisai Hirata,
the father of Japan's most famous swordsman,
Musashi Miyamoto, was considered a master of the
iron truncheon and jutte-jutsu. Edo-period
police officers and their assistants developed
many weapons and techniques against criminal
violators, who were usually armed and frequently
desperate. The jutte was popular in feudal Japan
because it could parry the slash of a razor-sharp
sword and immobilize an assailant without
injury. The jutte also probably influenced the
development of the sai, a dual-forked metal
weapon employed in Okinawan karate. Essentially
a defensive or restraining weapon, the length of
the jutte required the user to get very close to
those being apprehended. Like the tessen, a
jutte could be used in blocking (uke) and
parrying (nagashi) techniques, as well as in
striking (uchi), thrusting (tsuki), and holding
(osae) techniques.
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Back to TOC
DAILY LIVES
The samurais daily life included studying with
all kinds of weapons, training, and battle. For
training, the samurai had to withhold lots of
grueling practice, in which many times they would
get hurt. But good samurai never complained,
because this was what they loved. They looked
forward to battles, but they were not afraid of
dying because dying was an honorable task, and in
fact a good samurai looked forward to dying on
the battlefield.
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Ambitions
Back to TOC
Good Samurai were not very ambitious. Their only
ambition was to die in battle, but not before
chopping some heads off. They would rather die
for their lord and the Emperor than to stay
living. To be captured was so shameful for
them, that most samurai would commit suicide
rather than to fall into a different lords
hands as his slave. No samurai would ever want
to retreat.
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GAME!
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Rules answer all the questions to defeat the
evil samurai army. If you get the question
wrong you will be transported back to the
beginning so you may try again. When you win,
you will gain control of Rokisama, the evil army
GOOD LUCK!
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Question ONE What is said to be the official
mark of the samurai?
sword
Jutte
Manrikigusari
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GOOD JOB!
Question TWO A good samurai would
Be not afraid to die in battle
Pray everyday
Carry a sword everywhere
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GREAT!
QUESTION THREE a good samurai would prefer to...
Die in battle right away
To chop off a few heads first
Not to die at all
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You've killed more than half of the army...Keep
it up!
Question FOUR True or false. A jutte is made of
silver
TRUE
FALSE
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You only have the lord to kill...
Question FIVEa Manrikigusari was how many feet
long?
2-3
3-4
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YOU KILLED THE EVIL CASTLE! YOU ARE TRULY A GOOD
SAMURAI!
Congratulations!
To beginning