Imagine you're a pilgrim wandering the hillsides of ancient Japan. Kiseru Battle Pipes: Smoke Your Enemies Source: Brooklyn Museum Today sumo referees use gunbai to alert viewers to the victors in sumo matches. Visible from long distances, motioning the fan directed actions on the battlefield. Battlefield commanders carried fans as symbols of rank, but these large, solid "gunbai" also served as means of communication to deployed forces. The subtle, but mighty fan could even defeat entire armies. Police officers and night watchmen used these blunt, nonlethal instruments to beat perpetrators into submission. But the gunsen and tessen, foldable fans reinforced by metal plating, were only relied on as a last resort. In ancient Japan even implements intended to provide relief from summer's heat and humidity became weapons. Gunsen, Tessen, and Gunbai: Fans of War Source: BrokenSphere Instead of the katana's deadly finesse, the tekkan and hachiwari aimed for heavy-handed disarmament. Sergei Mol explains, "The tekkan was specifically developed (for use) against opponents wearing armor and is therefore necessarily heavy so that it can be used against the armor's weak points."Īlso dull and heavy, hachiwari resemble the tekkan but employ a short hook at the base which may have been used to hook an opponent's armor or to gain leverage to pry the armor apart. The dull, heavy blades served as striking weapons made for hitting armor-clad enemies with maximum impact. Tekkan and Hachiwari: Japan's Not-So-Famous Blades Source: Samuraiantiqueworld Source: SamuraiantiqueworldĪt first glance, the tekkan and hachiwari may not look impressive. Strong enough to be used defensively but sharp enough to cut through limbs, the katana earned the reputation as the soul of the samurai – a reputation that lasted long after the samurai abandoned the sword for the pen. Japanese blacksmiths' method of repeatedly heating and folding the steel made a katana's sharpness and strength unique among the world's swords. Japan's most famous weapon needs little introduction. The Katana: Japan's Famous Blades Source: Rama List of Japanese Weapons from the Edo Period Complete!.Testubishi or Makibishi: Watch Your Step.Tanegashima (Japanese Matchlock): Firearms.Manriki-kusari: The Ten-thousand Power Chain.Kiseru Battle Pipes: Smoke Your Enemies.Gunsen, Tessen, and Gunbai: Fans of War.Tekkan and Hachiwari: Japan's Not-So-Famous Blades.Other weapons, like rocket launchers, seem more fit for manga than actual battlefields. Fans, smoking pipes and other weapons disguised as everyday items meant one had to be wary at all times. Implements like the jutte and kusurigama allowed users to defend and combat the katana. However, Japan's ancient warriors also plied less glamorous, lesser-known and therefore possibly more interesting weaponry. A Japanese battlefield conjures up more variety, with spearman and archers entering the mix. And not just any sword, but the world-renowned Japanese katana – a curved blade engineered for cutting down foes with supreme efficiency. When I imagine a samurai, I envision a warrior with a sword.
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