P6+Swords,+Armor+and+Bows

**Samurai armor, bows, and swords p6** //By Katie B and Emlio O// In the Tokugawa period, samurai carried bows and swords, and wore armor. These things were used to show status to friends and enemies, but were not used for battle. They were kept in very good condition, and were samurai’s most prized posesions. Each of these things could be made of many different things. Some of those things were iron, bamboo, steel, silver, wood, and copper. Samurai armor was kept clean, dusted, and free of rust. It was made from small pieces of iron, leather, bamboo, and/or silk. It was flexible enough to even be worn in unarmed combat. Armor was designed to protect, and to show power and status to friends and enemies. Helmets were part of samurai armor. They were worn with masks. The purpose of the mask was to hold the helmet in place, and could cover all, or part of the face. In a picture of samurai armor, a helmet is shown, along with a face mask that covers half of the face. The helmet has two ‘horns’ sticking out of both sides. Bows, as well as armor, was to show power to others. Bows were originally brought to Japan between 1000 and 300 BCE. At that time, what warriors were called, literally translated into “The way of the bow and arrow”. The bows were about 6-7ft long. Their strength was measured by how many men it took to string them. Some bow’s strength measured up to five men! Samurai warriors that used the bows, kept extra strings with them, because the strings were known to break. A picture of a bow shows a long, thin bow, with a thick string. Of course, without arrows, there is no point for bows. Samurai arrows had bamboo shafts that had been aged three years, and arrowheads made of iron or steel. There were many types of arrow heads, each made for a different purpose. Some were made to cut through armor, while others were not as sharp. These were made to cut through skin. Bird feathers were used to help the arrow fly far, and precisely. In a picture, a samurai warrior is shown in midair, on a horse, releasing an arrow. Samurai would shoot arrows from horseback, only using their swords after they ran out of arrows. The sword is an essential part of Samurai culture it is more precious than the soul from their point of view. There are two different kinds of swords that a samurai has. One which is a long sword, and one which is a short sword. The purpose of the long sword is for a samurai to use in battle, after they have run out of arrows. The purpose for the short sword is for a Samurai to gain some honor back by committing seppuku after they have disgraced there master. The process in making these swords is very difficult and takes a long time. These are the steps on how to make a Samurai sword: First you create a blade both sharp and resilient by combining steels of different hardnesses. The hardness of the steel depended on its carbon content. Then 12 folds are made by using 2 types of steel, one to make a soft core and one to make a hard outer edge to hold a sharp cutting surface. These folds happen while the blade is on a fire, after the blade reaches 15000 it is quickly dipping in cool water to give it its characteristic curved shape. After the blade is made it should weigh less than 3 pounds and if you touch the tip of the sword it should draw blood. The sword can contain a variety of materials here are some of them- steel, silver, copper, gold, shakudo, ray skin, sharkskin, wood. Sword guards were used to protect the hand from the blade of the sword. **Sword Guards** Samurai called sword guards ‘tsuba’. This was basically a piece of metal placed over a blade of the sword to protect you from cutting your hand. They were invented in 1600, but became more detailed over the years. By 1900, there were many schools which taught how to make and use a tsuba. A picture shows that a tsuba is round, with many detailed designs carved into it. They can be made of silver, copper, gold, or other substances. Swords, bows, and armor were very important to samurai, and all Japanese in the Tokugawa period. Even though samurai were no longer warriors in Japan, their weapons and armor showed power to friends and enemies. Therefore, samurai still took their armor and weapons with them wherever they went.
 * Armor**
 * Bows**
 * Arrows**
 * Swords**
 * Conclusion**

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· Elizabeth Weinfield."The Japanese Blade: Technology and Manufacture." //Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History//. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 2/17/10 · Teresa M. Russo."Samurai." //Knights in Central Park.// The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 2/17/10
 * Citations**
 * Bryant, Anthony J. __The Samurai: Warriors of Medieval Japan, 940-1600.__ London: Osprey, 1989. Print.
 * Conlan, Thomas D. __Weapons & Fighting Techniques of the Samurai Warrior: 1-1877 AD.__ New York: Metro Books, 2008. Print.