md02geist

Hello all, I wondered why we see so many different blade lengths of yari over the years. I have seen (only pictures mind you) some that were super short only a few inches long, and some that were ~2-3 feet long give or take. I'm sure part of this was preference of the user as well as ability to afford certain lengths, but did we generally see longer or shorter blades in different capacities? For instance, longer blades used by samurai while shorter blades were used by conscripts, or shorter blades used by recon parties and longer used by cavalry, or any other sort of differences? All the variety really fascinates me.

Thanks everyone for the great input here.

Thank you Malcolm. I have spent a lot of time on his site. Anthony was actually a friend of mine, we spoke at length (online, never met him in person sadly). He even sent me one of his "apprentice" DVDs some years back which has literally thousands of pictures of Japanese armor, both period and recreation as well as some Hollywood stuff. It has been a wonderful study guide.

Hello all, Noticed that *some* suits of armor seem to have a ring around the area in between the shoulder blades give or take higher or lower, and this has a special knot tied into it. A friend of mine called this the "ceremonial knot" or something similar. What is the name of this knot, and is there a history behind it? I assume it is for good luck etc.

Is that fairly accurate as to how it would have looked originally? I didn't realize they were that shiny.

How glossy did kabuto get? I have seen lots of matte variants but also recall seeing some fairly shiny ones.

Yeah I'm just agreeing w/ you. I need to check it this week when I have some free time and clean hands lol.

I know what you meant, thank you for the pictures though...I'll check it in the next few days and get back to you. I would however expect that if it was simply meant to be hung from a wall that the hanging spots would be even. Notice how one side isn't flush against the side of the sashimono...that throws me off because I would think a wall hanger would be set up evenly with the hanging spots.

It's quite possible. However I'm not sure about the hangers; the thread used to stitch them looks much newer than the sashimono itself. I believe it probably underwent some repairs. I don't have any trouble however believing that it is 200ish years old based on the thickness of the threads etc.

Wow yes that is quite a story! I see how difficult it could be.

Well that's a shame. Thank you however for looking it up.

Thanks. Shame to think I'll never really know where it came from.

Still haven't found much on this and previous owner isn't really responding to queries.

I'm laughing so hard at this whole thread. I have no idea what's going on here but I love it.

Thank you that is probably why I was having problems with it. And if you just google "samurai stool" you get a really odd lot of stuff. LOL.

Of course two minutes after I post it I do one last search and find them: shogi. Ha.

I have looked and looked and looked but I cannot find the name for the folding camp stools that commanders are often pictured sitting on with their retainers around them. Does anyone know the word for them? Thank you!

That is a trick of the light; the cloth is uniformly aged. I didn't take the picture with a direct overhead light. The "darker" lined areas are downward folds and the "lighter" lined areas are upwards folds.

That would be neat and make it around 175-200 years old if that's the case. Although admittedly I'm hoping it's more of a soldiers crest.

Yes that's great! What clan or family is that do you know? Unfortunately I cannot read Japanese past very very basic characters yet so the website is tough for me. I'll try to use google translate later.

Recently acquired this from a fellow NMB member, an interesting sashimono. I've been unable to positively identify the Tsuta ("Ivy") mon within the eight sided shape, although I have found LOTS that are similar that have a different shape inside of the eight sided shape, or utilize the same ivy leaf without a border. Most of them reference to the Matsuidaira clan. I have no idea if this sashimono is related or not, nor can I positively identify the age. The stitching seems to have been redone at some point, as the stitching seems far newer than the cloth itself. Just a guess however, I am far from an expert. This originally came from one of the foremost experts in Japan on matchlocks, and a board member of the Japanese Armor study group. It was originally found in an old kura with several other old items including another sashimono. It passed hands once to a member of this board and then to me. I know nothing at all about cloth so I really cannot identify the material, but it definitely seems old and thinned and as evidenced is fairly stained and worn. The mon is certainly hand dyed as it is the cloth itself plus it is also imperfect with asymmetry and some less than perfect lines. It was estimated to be Edo or older by the seller and previous owner. Any input is appreciated! Please enjoy!

Or rather, the first time I am in Kyoto.

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/AJ201605110006.html Neat stuff

Absolutely and thank you for the advice Geraint! I will look into getting ahold of one.

Because the ashigaru weren't always considered samurai caste until they were locked into their class restriction by the Sword Hunt and suddenly they were now full time soldiers. I think for clarity's sake I am talking about fully armoured, full time warrior as samurai versus lightly equipped mass infantry ashigaru, despite the fact that often ashigaru and ji-zamurai were considered technically part of the samurai caste at certain points in history. A matter of positioning and function on the battlefield rather than technical caste membership. I simply wondered if there was a clear design difference between things like cavalry yari and foot yari.