The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392
The fearsome Japanese samurai, a legendary figure whose primary attribute was loyalty or honor, needs no introduction. He is strongly associated with the equally famous katana. The popular image of the samurai probably would appear wearing armor but certainly does not carry a shield. This figure, ma...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Histories |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9252/4/1/2 |
| _version_ | 1797240839976517632 |
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| author | Sean O’Reilly |
| author_facet | Sean O’Reilly |
| author_sort | Sean O’Reilly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The fearsome Japanese samurai, a legendary figure whose primary attribute was loyalty or honor, needs no introduction. He is strongly associated with the equally famous katana. The popular image of the samurai probably would appear wearing armor but certainly does not carry a shield. This figure, many assume, must have dominated medieval Japan. Yet is this samurai image accurate? Can it withstand sustained scrutiny? What was Japanese warfare really like 1000 years ago? In this article, I evaluate the key sources on medieval warfare in Japan, identifying the contributions of each and pointing out some methodological problems they face. The most prominent casualty of this synthetic analysis is the pop culture image of the heroic and honorable sword-wielding samurai. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:13:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af935d4fd1ca4729852e723bb0a89272 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-9252 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:13:49Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Histories |
| spelling | doaj.art-af935d4fd1ca4729852e723bb0a892722024-03-27T13:44:09ZengMDPI AGHistories2409-92522024-01-0141243710.3390/histories4010002The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392Sean O’Reilly0Japan Studies Program, Akita International University, Akita 010-1211, JapanThe fearsome Japanese samurai, a legendary figure whose primary attribute was loyalty or honor, needs no introduction. He is strongly associated with the equally famous katana. The popular image of the samurai probably would appear wearing armor but certainly does not carry a shield. This figure, many assume, must have dominated medieval Japan. Yet is this samurai image accurate? Can it withstand sustained scrutiny? What was Japanese warfare really like 1000 years ago? In this article, I evaluate the key sources on medieval warfare in Japan, identifying the contributions of each and pointing out some methodological problems they face. The most prominent casualty of this synthetic analysis is the pop culture image of the heroic and honorable sword-wielding samurai.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9252/4/1/2Japanese historymedieval Japanmilitary historymounted archerysamurai |
| spellingShingle | Sean O’Reilly The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 Histories Japanese history medieval Japan military history mounted archery samurai |
| title | The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 |
| title_full | The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 |
| title_fullStr | The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 |
| title_short | The Evolution of Warfare and Weapons in Japan, 792–1392 |
| title_sort | evolution of warfare and weapons in japan 792 1392 |
| topic | Japanese history medieval Japan military history mounted archery samurai |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9252/4/1/2 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT seanoreilly theevolutionofwarfareandweaponsinjapan7921392 AT seanoreilly evolutionofwarfareandweaponsinjapan7921392 |