I. Weapons of China, Tibet, and Korea	-	II. Weapons of Japan	-	Bibliography
Dungeons & Dragons	Dragon magazine	Oriental Weapons (OA)	Equipment (AD&D)	The Dragon #32

The Far East produced an interesting variety of designs of weapons.
The quality of weaponry also varied greatly. The Chinese throughout
most of their history have been a peace-oriented culture. Their weapons
clearly bear this out. Crudely designed and made, they proved clumsy
to use on the battlefield.

Warfare in Japan was always a prominent element during the
medieval period. Japanese weaponry is not only unique and imaginative,
but among the finest in quality produced anywhere at any time. It
proved its effectiveness time and again on the battlefields of Asia.

I. Weapons of China, Tibet & Korea

China, though a close neighbor of Japan and at war with her
frequently, never achieved the sophistication of weaponry of her neighbor.
The Chinese sword is a classic example. While in many ways quite
unique, the Chinese sword was poorly balanced and an ineffective
cutting weapon.

Two specific types of swords became popular. The first is a long,
two-handed weapon with an overall length in excess of 3.5 feet. Plain
wooded grips were surmounted by a globular pommel, often composed
of brass. A circular brass guard completed the hilt. The blade was
straight or slightly curved and composed of poor-quality metal.

A smaller version of this sword was also popular. Capable of being
wielded with one hand, it proved to be an equally inefficient weapon.

The second type of sword had a thinner, straight blade with short,
straight quillons. This sword was much easier to use on horseback,
being lighter and more streamlined. This type was commonly used in
Korea and Tibet as well as Indo-China.

The Chinese sheath was simple, consisting of a bar of metal secured
to the top edge and drilled with two holes for suspension cords. Some
were elaborately decorated and bore a stark contrast to the plain, crude
swords.

Chinese polearms had an enormous variety of shapes. Characteristically,
their heads were large and very ornate with curves, hooks, and
spikes and were frquently decorated with chiseled figures. The weapons
are clumsy to wield, and their thin blades proved ineffective as cutting
weapons.

Chinese maces were straight iron bars with sword-like hilts. Others
had the more traditional ball-shaped heads. One Chinese oddity has the
“long life” character in very high relief repeated six times around the
head. It not only smashed a man’s skull, but permanently stamped it
with the character signifying long life.

The battle axe took on many forms. No single style appears dominant.
The battle axe was never more than a secondary weapon in
China.

It was only with the composite bow and the crossbow that China
achieved any sophistication in weaponry. The composite bow was
constructed of laminated bamboo, reinforced with horn and sinew and
occasionally with strips of iron.

Introduced 2000 years before Christ, the Chinese bow was a power-
ful weapon. Some possessed pulls in excess of 150 pounds. Pulls of 70,
80, 90 and 100 pounds were common. The arrows were capable of
penetrating the finest Eastern armor. During the Han Period the bow
became a revered ceremonial weapon. Beautifully manufactured vermilion
bows received high awards of honor.

The Chinese archer’s hand release differed from that of the Western
European archer. Instead of the Mediterrean draw, consisting of the first
three fingers on the right hand looped over the string, the Chinese,
Turkish and Asiatic archers used the thumb draw. This system required
a thumb ring (Chi Chi), made from jade, bone or metal. From the base
of the ring, on the side nearest the palm, extended a slightly curved
projection which was hooked over the string. The first finger was
hooked over the thumb to hold it firmly in place while drawn back. Then
the finger was removed and the thumb bent slightly, allowing the string
to ride over the extension and discharge the arrow.

Such a system enabled Chinese bowmen to pull strong bows (up to
200 pounds) and achieve greater ranges. Arrows in excess of three feet
long with steel heads were used, as were whistling arrows four feet long
with heads four inches in diameter and six inches long.

The Chinese quiver, one used commonly throughout the Far East,
had a series of pockets, each of which held little more than the arrow
head. This allowed for the separation of different types of arrows and
protected the feathers from damage.

The composite bow of Tibet and Central Asia was closely related to
those of China. The Korean bow was of composite construction like the
Chinese, but its back was frequently made of sinew and the belly made
of short pieces of ivory wrapped at the joints, with coils of cane similar to
the Japanese bow.

Korean quivers were long, cylindrical or elliptical boxes housing the
entire arrow. A cap covered the top, protecting the arrows from the
elements. These quivers were frequently composed of wood, paper or
leather.

The Chinese are credited with the invention of the crossbow. Its use
was recorded as early as 1200 B.C. The medieval Chinese crossbow 
ranged in size from mere toys of about one foot in length to huge field
pieces mounted on carriages like field guns. Composed of horn, wood
and sinew, rawhide was used for the string. Smaller weapons were
drawn by hand. The larger ones used a goat’s-foot lever similar to that
used in Europe.

The crossbow’s quarrels were made from bamboo and tipped with
metal heads. Occasionally, poison was added to the quarrels tips. The
crossbow had an effective range of 80 yards with a maximum range of
200 yards.

An interesting variation was the repeating crossbow (Chu-ko-nu). It
propelled two bolts simultaneously from its wooden magazine, which
held a total of 24 featherless quarrels, each approximately 8.25 inches
long. The bolts were contained in a box sliding on top of the stock and
moved into firing position by a lever pivoted to both. The throwing of
the lever forward and back drew the bowstring, placed the bolt in
position and fired the weapon. Chinese annals relate that 100 crossbowmen
could project 2,000 quarrels in fifteen seconds. The repeater
crossbow was used as late as the Chinese Japanese War of 1894-95.

II. Weapons of Japan



While the arsenal of the samurai varied, his primary weapons until
the final acceptance of firearms were the bow and the spear. The sword
was a secondary weapon throughout most of the medieval period.

The samurai was essentially a mounted archer. His bow varied in
length from five to seven feet, with a few in excess of eight feet. From the
16th century on, the bow was considered almost exclusively a knightly
weapon, rather than a peasant weapon.

The Japanese bow was of composite construction. A cross-section
of it reveals that between the two thin strips of bamboo forming its back
and belly were three somewhat thicker strips of bamboo set edgewise to
give greater strength. Forming the outer edges were two strips of hazelwood.
The pieces were lacquered over and bound at intervals with
rattan. To allow this large bow to be fired from the saddle, the deerskin
grip was located nearly two-thirds of the way down the bow. When
fired, the bowstring was first drawn well behind the ear.

The shaft of the Japanese arrow was made of bamboo. Arrowheads
were of a variety of shapes, each serving a specific purpose. “V” shaped
heads cut cords on armor, while large, wooden bulbhead arrows,
whistling as they flew through the air, were utilized for signalling or
frightening the enemy. Other arrows were works of art, delicately fashioned
with magnificient cutouts. Many of these were signed by their
maker.

The quiver was fastened to the right side of the armor rather than to
the back in the European fashion. There were two distinct types. The
first were open racks (Ebira), holding the arrows apart from each other
and protecting the feathers from damage. The other, the Yadzutsu, or
closed box, had a cover near the end to protect the arrows from the
elements. The latter proved inconvenient for quickly removing arrows.

The Japanese sword was one of the most perfect hand weapons
ever produced by any nation. The Japanese polearm ranks a very close
second, preferred by many samurai to the sword.

The Japanese polearm had many unique shapes and varied greatly
in size. Among the more common were short, triangular blades, long
wide heads, curved blades, hooks, mallets, axeheads and pitchforks.
Two distinct types, however, were by far the more popular—the
Naginata and the Yari.

Comparable to the European glaive, the Naginata’s long, ridgecurved
blade was up to four feet in length, widening toward its point
Evolving from an agricultural instrument into a devastating weapon
during the Heian Period (A.D. 794-1191), it was first used by the
farmer-warriors against the natives. The Naginata rivalled the sword in
popularity during this period. It also proved a favorite weapon of the
military units of the various monastic orders, each of which possessed
their own armies.

The Naginata’s size made it primarily an infantry weapon. Its unique
blade shape made it capable of ghastly, sweeping cuts at the poorly
protected thighs and abdomens of the samurai’s armor. Its long, elongated
shaft allowed a firm grip and excellent maneuverability.

Several interesting variations of the Naginata developed. During the
Kamakura and Muromachi Periods (AD. 1192-1573), a weapon resembling
a large, two-handed sword was introduced. Called a
Nagamaki, its blade ranged from three to four feet long and was
mounted on a shaft (or handle) of four feet. It was a favored cavalry
weapon. The mounted warrior stood in his stirrups, leaning forward
over his mount’s head and shoulders. By manipulating the Nagamaki in
a figure-eight motion, the cavalry’s slaughter of the hapless light infantry
was horrendous, not to mention demoralizing.

A woman’s Naginata was introduced during the Muromachi Period
(A.D. 1337-1573). Kept on a rack over the front door for home defense
while her samurai husband was away at war, it was a much lighter
version of the military weapon.

The Yari was a straight, triangular or four-sided bladed spear whose
blade length varied from three to eighteen inches mounted upon a
rounded shaft. The weapon’s lightness plus its armor piercing qualities
made it a favorite of cavalry.

Especially popular during the Heian Period, the Yari appears in
various shapes during the Muromachi Period (A.D. 1337-1573). A
short-bladed javelin (the Nagi-Yari), a long, straight-bladed weapon
(the Su-Yari), and a three-bladed weapon (the Magari-Yari) were
among the more common. The Emperor Muretsu took special delight in
making men lie down on their faces in the sluice of a dam and stabbing
them with a magari-yari. The hoko had a hook added to the straight
blade, transforming it into an ideal weapon for parrying or for yanking a
passing mounted warrior from his steed.

Though always a secondary weapon, the Japanese sword remains
the symbol of military power. Its design and method of manufacture
make it among the finest weapons ever made by man. The swordsmith
was one of the most prestigious vocations of feudal Japan. The forgoing 
of a sword was a religious act beginning with the purification of the
workshop. Many swordsmiths subsisted on a monastic life, including a
special vegetable diet, vows of celibacy and living an austere life. Many
of their labors are considered objects dart and are found in the finest
museums and private collections.

The completed sword was occasionally tested on the bodies of
criminals. Different body cuts were evaluated as to the numbers of
bodies penetrated. The finer pieces were capable of severing seven
bodies with one cut.

There were three common types of swords—the Daito, the
Wakizashi, and the Tanto. Classification was dependent solely upon
length of the blade.

The Daito, or Katana, was the longest sword, with blades always
longer than two feet and occasionally in excess of four feet. The eight- to
ten-inch hilt was sufficiently large to be grasped with both hands,
enabling the wielder to have fantastic cutting power. This was the
primary military sword of the samurai.

The Wakizashi, a short sword with a blade of one to two feet, was
worn as an auxiliary weapon by the samurai and was the sole weapon
allowed to be worn by certain segments of the civilian population who
were granted the privilege of wearing a sword. This sword also proved
efficient in severing the heads of defeated foes and was used in performing
ceremonial hara-kiri.

When entering another’s home, it was the samurai’s custom to leave
the Daito in the vestibule and lay the Wakizashi on mats at his right side. 
As such, the mountings of the shorter weapon are usually the more
elaborate.

The Tanto was little more than a dagger whose blade was less than
one foot long. It was used as an auxiliary weapon by the samurai, while
women and tradesmen carried it for protection. This weapon is usually
elaborately decorated, as it was a social as well as a military weapon. On
occasion it was used for hamkiri.

The sword itself was a slashing or cutting weapon rather than a
stabbing weapon. Especially deadly was a cut encompassing the last
third of the blade and its tip.

The battleaxe and mace were infrequently encountered in Japan.
The samurai warrior generally despised the use of either weapon. The
few maces employed consisted of straight iron bars with spherical
heads. Japan was one of the very few armor-wearing societies where
the battleaxe saw little use. The O-No, resembling a poleaxe, possessed
a large head with a convex scroll and a scroll-shaped peen opposite. The
Masa-Kari had a narrow blade with a long point opposite it.

The firearrn was first introduced into Japan in 1543, when a Chinese
junk containing three Portuguese traders and their weapons was blown
off course by a typhoon and landed in Tanegashima. The weapon’s
potential was quickly recognized. and soon blacksmiths and armorers
throughout Japan were turning their talents to the manufacture of
firearms. Despite knowledge of the wheelock, snaphaunce and flintlock,
the matchlock continued to be the principal military firearm until the
middle of the 19th century.

Ironically, it was the firearm that played a prominent role in the
destruction of the local warlords and the samurai. Peasants could be
taught in a matter of days to shoot a matchlock. A number of inaccurate
shots aimed at a massed samurai unit quickly decimated its ranks. For a
time, a nationwide revulsion to the use of firearms existed. By the
landing of Commodore Perry in 1854, only scholars were familiar with
the words describing guns. But with the reopening of Japan by Europe.
the firearm was quickly reassimilated into the military and became one
of the chief factors in Japan’s complete reunification and the destruction
of the samurai.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anderson, L. J., Japanese Armour, 1948

Knutsen, Roald, Japanese Polearms

Pen-in, Noel, Giving Up the Gun: Japan’s Reversion to the Sword,
1543-1879, Godine, 1979

Robinson, B.W., Arms and Armour of Old Japan, 1963

Robinson, H. Russell, Japanese Arms & Amour

Stone, George, A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of
Arms and Armour

Turnbull, S.R., The Samurai, A Military History, 1977

Varley, H. Paul, Samurai, 1970

Wilkinson, Frederick, Arms and Armour, 1978

Wilkinson, Frederick, Edged Weapons, 1970

Yumoto, John M., The Samurai Sword, A Handbook, 1966