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I know right? Even long two handed spears/pikes could be used with strapped shields like the shields used by Macedonian pikemen, some ancient & medieval Chinese cavalry and pikemen, and some Rennisance era pikemen.
I'm actually impressed at the research here. If you ask me, the fact that he's being pedantic is a GOOD sign. It means he's not having to correct major issues.
There are some points he goes into abit more. But most of it is indeed pedantic. Still appreciate stuff like that because often the small things do matter.
As someone who identifies as a 16th century Japanese soldier, I once leaned into a strike when dodging was an option. My opponent didn't have a kanabo so I thought it was totally safe, but man was my head severe afterwards.
I think of the hair, kimono and paired swords mainly because the most prominent images we've had of the Samurai class are from the Edo Period and those are the things that were by law specific to their class. It's a common mistake to call the older iterations of Japanese warrior "Samurai" they were called "Bushi" and the Edo Period romanticised image of them wasn't anything like the genuine article. I'm a pragmatist I can't stand the we are Samurai we're so honourable thing it makes me cringe. The earlier iterations would be the 1st ones to hit you in the back or go up your kimono to find a soft spot 😄
helmet and mask for me tbh, and a polearm more than the katana. when i hear katana i think more of a dude in a kimono with a samurai knot haircut, meaning i guess subconsciously ive always known its a backup weapon considering they might be samurai, but theyre not geared up, and not "in battle" more of duels.
Bows were only really finally phased out of armies when full-scale industrial production of simple-to-use firearms became viable. It took a lifetime to train and discipline veteran archers, but you could stick a firearm in the hands of any peasant, mass them into huge blocks, and unleash devastating firepower with barely any training at all.
Try a European crossbow of around 1,200lb draw you need a windlass to pull it's not much faster, which is probably why 2 different cultures came up with the same tactic to use them on the battlefield 🤔 I love seeing how alike people are regardless of their differences 🙂
The first thing I think of when someone mentions Samurai armor (especially old-school O-Yoroi like mine) isn't the mask (mempo) or helmet (kabuto), but the *shoulder pauldrons* (o-sode), because they *ARE* your shield(s), which is why they're so huge and square 🙏🙇♂☸
The pauldrons are third to my mind, right after the katana and the helmet/mask (as I mentioned elsewhere, I kind of think of them together). I've always loved big pauldrons, and o-sode are the largest pauldrons I can think of historically...
@@thegoogliarchfor what its worth, youre actually falling for one of the greatest myths about the samurai. The katana is not the sword mostly identified with the samurai. Katana just means sword - theres no real differentiation between sword classes in japanese history, as there is in europe. But o-dachi means ‘big blade’ - sometimes europeanised into ‘great sword’ - and the o-dachi was actually the sword that samurais carried for most of the history of the samurai. The katana - the shorter blade known as the katana - only became common at the end of the senguko period. About 300 years. But the o-dachi was a samurai weapon for about 500 years. And during the edo period the o-dachi was still the preferred sword of the important classes - because it was more expensive and prestigious and also the weapon handed down by richer families. During the edo period, the (shorter) katana was more common, but the o-dachi were still around. Prior to the edo period and most of the senguko period, the o-dachi was the preferred sword of the samurai (and all of these these blades were always secondary weapons). If you think of a samurai’s sword, you should be thinking of the o-dachi.
@@josecoronadonieto6911 agree about the bow. But my point was that if a sword is associated with the samurai, its the o dachi, not the edo period katana.
Japanese hand-held shields are from the Yayoi period through the Kofun until the Asuka period. Near the end of that long stretch those long standing shields (looking like a house door) were introduced and the hand-held types fell out of use; likely due to the dominance of massed archery.
I head to go back, because I misheard "usually used by the Samurai class" as "used in my Samurai class", and was severly confused, because my head immediately went to the mental image of a Professor entering class in a full suit of armor to get the students attention.
Truth about using anything to strike an opponent. I was a correctional officer for many years and despite having a steel expandable baton on our hips and pepper spray there were numerous incidents where an officer happened to have their handheld radio in their hand or on a desk nearby and used it as a weapon because it was the quickest option in that particular instance.
@@sp1ashy345 it's one of those "take it with a fistful of salt" info channels, there's good info there but as always be skeptical of everything they say
Also, the point about the "padding" being used for suspension as well is best exemplified in modern construction hats. They don't have any padding whatsoever, but they have a suspension system of leather or other material. And, you know, a hardhat is meant to provide quite the significant shock absorption when a brick or something else falls on your head. And I'm not sure they'd be as effective if they were just a layer of cotton on the inside of the hardhat.
It paints a pretty picture when something hits you in the hardhat, I caught some low hanging construction work last week and the hat's fine and it only drew a little blood underneath. Still hurt and I felt like I was back in my teens but my skull's still intact 😄
But is the suspension system actually better? I suspect that a foam lined hard hat would probably be more protective. Its a trade off between a little less protection and workers not overheating with no airflow
@@jameswilson4854 I don't know whether it's better or not. I was just giving it as an example of a helmet without padding. There must be a reason, though, that they didn't put any padding in.
Countering Cavalry is done quite effectively by a Pike Square, which is a formation similar to the Tortoise, but with the soldiers in the center wielding very long spears or "pikes" The shield bearers at the edges would be blocking ranged attacks, and any horseman foolish enough to charge them would quickly become a pincussion.
Yeah, far from the worst we've had. A couple glaring issues, a good number of corrections and quite a few nitpicks, but far above most history content mills
Yeah, if I was being generous, I'd say this. Akin to say "Heavy Cavalry" vs. "Light Cavalry". Something perceived as being for full battle by, well, heavy infantry vs. Perhaps a lighter shield for other roles or other combatants.
I was just about to say that "riveted" shields must work the same way as "studded" armour. There's actually a really interesting video on youtube of Kyujutsu from the 1930s showing men in japanese armour doing archery drills and you can see that they position themselves to gain the maximum protection from their armour, pulling their left arm across the body so the Sode close the arm opening as they draw a new arrow. And also kneeling and a prone position, they're also doing a bounding overwatch fire-and-advance. Really interesting and very different to kyudo, partly because they're shouting the whole time.
In large-scale battles during the medieval period in Japan, swords were rarely used. In melee combat, the spear is used exclusively to attack the enemy with blows, and when the opponent falls down, the spear is used to finish him off with a thrust. Swords were mostly treated as auxiliary weapons, but in the case of a contact combat, daggers were easier to handle, so few soldiers carried swords on the battlefield. Since two-handed weapons are the main weapons used in battle, there is no room for portable shields. Shields are mainly large shields that can be installed to protect against arrows and bullets.
Since two-handed weapons are the main weapons used in battle, there is no room for portable shields. Not always true, its possible to use a shield like armor if its hangs over one shoulder when its used with a 2 handed weapon! I think i have hypothesis about the samurai i think sword became more importent when firearms where used , when they are out of ammo!
Its funny how the ashigaru was animated firing the arquebus in 44:25, Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons recently made a video on the Tanegashina Arquebus, and he shows the correct way of holding
Seems like an overall decent video, even if it has a bunch of (I would argue somewhat minor in the grand scheme) inaccuracies. Have to consider that that is a channel that outputs a lot of stuff, for better or worse. Would also say they make it clear enough that shields didn't disappear, just that they started to become less common.
When the video shows two guandao when its first starts talking about naginata and comparing it to a glaive, you know the video is gonna have some shortcomings.
Japanese bows and arrows were so powerful that they could penetrate shields, so thick shields or bundles of bamboo were needed to block Japanese arrows. Japanese bows are large and have strong stringing power. Since the tip of the arrow shaft is filled with steel, it has a large mass, and the feathers of the arrow are attached diagonally. This arrow had a heavy mass and flew at high speed while rotating, so it was able to penetrate hard wooden shields and iron plates. The arrow could not be blocked by a shield because it penetrated three pieces of 9mm thick wood. For this reason, samurai armor was made of overlapping iron plates. A 13th century painting depicts his Mongol soldiers being shot behind their shields.
Just like the English longbow, which a trained archer could fire through armor at the distances involved. That truly takes a spectacular strength, and was certainly one displayed to the fullest extent at Crecy (can't be bothered to get the accent characters).
This might be weird, but the first thing I think about when I envisions a samurai are the shoulders. Something about the overlapping plates is just very memorable.
Japan is somewhat shield light in part because of the terrain. It tends to be either forested or irregular. In many settings you have a lot of cover already.
@@DinnerForkTongue When the Spanish encountered the headhunters of the north and the moros of the south, they where shocked because the indigenous warrior's weapons where tough and went toe to toe with their western swords. We have rich iron ore deposits here. Plus the indigenous warriors used thick shields with protrusions like a fork to catch blades. Kinda like if you put a bread knife in between a fork then you twist it, it catches it and bites into the fork.
@@caliburnblade7895 exactly, same with most countries in southeast asia, Vietnam for example had lots of thick vegestation and mountainous areas, and the soldiers used large shields. From the historical depictions, unarmoured militia usually carry large shields. The well armoured troops, the imperial gaurds don't carry shields but prefer long two handed maces and long swords. Large shields were used even till the 18th century.
First thing I think of when samurai: Armor. I'm pretty ignorant to armor in general, but tons of people have used spears, swords, bows, etc. The armor people were wearing is wildly more different to me than the weapons they used.
When I think of samurai, I definitely do think of the katana and the helmet with some decorative piece on it, but I also think of those big rectangular shoulder pads. Very interesting and distinctive feature that is different from other shoulder armor
I would love to see a dedicated video of pike and shot. From what I know the Eighty Years War between the Dutch and the Spanish was of great influence. The Dutch based tactics on the Roman manipel and discliplines like reloading muskets while marching.
I finally know the correct way to say Pavise😂😂😂😂😂. Ty Metatron. I have always been fascinated with that particular shield from the first time I saw one.
Most people don’t understand that most sword users are cavalry. Spear got lost on the first charge. Most countries “touched” by Mongol end up training and using only a combination of sword spear bow or guns.
The misconception about medieval warfare is unbelievable. I remeber arguing with an american who thougth the siege scenes in "Kingdom Of Heaven" were realistic. He really seemed to be knowledgeable otherwise, i was really surprised he believed all that hollywood cap.
48:20 Megingjörð was the mythical wide belt used by Thor and based upon a belt used to transfer the lower half of the weight of chainmail from the shoulders to the hips. I found that such a belt above the hips with hooks to carry the chainmail increased my endurance while wearing knee-length chainmail tenfold. BTW I am 6'1 and a lean 212lbs. I appreciate a distributed load; it prevents nesciences like broken bones and strained tendons. The belt also provides a light and effective layer of armor to the abdomen and lower back. These ancient warriors knew their craft well.
12:07 I think Testudo sounds really like a possible japanese word. But then again I do not speak any of the mentioned languages. Does it sound to you(dear reader) like a japanese word?
I speak Japanese and can understand why people might get that impression. Meta's thinking in Italian, where "testudo" sounds nothing like Japanese. But if you're just reading it as an anglophone, you miss those subtleties. And if you change the order of two letters: "te-stu-do" becomes "te-tsu-do," which is the Japanese word for railroad.
Maybe when you pronounce the word Tes-tu-do the way you'd assume they do in Japanese instead of Tes-tudo the way it's pronounced in Italy I can see that 🤔 But then the Japanese word for Turtle's Kame I think 😄
Battle of Hastings 1066. The Saxon shield wall held off numerous norman knight charges. That battle lasted as one of the longest in medieval history, 2-3 days. Before the Saxon eventual defeat.
Making the armor stronger on the left side for right handed person was exactly because he is supposed to use a shield. This is exactly the opposite of what they say. As you said, the left side is the one you will offer to your opponent. But you will do that because your shield is on your left side. If you are right handed and carry no shield offering your left side makes no sense. It makes you more vulnerable and it decreases your range. If you carry no shield and are right handed you will fight with your right side to the front.
this is the problem with some channels trivializing history too much like infographics.. good job on this one even little details if presented with slightly wrong interpretation can create a serious and long lasting misconception.
Been loving the recent Japanese focused videos, been playing Ghost of Tsushima and loving it a ton! I know the game isn't historically accurate, it's more of an homage to Akira Kurosawa's film making just using a real Mongol invasion as a canvas for the story. it would be cool to see you do a video on Ghost of Tsushima if you haven't already.
Throughout the 15th century when they were used you're right there were "Infantry Pavise" that were kind of the equivilent of the much earlier Kite shields at least according the Met Museum in Austria. But the ones that most resembled the ones used by the Japanese to cover their missile troops as they advanced was the much larger ones we associate with the crossbowman from Genoa 🙂 You're right that needed more context as it's a few centuries of history and Europe's full of variety depending on who and when
I think a big part of why shields weren't "big in Japan" is that they had some options unavailable in the west like arrow capes and catchers that were worn on there backs, leaving their hands free but still very well protected from arrows
Regarding the "leaning into the blow" thing, its value is that if you intercept a blow before the completion of its impact arc, you will greatly reduce the force with which it hit. I wouldn't recommend doing it with your head during an armed fight, but in reality in martial arts most of the block should “lean” or anticipate the blow they defend to reduce force of impact, and there is even a technique in which you intercept a punch with your forehead before it can develop its full power. clearly timing is key.
When I think of a Samurai Warrior, the first thing I think about is the sword and then I think of the other two swords and then the armor, especially the headgear. I regret that I won’t have time to watch this whole video right now while it’s fresh but I’m looking forward to finishing it later.
Wouldn't it be rather expensive to equip ashigaru with Naginata as well? Both Naginata and Yari are polearms, but the blade of a Naginata, from my understanding, is basically a sword that required swordsmithing techniques to manufacture. The spear tip of the yari however is much simpler in shape from the looks of it and may have just been a piece of sharpened steel.
When I think about Samurai, what first comes to mind is the katana and the yumi (uneven bow of the mounted archer). Then the naginata getting left at home during peace time, because the Samurai didn't want to haul it around, and the wife used it to fight off bandits, as well as other unwanted house and garden pests.
On the topic of bows and arrows still being relevant when guns were a thing: I heard a while back that the US colonists were considering fielding some bows and arrows when fighting the British because of the supply shortages on guns and ammo and the supply availability of materials for archery. Plus the ability to fire over obstacles somewhat accurately. I've never seen any documentation about it other than what I've heard, but it's an interesting topic in my opinion.
My understanding is that the later the period the more the naginata was considered a woman's weapon. One idea being that the final defense of a castle was by women with naginatas, the men presumably being busy attacking the opposing castle. I am 72 years ago and I have met a disgraced Japanese princess. She lost all position in Japan when she married an American. On her living room wall were displayed a Japanese bow and her naginata. She was skilled in the use of the naginata as a martial art.
When I hear samurai, I think of the warrior with a katana and wearing a kimono, probably because one of my first introductions to the concept was Samurai Jack. Then comes the typical armos, mostly the kabuto helmet and the oni masks
The armor and the Daikyu are what I think of first. That one-third/two-third recurve bow is truly unique. It was like having a short bow at the bottom and a longbow at the top.
Another point on padding, the vacuum plus padding create distance between the helmet itself and the user’s head which decreases the moment of force, hence mitigating the damage caused on the the user.
20:00- Yeah horses also have a problem with running into what they see as a solid wall. So horses wont just charge through a shield wall. They will try to run around.
I would imagine that the time to ready those guns to fire again was quite extensive compared to today, so I can see bows being a necessity even after the introduction of guns, for sure!
I chuckle to myself when people say the studs or rivets is the protective part of armor. I just think handing a knight a head of a nail and tell him he’s fully armored.
Comanche warriors used shields and they were predominantly horse archers and their shields were made of two layers of bison hide and could defect musket and rifle fire if held at a angle.
I think it would be great to address the Yari in lots of detail, I think a lot of people think of a short(ish) spear rather than the Nagae which is essentially a Pike and therefor Yari formations could resemble a Pike block; I feel this is lost on a lot of westerners when they think of a Sengoku period battle.
Hollywood totally screwed our insights on how battles went down. Resources weren't always 100 percent available and peeps would just use what was available. Look at the kama, a farming tool, but some peeps think you could fight easily against a spear wielder. Polearms etc were favored over swords most of the time. Hell, miyomoto would use Bokken against his opponents in fear that his swords would break.
I think the only way you would want to lean your shoulder in to absorb a hit is if you KNOW you can’t move out the way in time. In this circumstance moving in stops the momentum of their blow prematurely which decreases the force landing on you. Also you could move in for a strike while their weapon is on your shoulder. However, this would be an exception and not worth mentioning as a tactic of samurai or anyone else for that matter.
As a ninjutsu practitioner we're trained to avoid strikes and counter attack. You only lean in to create a predictable target knowing your opponent will attack that opening. Now there are some techniques where you'll lean in to preemptively stop a strike before the opponent can generate full speed and power in a strike but thats closing distance so you're closer to the hilt for a block and counter attack. I suppose you could use a kabuto to block an attack at essentially grappling range but I'm honestly not sure without more context.
In modern combat we are told to present our helmeted heads to the enemy in anticipation of an attack (as we don't have face protection beyond maybe ballistic glasses) but that's with modern ceramics, shock absorbing material, deflective design, kevlar, and a certain understanding of kinetic warfare or fighting someone else who isn't kitted like a knight. So maybe that's where they're getting the idea of deflecting with your head but that's giving them too much credit.
The thing to remember when asking about why you would lean into a blow, is that all weapons are levers of a fashion. If you are swinging a weapon there is a spot that is the optimal point of impact, leaning into the blow can carry you past that point and rob it of most of its power. A good example would be stepping into the arc of an axe blow where the axe head is the optimal point of impact, but getting struck by the haft has negligible effect. This is the same reason you can watch boxers/mma fighters step into incoming blows, it robs the attack of most of its effectiveness. That said, taking the blow on the shoulder is a far better option to taking it to the head, even when stepping into the blow. Even a light blow can cause a concussion depending on how it lands. the ONLY reason I would ever consider taking the blow on the helmet purposely is if my hands are otherwise tied up, I can't turn my shoulder into the blow, and I know I will be rendered incapacitated if I don't do something. An extreme case for an extreme response. Edit: This would not be a good option with a thrusting weapon, unless you have an angle on the shoulder or helmet to deflect away from you, as a thrust is still likely to penetrate due to the nature of thrusting. Taking it on an even remotely flat surface would be a bad idea unless you were wearing really heavy armor.
In regards to 'leaning' into a strike is more about maintaining posture & protecting more vital parts. It is like in boxing when one leans in to protect their chin while presenting their top of the head. Yes you want to avoid being hit but there are situations in combat where you will be hit regardless and want to turn an opponent's solid strike into glancing ones.
No need to apologizer for your "pedantic" corrections, we must make sure everything is as accurate as possible to avoid stuff be confused or lost within pop culture as you said in the end. Great content and commentary!
13:15 they moved slow, but that was a factor of the weight of the gear and the need to preserve energy in the legs. When missiles were launched, a particular watchword was called, and then the troops snapped the shields into alignment (Marcus Licinius Crassus).
11:35 It protects the lighter troops by having the line soldiers get between missile launchers and the lighter troops? They are - armored meat shields? No - strike that - it's unneeded. The lighter troops ran up, presented their shields to absorb enemy shards, discharged their own missiles, and then ran away. Being lightly armored, they were pretty fast (usually faster than mounted troops until the invention of the stirrup.)
I can just imagine how easy it would be to carry a shield, while using a two handed weapon.. and for a modern helmet, look at a construction hard hat. It doesnt just rely on high impact plastic, there is an inner cradle or lining to keep it away from your skull in an impact...
I"m not sure I agree that a stationary shield is the only "heavy" shield. I would think a "tower" shield would be a "heavy" shield. A buckler would be a "light" shield, but a kite shield would be something like a "medium" shield.
A sphere of steel, eh? Made me think of a giant hamster ball for humans. Possibly with spikes of some kind so it can roll around the battlefield causing maximum damage to enemy formations 😄
I think when they said bows were often the deciding factor. I think they were talking about ranged superiority in general, the number of ranged units, skill of said units and the elevation variations of the field of battle. I think that's what they were talking about when it comes to bows being a deciding factor, I could be very wrong though.
10:40 Many of the later heater shields were convex to catch the lance tip and keep it from sliding off to the face, groin, or across the defender's body (Wallace Collection 1500c and the Royal Army Museum in Brussels 1490c). My favs are the pieces where the shield has become part of the vamplate as well as the pauldron and vambrace.
30:07 and it's right there why the whole argument of "the jingasa is like a shield for the head, isn't it?" is just silly on its face: as a general rule, the shield is for what you aren't gonna be dodging. If you expect such an attack to be coming to your head, no one is gonna be moving their head in the way to receive the hit. That's insane. [Oh... then it comes up there at 49:00 -- the only reason I could think that would ever be done is if the design of the arm guard or hat would be such that the deflection would be at a better angle by "leaning in", or that you'd be exposing something like your neck by doing the opposite and leaning away.]
I'd like to point out that the distinction you make between how padding and liners work is quite arbitrary. They each create a distance between the hard part of the helmet and the skull with some kind of resistance in between to give a longer distance for reducing impact speed and dissipating impact energy. The functionality is exactly the same, the exact mechanism (and the efficiency) differs.
I forget what it was called, so forgive me, but I liked the Samurai who essentially had capes tied from their shoulders to their belts- which when on horseback would billow out and catch arrows shot at them from behind. Amazingly simple but effective defensive gear utility.
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Link to manuscripts and miniatures? It's not in the description.
I see a Sega Dreamcast
Say it with me, brother:
DEI/ESG is trying to become *THE PREDOMINANT LORE* in every story, medium and universe.
Get rid of it 🔥😊.
There is no link to the gendarms.
The start looks like a samurai attacking the Karate Kid.
Or Luke Skywalker.
the irony being karate isn't even in Japan before the late 19th century
When you have a shield on your head, it's a helmet!!!
You can't use a spear with a shield? Er, hoplites?
More than that - most of cultures had spear and shield soldiers in their armies.
And.. every army ever lol
I know right? Even long two handed spears/pikes could be used with strapped shields like the shields used by Macedonian pikemen, some ancient & medieval Chinese cavalry and pikemen, and some Rennisance era pikemen.
Officers at West point reenacting the phalanx comes to mind
Did Dark Souls lie to me?
I'm actually impressed at the research here.
If you ask me, the fact that he's being pedantic is a GOOD sign. It means he's not having to correct major issues.
They’ve definitely gotten better, so much better.
There are some points he goes into abit more. But most of it is indeed pedantic. Still appreciate stuff like that because often the small things do matter.
@@john-paulsilke893i actually stopped watched infographics because of how bad their research was.
@@crwydryny same
@@crwydryny that and the insanely horrifically terrible animations
As someone who identifies as a 16th century Japanese soldier, I once leaned into a strike when dodging was an option. My opponent didn't have a kanabo so I thought it was totally safe, but man was my head severe afterwards.
I hate when my head is severe.
Me when my head is severe
absolutely not me when my head is severe
Do not the head severe
I dont mind it too much as long as its well perfumed before hand!
I remember my last time with severe head. I still haven't called her back.
When I hear Samurai, I think of the armor.
I think of the hair, kimono and paired swords mainly because the most prominent images we've had of the Samurai class are from the Edo Period and those are the things that were by law specific to their class.
It's a common mistake to call the older iterations of Japanese warrior "Samurai" they were called "Bushi" and the Edo Period romanticised image of them wasn't anything like the genuine article.
I'm a pragmatist I can't stand the we are Samurai we're so honourable thing it makes me cringe. The earlier iterations would be the 1st ones to hit you in the back or go up your kimono to find a soft spot 😄
Which part?
@@AllanTidgwell the whole outfit normally .
helmet and mask for me tbh, and a polearm more than the katana. when i hear katana i think more of a dude in a kimono with a samurai knot haircut, meaning i guess subconsciously ive always known its a backup weapon considering they might be samurai, but theyre not geared up, and not "in battle" more of duels.
I think of fat old men who live off the work of others.
I can see why you would need archers because of the loading time for guns was crazy back then.
Bows were only really finally phased out of armies when full-scale industrial production of simple-to-use firearms became viable. It took a lifetime to train and discipline veteran archers, but you could stick a firearm in the hands of any peasant, mass them into huge blocks, and unleash devastating firepower with barely any training at all.
Also archers are cheaper in the unit tree duh
@@raulpetrascu2696yes you need to train archers before you can train musketeers.
@@onekill31nice profile picture
Try a European crossbow of around 1,200lb draw you need a windlass to pull it's not much faster, which is probably why 2 different cultures came up with the same tactic to use them on the battlefield 🤔 I love seeing how alike people are regardless of their differences 🙂
The first thing I think of when someone mentions Samurai armor (especially old-school O-Yoroi like mine) isn't the mask (mempo) or helmet (kabuto), but the *shoulder pauldrons* (o-sode), because they *ARE* your shield(s), which is why they're so huge and square 🙏🙇♂☸
The pauldrons are third to my mind, right after the katana and the helmet/mask (as I mentioned elsewhere, I kind of think of them together). I've always loved big pauldrons, and o-sode are the largest pauldrons I can think of historically...
@@thegoogliarch Yeah, though some do believe big pauldrons as goofy, like in say, moving your head
@@thegoogliarchfor what its worth, youre actually falling for one of the greatest myths about the samurai. The katana is not the sword mostly identified with the samurai. Katana just means sword - theres no real differentiation between sword classes in japanese history, as there is in europe. But o-dachi means ‘big blade’ - sometimes europeanised into ‘great sword’ - and the o-dachi was actually the sword that samurais carried for most of the history of the samurai. The katana - the shorter blade known as the katana - only became common at the end of the senguko period. About 300 years. But the o-dachi was a samurai weapon for about 500 years. And during the edo period the o-dachi was still the preferred sword of the important classes - because it was more expensive and prestigious and also the weapon handed down by richer families. During the edo period, the (shorter) katana was more common, but the o-dachi were still around. Prior to the edo period and most of the senguko period, the o-dachi was the preferred sword of the samurai (and all of these these blades were always secondary weapons).
If you think of a samurai’s sword, you should be thinking of the o-dachi.
@@tileux actual preferred weapon is the bow on horseback and diplomacy, a lot of diplomacy and politics
@@josecoronadonieto6911 agree about the bow. But my point was that if a sword is associated with the samurai, its the o dachi, not the edo period katana.
Japanese hand-held shields are from the Yayoi period through the Kofun until the Asuka period. Near the end of that long stretch those long standing shields (looking like a house door) were introduced and the hand-held types fell out of use; likely due to the dominance of massed archery.
I head to go back, because I misheard "usually used by the Samurai class" as "used in my Samurai class", and was severly confused, because my head immediately went to the mental image of a Professor entering class in a full suit of armor to get the students attention.
Truth about using anything to strike an opponent. I was a correctional officer for many years and despite having a steel expandable baton on our hips and pepper spray there were numerous incidents where an officer happened to have their handheld radio in their hand or on a desk nearby and used it as a weapon because it was the quickest option in that particular instance.
Probably way more effective than that silly baton thing they issue you guys.
I love how you’re doing an Infographics debunking! I’ve been wanting you to do this for ages!
That Infographics channel is pretty trash
@@sp1ashy345 it's one of those "take it with a fistful of salt" info channels, there's good info there but as always be skeptical of everything they say
Yeah, i don't know where these fellas get their sources from, like DAMN that SCP vid was TERRIBLE
Also, the point about the "padding" being used for suspension as well is best exemplified in modern construction hats. They don't have any padding whatsoever, but they have a suspension system of leather or other material. And, you know, a hardhat is meant to provide quite the significant shock absorption when a brick or something else falls on your head. And I'm not sure they'd be as effective if they were just a layer of cotton on the inside of the hardhat.
It paints a pretty picture when something hits you in the hardhat, I caught some low hanging construction work last week and the hat's fine and it only drew a little blood underneath.
Still hurt and I felt like I was back in my teens but my skull's still intact 😄
But is the suspension system actually better? I suspect that a foam lined hard hat would probably be more protective. Its a trade off between a little less protection and workers not overheating with no airflow
@@jameswilson4854 I don't know whether it's better or not. I was just giving it as an example of a helmet without padding. There must be a reason, though, that they didn't put any padding in.
Countering Cavalry is done quite effectively by a Pike Square, which is a formation similar to the Tortoise, but with the soldiers in the center wielding very long spears or "pikes" The shield bearers at the edges would be blocking ranged attacks, and any horseman foolish enough to charge them would quickly become a pincussion.
I really appreciate the fact that you are posting videos so frequently now, they really improve my days a lot. Thank you for everything Metatron ❤
Just a normal day with metatron obliterating bad history.
Well that wasn't too bad, compared to the guy he debunked last week
He didn't obliterate bad history. He corrected a decent animated 'fun facts' video.
@@Wintermute909 also because that video wasn't too bad - as Metatron himself stated
Yeah, far from the worst we've had. A couple glaring issues, a good number of corrections and quite a few nitpicks, but far above most history content mills
“I Had to DEBUNK This...”
*me who didn’t even know about it till now*
Perhaps his usage of the word "heavy-shield" was the author trying to distinguish stuff like heater/kite shields from say a buckler.
Yeah, if I was being generous, I'd say this. Akin to say "Heavy Cavalry" vs. "Light Cavalry". Something perceived as being for full battle by, well, heavy infantry vs. Perhaps a lighter shield for other roles or other combatants.
I was just about to say that "riveted" shields must work the same way as "studded" armour. There's actually a really interesting video on youtube of Kyujutsu from the 1930s showing men in japanese armour doing archery drills and you can see that they position themselves to gain the maximum protection from their armour, pulling their left arm across the body so the Sode close the arm opening as they draw a new arrow. And also kneeling and a prone position, they're also doing a bounding overwatch fire-and-advance. Really interesting and very different to kyudo, partly because they're shouting the whole time.
Lol random shouting
In large-scale battles during the medieval period in Japan, swords were rarely used.
In melee combat, the spear is used exclusively to attack the enemy with blows, and when the opponent falls down, the spear is used to finish him off with a thrust.
Swords were mostly treated as auxiliary weapons, but in the case of a contact combat, daggers were easier to handle, so few soldiers carried swords on the battlefield.
Since two-handed weapons are the main weapons used in battle, there is no room for portable shields.
Shields are mainly large shields that can be installed to protect against arrows and bullets.
It's like a modern soldier who is always using his battle rifle as a primary weapon and pistol as a sidearm.
@@onekill31 Yes, As sexy are they are, swords are a side arm more accurately compared to your pistol. A polearm/spear was the primary weapon.
Since two-handed weapons are the main weapons used in battle, there is no room for portable shields.
Not always true, its possible to use a shield like armor if its hangs over one shoulder when its used with a 2 handed weapon!
I think i have hypothesis about the samurai i think sword became more importent when firearms where used , when they are out of ammo!
Preaching to the choir here.
Samurai had style and function
Just don't look at all the other history videos, you are going to have an hart attack
Oh deer 😂
@@sanjivjhangiani3243 Hahaha!
I got so hyped by the possibility of a Kenshi and Nagamaki video... please do it!
I mean, even if it's not an actual Japanese word, I'd argue that Testudo sounding like "てすつど" absolutely could be mistaken as Japanese by someone
Yeah. Except when you realize that Japanese doesn’t _really_ have Tu. つ is Tsu.
He is Italian and the root word is Latin so I can imagine to him it does not sound Japanese what so ever. Perspectives.
Testudo does look and sound superficially similar to tetsubo.
@@danielantony1882would Tu be written like "とぅ" or is that impossible? (I only know very very little japanese, i can barely introduce myself)
as a Portuguese speaker, "testudo" is legit how we would mock someone with a big forehead
Love how many vids you been putting out bro !
Its funny how the ashigaru was animated firing the arquebus in 44:25, Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons recently made a video on the Tanegashina Arquebus, and he shows the correct way of holding
It is pleasure see this tempo of work from Metatron. Almost unexpected , but still really lovely and always a high quality content
If you weren't "a little bit pedantic", I'd suspect an imposter.
Seems like an overall decent video, even if it has a bunch of (I would argue somewhat minor in the grand scheme) inaccuracies. Have to consider that that is a channel that outputs a lot of stuff, for better or worse. Would also say they make it clear enough that shields didn't disappear, just that they started to become less common.
When the video shows two guandao when its first starts talking about naginata and comparing it to a glaive, you know the video is gonna have some shortcomings.
Japanese bows and arrows were so powerful that they could penetrate shields, so thick shields or bundles of bamboo were needed to block Japanese arrows. Japanese bows are large and have strong stringing power. Since the tip of the arrow shaft is filled with steel, it has a large mass, and the feathers of the arrow are attached diagonally. This arrow had a heavy mass and flew at high speed while rotating, so it was able to penetrate hard wooden shields and iron plates. The arrow could not be blocked by a shield because it penetrated three pieces of 9mm thick wood.
For this reason, samurai armor was made of overlapping iron plates. A 13th century painting depicts his Mongol soldiers being shot behind their shields.
Just like the English longbow, which a trained archer could fire through armor at the distances involved. That truly takes a spectacular strength, and was certainly one displayed to the fullest extent at Crecy (can't be bothered to get the accent characters).
This might be weird, but the first thing I think about when I envisions a samurai are the shoulders. Something about the overlapping plates is just very memorable.
Japan is somewhat shield light in part because of the terrain. It tends to be either forested or irregular. In many settings you have a lot of cover already.
The Philippines is also mountainous and has lots of thick vegetation, but the warriors here preferred shields over armor.
@@caliburnblade7895 But how was Filipino metalworking compared to the Japanese? Could be one reason why they favoured less metal-demanding shields.
@@DinnerForkTongue When the Spanish encountered the headhunters of the north and the moros of the south, they where shocked because the indigenous warrior's weapons where tough and went toe to toe with their western swords. We have rich iron ore deposits here. Plus the indigenous warriors used thick shields with protrusions like a fork to catch blades. Kinda like if you put a bread knife in between a fork then you twist it, it catches it and bites into the fork.
Much like in the West, shields were phased out because of better armours.
@@caliburnblade7895 exactly, same with most countries in southeast asia, Vietnam for example had lots of thick vegestation and mountainous areas, and the soldiers used large shields. From the historical depictions, unarmoured militia usually carry large shields. The well armoured troops, the imperial gaurds don't carry shields but prefer long two handed maces and long swords. Large shields were used even till the 18th century.
First thing I think of when samurai: Armor. I'm pretty ignorant to armor in general, but tons of people have used spears, swords, bows, etc.
The armor people were wearing is wildly more different to me than the weapons they used.
Yes steel hamsterballs warfare!
Make me a cannonball
When I think of samurai, I definitely do think of the katana and the helmet with some decorative piece on it, but I also think of those big rectangular shoulder pads. Very interesting and distinctive feature that is different from other shoulder armor
I would love to see a dedicated video of pike and shot. From what I know the Eighty Years War between the Dutch and the Spanish was of great influence. The Dutch based tactics on the Roman manipel and discliplines like reloading muskets while marching.
I finally know the correct way to say Pavise😂😂😂😂😂. Ty Metatron. I have always been fascinated with that particular shield from the first time I saw one.
I think of the Yari, or pike when thinking of Samurai. Or ancient Bushi warriors.
Yeah, samurai and katanas only really became a "thing" in the Sengoku Jidai
Most people don’t understand that most sword users are cavalry. Spear got lost on the first charge. Most countries “touched” by Mongol end up training and using only a combination of sword spear bow or guns.
The misconception about medieval warfare is unbelievable. I remeber arguing with an american who thougth the siege scenes in "Kingdom Of Heaven" were realistic. He really seemed to be knowledgeable otherwise, i was really surprised he believed all that hollywood cap.
48:20 Megingjörð was the mythical wide belt used by Thor and based upon a belt used to transfer the lower half of the weight of chainmail from the shoulders to the hips. I found that such a belt above the hips with hooks to carry the chainmail increased my endurance while wearing knee-length chainmail tenfold. BTW I am 6'1 and a lean 212lbs. I appreciate a distributed load; it prevents nesciences like broken bones and strained tendons. The belt also provides a light and effective layer of armor to the abdomen and lower back. These ancient warriors knew their craft well.
12:07 I think Testudo sounds really like a possible japanese word. But then again I do not speak any of the mentioned languages.
Does it sound to you(dear reader) like a japanese word?
I speak Japanese and can understand why people might get that impression. Meta's thinking in Italian, where "testudo" sounds nothing like Japanese.
But if you're just reading it as an anglophone, you miss those subtleties. And if you change the order of two letters: "te-stu-do" becomes "te-tsu-do," which is the Japanese word for railroad.
Maybe when you pronounce the word Tes-tu-do the way you'd assume they do in Japanese instead of Tes-tudo the way it's pronounced in Italy I can see that 🤔
But then the Japanese word for Turtle's Kame I think 😄
No, because there's no transisition between the s and the t. It's a bit to explain.
@@Knight_Astolfo Literally "the way of iron".
Battle of Hastings 1066. The Saxon shield wall held off numerous norman knight charges. That battle lasted as one of the longest in medieval history, 2-3 days. Before the Saxon eventual defeat.
Making the armor stronger on the left side for right handed person was exactly because he is supposed to use a shield. This is exactly the opposite of what they say.
As you said, the left side is the one you will offer to your opponent. But you will do that because your shield is on your left side. If you are right handed and carry no shield offering your left side makes no sense. It makes you more vulnerable and it decreases your range.
If you carry no shield and are right handed you will fight with your right side to the front.
I literally just had to re-subscribe to your channel. I don't remember unsubscribing. I've been subscribed for years I think.
Rome Total War 1 combat advisor - "A cavalry charge into a forest of spear points is insane."
this is the problem with some channels trivializing history too much like infographics.. good job on this one even little details if presented with slightly wrong interpretation can create a serious and long lasting misconception.
Been loving the recent Japanese focused videos, been playing Ghost of Tsushima and loving it a ton! I know the game isn't historically accurate, it's more of an homage to Akira Kurosawa's film making just using a real Mongol invasion as a canvas for the story. it would be cool to see you do a video on Ghost of Tsushima if you haven't already.
Pavise are handheld shields, there's many depictions of them being used on foot in the freydal tournament book held by emperor Maximilian
Throughout the 15th century when they were used you're right there were "Infantry Pavise" that were kind of the equivilent of the much earlier Kite shields at least according the Met Museum in Austria.
But the ones that most resembled the ones used by the Japanese to cover their missile troops as they advanced was the much larger ones we associate with the crossbowman from Genoa 🙂 You're right that needed more context as it's a few centuries of history and Europe's full of variety depending on who and when
I think a big part of why shields weren't "big in Japan" is that they had some options unavailable in the west like arrow capes and catchers that were worn on there backs, leaving their hands free but still very well protected from arrows
Regarding the "leaning into the blow" thing, its value is that if you intercept a blow before the completion of its impact arc, you will greatly reduce the force with which it hit. I wouldn't recommend doing it with your head during an armed fight, but in reality in martial arts most of the block should “lean” or anticipate the blow they defend to reduce force of impact, and there is even a technique in which you intercept a punch with your forehead before it can develop its full power. clearly timing is key.
When I think of a Samurai Warrior, the first thing I think about is the sword and then I think of the other two swords and then the armor, especially the headgear.
I regret that I won’t have time to watch this whole video right now while it’s fresh but I’m looking forward to finishing it later.
Blocking with your head is cool and asserts dominance, I don't think it's practical, but it is shown as something the cool strong guy does.
Ubisoft said 50% of Japan was black though.
Oh lol, it's assassins creed, I don't think it matters that much
They didn't?
they never said that lmao
Rage bait
😂😂😂
Wouldn't it be rather expensive to equip ashigaru with Naginata as well?
Both Naginata and Yari are polearms, but the blade of a Naginata, from my understanding, is basically a sword that required swordsmithing techniques to manufacture.
The spear tip of the yari however is much simpler in shape from the looks of it and may have just been a piece of sharpened steel.
A lot of people can say first comment.
But I will claim first like
When I think about Samurai, what first comes to mind is the katana and the yumi (uneven bow of the mounted archer). Then the naginata getting left at home during peace time, because the Samurai didn't want to haul it around, and the wife used it to fight off bandits, as well as other unwanted house and garden pests.
On the topic of bows and arrows still being relevant when guns were a thing: I heard a while back that the US colonists were considering fielding some bows and arrows when fighting the British because of the supply shortages on guns and ammo and the supply availability of materials for archery. Plus the ability to fire over obstacles somewhat accurately. I've never seen any documentation about it other than what I've heard, but it's an interesting topic in my opinion.
My understanding is that the later the period the more the naginata was considered a woman's weapon. One idea being that the final defense of a castle was by women with naginatas, the men presumably being busy attacking the opposing castle.
I am 72 years ago and I have met a disgraced Japanese princess. She lost all position in Japan when she married an American. On her living room wall were displayed a Japanese bow and her naginata. She was skilled in the use of the naginata as a martial art.
Nice video! Both yours than the animated one😊
P.s. at 39’ mark the on screen script write “Male” instead of Mail…
When I hear samurai, I think of the warrior with a katana and wearing a kimono, probably because one of my first introductions to the concept was Samurai Jack. Then comes the typical armos, mostly the kabuto helmet and the oni masks
TY u are such a knowledge fountain for these subjects. Love the videos in spite of discovering your channel so recently. Damn.
"you can use anything as a shield, even a door"
Feudal Japanese be like: "no you cant" :D
The armor and the Daikyu are what I think of first.
That one-third/two-third recurve bow is truly unique. It was like having a short bow at the bottom and a longbow at the top.
11:26 the sumerian already had shield wall like formations. Just an small tip
I enjoy these videos. I hope these encourage others to do research.
When I hear "stationary shield" I hear "stationery" as in office supplies. I love the idea of a shield made of printer paper and paperclips.
Another point on padding, the vacuum plus padding create distance between the helmet itself and the user’s head which decreases the moment of force, hence mitigating the damage caused on the the user.
20:00- Yeah horses also have a problem with running into what they see as a solid wall. So horses wont just charge through a shield wall. They will try to run around.
I would imagine that the time to ready those guns to fire again was quite extensive compared to today, so I can see bows being a necessity even after the introduction of guns, for sure!
I chuckle to myself when people say the studs or rivets is the protective part of armor. I just think handing a knight a head of a nail and tell him he’s fully armored.
The period when spears were prevalent on Japanese battlefields was from the late Sengoku period (around 1540) to the peace after Genna era (1615).
Comanche warriors used shields and they were predominantly horse archers and their shields were made of two layers of bison hide and could defect musket and rifle fire if held at a angle.
I love how I got the original video recommend said "that's not true" kept scrolling and saw this one like 5 videos down
i love your videos especially when you hyper focus on details also love the accent messing up what you are saying sometimes
I would love to see a video on pike and shot. It's one of my favorite periods of history. Such and interesting time of change and invention.
After 200+ hours of playing Sekiro, all you need armour wise is a sword to parry with, and an umbrella. And a lot of potions and Gourd Seeds.
I think it would be great to address the Yari in lots of detail, I think a lot of people think of a short(ish) spear rather than the Nagae which is essentially a Pike and therefor Yari formations could resemble a Pike block; I feel this is lost on a lot of westerners when they think of a Sengoku period battle.
Hollywood totally screwed our insights on how battles went down. Resources weren't always 100 percent available and peeps would just use what was available.
Look at the kama, a farming tool, but some peeps think you could fight easily against a spear wielder.
Polearms etc were favored over swords most of the time. Hell, miyomoto would use Bokken against his opponents in fear that his swords would break.
That bit about your head being suspended in a helmet seems to be a lot like how hard hats are designed.
I think the only way you would want to lean your shoulder in to absorb a hit is if you KNOW you can’t move out the way in time. In this circumstance moving in stops the momentum of their blow prematurely which decreases the force landing on you. Also you could move in for a strike while their weapon is on your shoulder. However, this would be an exception and not worth mentioning as a tactic of samurai or anyone else for that matter.
In the Battle of Khaybar there is a story of a gentleman using a door as a shield.
As a ninjutsu practitioner we're trained to avoid strikes and counter attack. You only lean in to create a predictable target knowing your opponent will attack that opening. Now there are some techniques where you'll lean in to preemptively stop a strike before the opponent can generate full speed and power in a strike but thats closing distance so you're closer to the hilt for a block and counter attack. I suppose you could use a kabuto to block an attack at essentially grappling range but I'm honestly not sure without more context.
In modern combat we are told to present our helmeted heads to the enemy in anticipation of an attack (as we don't have face protection beyond maybe ballistic glasses) but that's with modern ceramics, shock absorbing material, deflective design, kevlar, and a certain understanding of kinetic warfare or fighting someone else who isn't kitted like a knight. So maybe that's where they're getting the idea of deflecting with your head but that's giving them too much credit.
The thing to remember when asking about why you would lean into a blow, is that all weapons are levers of a fashion. If you are swinging a weapon there is a spot that is the optimal point of impact, leaning into the blow can carry you past that point and rob it of most of its power. A good example would be stepping into the arc of an axe blow where the axe head is the optimal point of impact, but getting struck by the haft has negligible effect. This is the same reason you can watch boxers/mma fighters step into incoming blows, it robs the attack of most of its effectiveness.
That said, taking the blow on the shoulder is a far better option to taking it to the head, even when stepping into the blow. Even a light blow can cause a concussion depending on how it lands. the ONLY reason I would ever consider taking the blow on the helmet purposely is if my hands are otherwise tied up, I can't turn my shoulder into the blow, and I know I will be rendered incapacitated if I don't do something. An extreme case for an extreme response.
Edit: This would not be a good option with a thrusting weapon, unless you have an angle on the shoulder or helmet to deflect away from you, as a thrust is still likely to penetrate due to the nature of thrusting. Taking it on an even remotely flat surface would be a bad idea unless you were wearing really heavy armor.
In regards to 'leaning' into a strike is more about maintaining posture & protecting more vital parts. It is like in boxing when one leans in to protect their chin while presenting their top of the head. Yes you want to avoid being hit but there are situations in combat where you will be hit regardless and want to turn an opponent's solid strike into glancing ones.
No need to apologizer for your "pedantic" corrections, we must make sure everything is as accurate as possible to avoid stuff be confused or lost within pop culture as you said in the end. Great content and commentary!
13:15 they moved slow, but that was a factor of the weight of the gear and the need to preserve energy in the legs. When missiles were launched, a particular watchword was called, and then the troops snapped the shields into alignment (Marcus Licinius Crassus).
11:35 It protects the lighter troops by having the line soldiers get between missile launchers and the lighter troops? They are - armored meat shields? No - strike that - it's unneeded. The lighter troops ran up, presented their shields to absorb enemy shards, discharged their own missiles, and then ran away. Being lightly armored, they were pretty fast (usually faster than mounted troops until the invention of the stirrup.)
I can just imagine how easy it would be to carry a shield, while using a two handed weapon.. and for a modern helmet, look at a construction hard hat. It doesnt just rely on high impact plastic, there is an inner cradle or lining to keep it away from your skull in an impact...
I"m not sure I agree that a stationary shield is the only "heavy" shield. I would think a "tower" shield would be a "heavy" shield. A buckler would be a "light" shield, but a kite shield would be something like a "medium" shield.
7:20
everybody knows that shield beats arrow, arrow beats axe and axe beats shield.
classic RPG system.
A sphere of steel, eh?
Made me think of a giant hamster ball for humans. Possibly with spikes of some kind so it can roll around the battlefield causing maximum damage to enemy formations 😄
I think when they said bows were often the deciding factor. I think they were talking about ranged superiority in general, the number of ranged units, skill of said units and the elevation variations of the field of battle. I think that's what they were talking about when it comes to bows being a deciding factor, I could be very wrong though.
10:40 Many of the later heater shields were convex to catch the lance tip and keep it from sliding off to the face, groin, or across the defender's body (Wallace Collection 1500c and the Royal Army Museum in Brussels 1490c). My favs are the pieces where the shield has become part of the vamplate as well as the pauldron and vambrace.
The first thing I think of about samurai is the bows. Some of those are so beautiful.
30:07 and it's right there why the whole argument of "the jingasa is like a shield for the head, isn't it?" is just silly on its face: as a general rule, the shield is for what you aren't gonna be dodging. If you expect such an attack to be coming to your head, no one is gonna be moving their head in the way to receive the hit. That's insane.
[Oh... then it comes up there at 49:00 -- the only reason I could think that would ever be done is if the design of the arm guard or hat would be such that the deflection would be at a better angle by "leaning in", or that you'd be exposing something like your neck by doing the opposite and leaning away.]
I ceased thinking about their weapons and armour. I moved on to wonder about what they ate through their epochs.
I'd like to point out that the distinction you make between how padding and liners work is quite arbitrary. They each create a distance between the hard part of the helmet and the skull with some kind of resistance in between to give a longer distance for reducing impact speed and dissipating impact energy. The functionality is exactly the same, the exact mechanism (and the efficiency) differs.
I forget what it was called, so forgive me, but I liked the Samurai who essentially had capes tied from their shoulders to their belts- which when on horseback would billow out and catch arrows shot at them from behind. Amazingly simple but effective defensive gear utility.