Decoding Armored Combat - the NHK Way

I try not to spend too much time scrolling through online feeds, but like most of us, I suspect, I often find myself doing it more than I would like, especially these days, when the the news seems to propel us from one disaster to the next. Sometimes, however, something a bit more interesting crops up. 

In this case, it was courtesy of NHK World, and was a combination of a broadcast TV programme (for the domestic Japanese audience) and a section with a foreign panel, two of whom, Alexander Bennett and Christopher Glenn, know their stuff with regards to Japanese martial arts and armour (Akino Roza, the other panelist, has more general cultural knowledge). At about 30 minutes, the programme is a reasonable length to make it worth watching, and I think there is something in there for the lay person and enthusiast alike. I have been around Japanese martial arts for a good number of years, but I certainly got something out of it.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/5001439/?cid=wohk-fb-org_vod_5001439_dps-202502-001

I am putting the link here, but it will only be available till September 2025, which seems like a long way off now, but for anyone reading after that date, I’m going to describe some of the parts I found more interesting below.

The action begins sometime around the three minute mark, with a demonstration of how spears were used in military formations. Although I have seen some people bitterly protest about the use of spears as, basically, striking weapons which would be raised and then used to strike from above rather than as pointy sticks, the weight of informed opinion seems to be that this was common practice during the Sengoku period (when spears became one of the principal weapons on the battlefield. Indeed, you can well believe that training men to use the spear this way would have been very time efficient.

Anyway, there is a demonstration of the power this technique can produce (yes, we all know boards don’t fight back, but illustrative, all the same). The higher level version of this is also interesting – the use of the flex of the spear shaft is not usually shown in Japanese systems, whereas it is a common feature (sometimes unrealistically so) in Chinese systems, both for usage and also training purposes. I have some experience of Japanese spears, and the shafts certainly do have a certain amount of flexibility – the one used in this demonstration was quite long, and I think that length is certainly an important consideration for this kind of technique. Many Japanese spearheads have a triangular cross-section, which makes them especially suitable for this bludgeoning type of attack. Other types would most likely have been used differently.

Any way, you can see the flex here:

A couple of other points that were interesting were presented in the discussion of foreign the foreign panel. In particular, I found the point about the overlap of armour particularly interesting – the cuirass wrapped around the body with the back overlapping the front on one side. This seems counter-intuitive: a spear thrust might get caught rather than glancing off, for example (although that in itself could be further examined). However, an overlap to the back would also provide a grip for an opponent if they came into grappling range, something you certainly wouldn’t want.

A cuirass showing the overlap coming from behind.

Moving on, there is also a section on using weapons on horseback, and you get to see the stubby Japanese ponies that were common in those days. There is also a section on Shosho Ryu Yawarajutsu – an early type of jujutsu. This is interesting as preserving aspects that involved fighting an armoured opponent. Many Japanese schools preserve this aspect to a greater or smaller degree – there are several interesting videos online showing techniques from Tenshin Shoden Katori Ryu that many people are probably familiar with – so this may not be new to you, but it is quite interesting all the same. 

An illustration by Oscar Ratti from his well-known book. The illustrations were an important part of the book and certainly added colour and atmosphere, despite certain artistic liberties. Of course, something like this is pure fantasy ... or maybe not?

As well as younger, more mobile members of his dojo, the 87 year old headmaster of the style demonstrates some of the techniques, including kicking someone wearing armour, which is worth seeing.

A well- produced documentary with something for everyone – at least, those who are interested in those kinds of things!  

Duel in the Snow - The Sword of Doom

The snow yesterday (not so common these days, and comparatively light compared to much of the rest of the country) reminded me of this classic scene from the film, The Sword of Doom, one of the several versions of the multi-volume novel by Nakazato Kaizan, Daibosatsu Toge – Great Buddha Pass, but arguably the best. (The others do have their good points, though). 

 

The sword master, Shimada Toranosuke, played here by Toshiro Mifune, (I have written his name the English way, but all the other names here are written surname first) is attacked mistakenly on his way back from a friend’s house. The attackers realise they have the wrong man, but make the mistake of pressing on with the attack regardless. This may be one of Mifune’s best appearances as a swordmaster (admittedly, the role is quite minor) but he plays it to perfection. 

You can watch the clip here:  https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ev4e0

Mifune was a great actor, and he knew how to look the part, but if you want to see someone who actually knew how to use a sword, the same role was taken in two earlier versions of the same story (Sword in the Moonlight was the English title, I believe) by the veteran actor Tsukigata Ryunosuke (see the photos below), who had trained in a branch of the Shinkage Ryu, – the Jikishinkage Ryu was Shimada’s own school.

 

Although the main character of this story, Tsukue Ryunosuke, was fictional, Shimada Toranosuke was not. He was one of the strongest swordsmen of his day, and his lines about the connection between the sword and the mind are famous today in kendo dojo: 

The sword is the mind; 

If the mind is correct, the sword will be correct. 

If the mind is not correct, the sword will not be correct. 

He who would study the sword must first study the mind. 

Mind – kokoro – while basically meaning ‘way of thinking’ also has connotations of attitude and an almost moral dimension, as indeed, is made clear by his final comment in this film clip: “a sword which is not correct is an evil sword.” This, of course, refers to the swordsman.

As well as his skills with the sword Shimada was known for his upright character. It is perhaps worth noting that the original target of the assassination in this scene was Kiyokawa Hachiro, who often gets short shrift from Shinsengumi fans but was known as a Confucian scholar as well as a swordsman and is considered by some to have suffered from bad press), and his companion for part of the journey (in a different palanquin) is the famous spearman Takahashi Deishu – also known for his extremely virtuous character and his skill with the spear – the two were, in fact, friends, and Kiyokawa was later assassinated after leaving Deishu’s house. 

The leader of the assassins in this scene is Hijikata Toshizo, one of the more well-known and popular members of the Shinsengumi, and it is interesting how easily he is handled by Shimada, despite his reputation as ‘Demon Hijikata’. 

 

Nakazato Kaizan was himself a man of some principle, refusing to join the pro-military writers’ group, Nihon Bungaku Hokoku-kai, during the war, and casting the Shinsengumi in an unflattering light is telling. Mind you, with a ‘hero’ like Tsukue Ryunosuke, you can tell there are going to be more than a few moral grey areas.

For interests sake, here is a (very) short excerpt from the novel just before Shimada is attacked in his palanquin. I hope it gives something of the flavour of Nakazato’s writing:

A swordmaster of the highest level naturally has powers far beyond the ordinary. On the way, Shimada Toranosuke felt a sudden suspicious presence, and though he had not expected that the Shinchogumi would send such elite troops, he readied for an attack, leaning against the back of the palanquin in preparation for a sword thrust to the space in front of him (where a passenger would normally sit). 

By the time Hijikata called out to wait, he had already tied back his sleeves and dampened the mekugi of his beloved sword, forged by Saburo Shizu. When the attack came, he drew and cut with a single slash from under the sword that had pierced the empty space he had left, severing the leg of one of the black-clad swordsmen who had been waiting, and shot out.

Unfortunately, there’s not an awful lot of information on Shimada in English, although anyone who has played the fairly recent game Rise of the Ronin will probably be familiar with him (and all the others mentioned above). 

Alas, games are not one of the things I have time for these days, but I must admit I learnt a lot from them way back when – of course, it was all pen and paper in those days.