Weapons & armor

What a katana is—curved single-edged blade, daisho pair with wakizashi, when samurai wore it, parts (tsuba, saya, hamon), and myth vs battlefield reality. (19 min read)

Wakizashi blade—length between tanto and katana, daisho pair rules, indoor carry, seppuku association, parts, and how it differs from katana for beginners. (18 min read)

Japanese tanto short blade—size vs wakizashi, tanto types (hira, shobu), utility and ritual use, mounts, and myths about ninja daggers. (18 min read)

Oversized Japanese swords—nodachi vs odachi naming, battlefield use, carry on back, anime myths, and how they differ from katana length. (18 min read)

Beginner map of katana parts—mune, shinogi, ha, hamon, nakago, tsuba, habaki, saya, and how each affects balance, draw, and care. (19 min read)

How traditional katana are forged—tatara iron, folding steel, clay hamon temper, polish, and myths about “million folds” and super steel. (19 min read)

Named katana and tachi—Dōjigiri, Masamune, Muramasa legends, Honjo Masamune, how to read sword names, and telling myth from registered national treasures. (18 min read)

Japanese yari spears—suji, kama, jumonji types, ashigaru spear walls, vs naginata, length, and why Sengoku battlefields favored yari over katana. (19 min read)

Japanese naginata polearm—curved blade, naginatajutsu schools, vs yari spear, castle defense, women warriors, and Sengoku vs Edo use explained for beginners. (20 min read)

Japanese yumi bow—asymmetric daikyū, bamboo construction, ya arrows, samurai archery vs yabusame, and why guns did not erase the bow in one day. (21 min read)

Japanese kanabō and tetsubō clubs—spiked iron war sticks, myth vs battlefield use, armor interaction, and comparison to swords and spears for beginners. (19 min read)

Japanese tanegashima arquebus—Portuguese introduction, matchlock mechanics, Nagashino tactics, armor response, and why guns did not erase swords overnight. (22 min read)

Japanese samurai armor types—ō-yoroi for mounted archers, dō-maru for foot battle, lamellar construction, bullet response, and weight myths explained. (22 min read)

Japanese kabuto helmets—bowl construction, maedate crests, shikoro neck guards, menpō face masks, vision tradeoffs, and rank symbolism for beginners. (20 min read)

Japanese menpō and mengu face masks—ressei angry masks, hoate nose guards, lacquer, tie cords to kabuto, and myth vs practical protection for beginners. (20 min read)

Meaning behind samurai armor mon, maedate crests, lacing colors, dragons and Buddhist symbols—rank, clan ID, and myth vs battlefield function. (21 min read)

Timeline of Japanese samurai armor—Heian ō-yoroi, Muromachi dō-maru, Sengoku plate strips, tosei-gusoku vs guns, and Edo parade armor explained. (22 min read)