Video: What Japanese samurai helmets looked like: Kabuto - aesthetics of war
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
How does a warrior dress for mortal combat? If he was a samurai of the XIV century, then a mandatory attribute for him was a kabuto - a helmet that was intended not only for protection, but also reflected the individuality of the person who owned it. These unique creations varied in shape and finish, depending on the wearer and the era, but they were always large, flamboyant and artsy. Historians today study war relics to learn the aesthetics of war in Japan. So let's take a look at this brilliant example of ancient fashion.
Due to their versatility and strength, kabuto began to appear in Japan as early as the 5th century, but reached their heyday thanks to the samurai. As high-ranking model citizens, samurai served the nobility and lived according to the "Bushido" ("way of the warrior") code. They did this for about 1000 years and managed to convey the militaristic thinking of the Japanese shogunate of the 10th century until the 19th century.
If someone has a question why people "bothered" to make such a complex headdress, just think about the following fact. The samurai were essentially the cream of the crop in high society. This can be compared, for example, with the courtier of Louis XIV, who was supposed to appear in public only in a powdered wig.
These helmets were examples of great craftsmanship, intended for the highest rank samurai, as well as the distinctive symbol of the clan that these warriors represented (hence the various symbols and animals on the helmets). Even in the heat of the hottest battle, it was difficult not to notice his brother-in-arms, if he had, for example, a giant squid on his head.
Even women, although they were formally known by the name not "samurai" but "onna-bugeisha", could fight alongside samurai in combat wearing kabuto helmets. As William Deal explains in A Handbook of Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan, "the helmets of the Warring States period began to reflect the grandeur of the Shogunate era in their size and intricate ornamentation."
READ ALSO: Hereditary Japanese samurai in photographs of the 19th century (15 photos)
Not all kabuto helmets were intimidating. Very funny helmets with … rabbit ears, as well as helmets that painfully resemble Darth Vader's headdress, have survived to this day.
This speaks to how much the influence of the Japanese wars has had an impact on world pop culture today. Star Wars costume designers have always said that Nazi helmets were their inspiration for Vader's uniforms, but George Lucas once admitted that he drew inspiration for various Star Wars costumes from the classic 1956 film The Seven Samurai.
From the top of the artsy kabuto to the tips of the kegutsu (shoes trimmed with fur), the samurai has always attracted the eyes of all people. Of course, today it is difficult to imagine people who wore such hats, so let's talk about one unique kabuto and its owner.
This horned helmet belonged to daimyo Honda Tadakatsu, known as "The Samurai of the Samurai" and "The Warrior Who Surpassed Death" because he fought over 55 battles without serious injury. One has only to imagine how in the second half of the 16th century the fierce Takadatsu looked on the battlefield with horns that seemed to grow from his head.
And in continuation of the theme, a story about what armor was worn by European monarchs, Japanese samurai and soldiers of the First World War.
Recommended:
What the Olympics looked like in the "dark ages", or Why do they think that the Middle Ages destroyed sports?
Five rings and the slogan “Faster. Above. Stronger”are integral symbols of the Olympic Games, which are almost 120 years old. Of course, their history is not limited to such a modest time period, it is much older. Contrary to popular belief that the Middle Ages was a dark time in which sports competitions did not exist, this is not at all the case. Then, too, sports flourished, and competitions were held. What the medieval Olympiad looked like, further in the review
What the ancestors of Homo sapiens looked like: Who could not pass natural selection, and with whom everything is not so simple
The transformation of Australopithecus into a modern type of man did not come true, of course, overnight - the process took hundreds of thousands and even millions of years. Everything happened, as is now known, extremely slowly, and at the first stages of anthropogenesis much longer than at the subsequent ones. Here is what is interesting: in addition to the links in the chain of "transformations" into a Homo sapiens, there were other "relatives" of him - who did not pass the selection, but did not sink into oblivion either. These are kind of "uncles" of modern people, passing
Movies for Colored People, Chinatown for Japanese: What Racial Segregation Looked Like in Old America
It seems that everyone knows about segregation in the history of the United States. For example, once a black woman refused to give up her seat to a white man, and the first black girl had to go to a "general", that is, white, school under police protection, otherwise she would have been killed for this. But the segregation was much more extensive
What kind of armor were worn by European monarchs, Japanese samurai and soldiers of the First world war
Armor designed to protect a warrior, emphasize his status or intimidate the enemy, remained in demand for many centuries. And the talent and imagination of their creators, the gunsmiths of the past, even today, in the 21st century, continue to amaze and delight
What the most bizarre and fashionable helmets of medieval knights looked like
Since ancient times, a knight's helmet has been one of the most important attributes of a warrior. In addition to its main protective function, it also served as a deterrent to enemies. The Middle Ages were especially famous for the art of making and the variety of helmets. In this review, the most fashionable helmets of the time