PDA

View Full Version : Weird Japanese weapons ...



Choco
07-25-2001, 02:34
Question for the experts:

Checking the Clan War gallery I saw that some warriors monks/samurais were carrying a weapon pretty similar to a long wodden hammer or Mauler.

This two-handed weapon is pretty long, as long as a Naginata but as I said before it is a wooden hammer.

My question is: I have frequently seen this weapon in miniatures' and wargamming sites, but never reproduced in any real historical stuff.

So is this "super hammer" just another invention to add flavor to Samurai Wargames, or it was a real weapon? In that case who were the ones employing it? When?, Where? How was the performance in comparison with most commons weapons?

Thanks in advance

Choco
07-25-2001, 02:38
Here some links to the miniatures with the weapons I am talking about:
http://www.geocities.com/chambersofminiatures/aegsam10.jpg http://www.geocities.com/chambersofminiatures/aegsam12.jpg

[This message has been edited by Choco (edited 07-24-2001).]

Tachikaze
07-25-2001, 04:41
I also have the same questions about the superhammer. I first saw one on a 35mm figure of one of the 47 Ronin. It must have a special use, 'cuz there's no way it would be useful in single combat.

By the way, your links didn't work. I found this page, though: http://www.geocities.com/chambersofminiatures/l5r.htm

There are two figures of warriors with metal hammers.

Choco
07-26-2001, 01:48
Yep ..those are the pictures I was talking about. I don't know why the direct link doesn't work.

Anyway .. I am still wondering if the superhammer was for real or is just another cool fantasy stuff add for variety

Shiro
07-26-2001, 04:15
Geocities doesn't allow you to link to images. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif However, copy and paste the link into your browser.

Hope that helps.

Anssi Hakkinen
07-27-2001, 01:04
Well, I'm not really being helpful, but I've never seen it either. Some warrior monks had a habit of using a rather vicious-looking battleaxe called masakari, but that is the most "gory" sort of weapon I've seen in the samurai arsenal - never heard of a hammer.

Roman Totale XVII
07-27-2001, 03:59
Those 35mm Tamiya figures represent some of the famous '47 Ronin' during their attack on their former lord's enemy Daimyo in 1702. The giant mallet was used to smash down the gate to his mansion historically though I don't think it was used as a melee weapon.

Benkei, the famous 12th Century warrior-monk is sometimes represented in prints of the 18-19th century as carrying a weird variety of weapons including a giant mallet but this is all fanciful stuff.

Tachikaze
07-27-2001, 04:25
I'm sure Roman Totale XVII is right. If some guy approached me with a bigass wooden hammer, I'd tickle him under the armpits!

Maybe it would be useful against sleeping enemy soldiers.

[This message has been edited by Tachikaze (edited 07-27-2001).]

NOLA_Jay
07-27-2001, 13:16
It looks like a Tetsubo (sorry I can't produce the small "-" that would gover the "O").
The tetsubo is a four or five shaku long club, slightly tappered to one end. The tetsubo is octagonal in section rather round, like the smaller bo, and the the broad end is often clad in metal splints and large metal studs. Much smaller (thinner) version were also made entirely of metal.
A shaku is roughly 30cm long.

Roman Totale XVII
07-28-2001, 01:30
Just been looking at a book on the history of Japanese buildings and saw an illustration of one of those big mallets - they were used in construction of buildings to hammer in stakes in old Japan. Agricultural tools were sometimes used as improvised weapons by lowest class troops so I wonder if these mallets were used in any other sieges of fortified mansions? (in the absence of battering rams). I imagine the Tetsubo might also do the trick too..

The Daimyo
07-28-2001, 19:13
Sounds like a Tetsubo, or an Ono variant.

hmm...I need to see that pic to be sure.



------------------
The Daimyo
Miaowara "Kakizaki" Tomokato
@ http://www.planettotalwar.com