Armor Four generals at the Nagashino Festival During the Momoyama period, warriors wore armor in a style called yoroi. This suit of armor is made of several armored plates laced together by thick silken cords. The plates are made by lacing together small rows of scales, bound together with leather thongs, and lacquered. This makes a lightweight, waterproof shell of protection. The box-like body armor called the do hangs from the shoulders and is fastened around the waist. Highly decorated breastplates made of leather are called the tsurubashiri. The helmets are called the hoshi-kabuto and are made of iron plates riveted together. Some ashugaru wore simple conical iron helmets called jingasa. The generals (pictured on the right) wear ornamental surcoats called jinbaori. Armor is very individualized and ornamental as well as functional, although as the Edo era approached and mass warfare became more common, armor became more uniform helping in identification of troops. Additionally, ornamental flags called nobori served to identify the person or army the individual belongs to. Heraldry Very sophisticated use of heraldry was used to identify and control units of troops. Prior to the sixteenth century, heraldry in Japan had not advanced past a basic use for identification of house. As troop sizes grew as high as 115,000, the need for more precise control precipitated the development of a complex system for directing troop movements. Three types of flags were developed for quick identification of troops: The nobori, uma-jirushi, and the sashimono. The nobori is a long vertical flag (pictured at left) supported along the top and left edge was well established for military use by the 3rd quarter of the sixteenth century. This flag served to identify the house or family of the bearer. The second type of flag was the uma-jirushi,. Occasionally this sign took the form of a three dimensional object such as the large red umbrella used by Oda Nobunaga, and the sen nari hisago or 'thousand gourd standard' used by Toyotomi Hedeyoshi. This sign was used to identify leader of the army. The sashimono was an innovation that occurred in the sixteenth century. Worn on the back and slotted into a specially constructed carrier, this flag was for individual identification. Frequently these sashimono contained inspirational slogans or mottos. Individuals of a particular unit were identified by uniform sashimono coloration as well as common herald. Generals were able to control their units via large war drums, conch-shell trumpets, and waving flags of various color which referred to the unit color displayed on the sashimonos. Architecture Odawara Castle Capital of the Hojo Territories The classic Japanese castle is a stunning example of the beauty and function of Japanese architecture. These graceful buildings that seem to grow out of the very ground they are built on, evolved largely through military necessity. As the use of firearms proliferated, and mortars and cannons were acquired from the Portuguese, better fortifications were required. Traditionally, castle design was largely influenced by location. Early castles were either built in the mountains which afforded well protected and high rocky crags as natural defense, or on the planes which afforded excellent visibility. In either case, defense was of paramount importance, and form closely followed function. Fortresses were built to exploit the natural terrain and take advantage of every concealing tree and the slope of the ground to maximum advantage. Nabunaga fostered a defensive mentality among the daimyo which lead to the frenzied building of many huge fortresses that exist until this day. As warring increased, castles became not only the military strongholds of the daimyos, but also the economic centers. They were built very large so that the daimyos standing army could be housed as well as perform cultural and religious functions. The castle soon became the centers of caste towns. Highly ordered, these villages housed retainers, family, and servants. The closer the home to the castle, the more imported the individual. Important people were protected by the castle's main walls and while lower ranked members were typically protected by an earthen wall or moat. Merchants came to dwell between these two separated areas and traded goods and services. On the outskirts of the castle lived the workers and farmers who grew the rice that supported the castle. The heart of the castle is the daimyo's audience chamber. This chamber is built in the center of the first story. It is typically surrounded by highly polished wooden panels and corridors. A wooden floor surrounds the room and is called the warriors run. The rear of the room features sliding doors that can conceal armed guards. Most interiors are fairly spartan by western standards. Decoration is relegated to inlaid wood panels and wall dividers. Furniture consisted of delicately embroidered seating cushions, and women mats called tatami mats were placed on the floor for seating. Due to the widespread warring and destruction, only the strongest castles remain intact today. Most castles have been restored or rebuilt today. One of the few is Edo Castle. The picture on the right shows the thick stone walls, moats, and fortifications. These features made the structure less prone to damage from traditional weapons. This castle was the residence of the Tokugawa rulers for 265 years, and after 1868, the residence of Japan's emperors. The bridge in the background is called the Nijubashi, or Double Bridge. Osaka Castle To the left is a picture of Osaka Castle. Completed in 1586 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, this castle was completed in an amazingly short time- three years. Note the very thick stone walls. This was a relatively new feature for castles of this era as stone had to be carried by hand from great distances. This castle was destroyed by the Tokugawas in 1600 and was rebuilt based on historical records and paintings. Note the white colored walls and ornamental roof. Another classic styled building is on the right. This is a temple and is not designed for defense. It shares the white wall construction and many tiered roof design with many of the castles pictured previously, but it does not have the stone wall surrounding it. Note the ornamental koi on the roof magnified on the inset. Temples are not always so plain. Perhaps the most famous of the Japanese Temples is the 17th century mausoleum of Tokugawa Leyasu, the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. The completion of this highly ornamented temple required over two million sheets of gold leaf. Builders spent hundreds of man years carving the intricate wooden ornamental trim which features the famous simian trio "Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil."

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