Editing Samurai (section)

== Samurai Weapons and equipment ==
[[image:Teppo.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Samurai were very fond of these]]
*''Yumi'': Composite bows made of bamboo. The first Samurai were mainly archers and archery would remain a very big part of samurai fighting. both as mounted archers and on foot. Yumi are notably asymmetrical in shape, with the user holding the bow about one third down the shaft's length. Yumi can be divided into two categories, hankyuu (half-bow) and daikyuu (literally greatbow but better translated as longbow). Daikyuu was generally preferred and the samurai developed a technique which allowed it to be used from horseback despite its size. The drawback of this was that it could only be aimed to the left side of the horse.
*''Yari'': [[Spear]]s, usually used to fend off cavalry and as lances. Some had pronged heads, some did not.
*''Kama'': Originally a farming tool, like scythe-shaped sickle, it get the same role [[warhammer]]s did in European warfare, or more accurately an eastern-European chekan, since it had no hammer side for bashing skulls, and it's beak was bladed. While it was mostly associated with ninja, Samurai were also fond of it, and even get the two-handed version - ''Nagikama'' when metallic armour become widespread even amongst ashigaru, and rich samurai clad themselves in bullet-proof imported Spanish plate.
*''Naginata'': [[Pole-arm]]s with a sword blade at the end. In general, it was better against infantry than a spear and better against cavalry than a sword. It also had a more powerful slash, even if it did have more of a risk of being decapitated. Female samurai in particular favored this weapon, as its long reach allowed them to compensate for any  disadvantage they might have had in raw strength. In Samurai weddings the appropriate wedding gift for the family of the bride to give the happy couple was a Naginata.
*''Kanabo'': A two-handed war club shaped like a baseball bat and covered in metal spikes. Either made from a wooden base or solid iron, this weapon was relatively rare as it required a lot of strength and skill to use effectively. Needless to say, you wouldn't want to get hit by one as it could smash bones on a warhorse and crush armor. This weapon is also heavily associated with [[Oni]], due to the aforementioned strength requirement and altogether brutal nature of the kanabo.
*''[[Firearm|Tanegashima]]'': in 1543, some Portuguese ships got to Japan in search of business opportunities (specifically the Island of Tanegashima). When they got to Japan, they sold a few of their matchlocks muskets to a Daimyo who promptly had his smiths take them apart and soon had them replicated, which inspired others to do the same. The Samurai quickly became very keen on these new weapons and made heavy use of them. By the end of the 16th century Japan had the highest number of guns per capita of any place in the world, had good line fire tactics and had worked out sights and boxes to keep rain from putting out the matches. Matchlock pistols (''bajōzutsu'') were used by cavalry. During the Tokugawa period, the manufacturing Japan declined (though it did not completely die away) as there was no pressing internal or external threats, so they stuck with what designs they had until the 19th century when they began buying and replicating western guns.  A major reason for Imperial Victory in the Boshin War was that the samurai who had controlled the key gun making regions sided with the Imperialists. 
[[image:Forging_Techniques.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Common forging styles.]]
*''[[Sword]]'': <s>[[Katanas are Underpowered in d20| Their katanas of destruction]]</s> Several varieties, including no-dachi (huge blades intended for anti-cavalry work with a blade up to 180cm long to cut through rider and horse), wakizashi (a short sword with a 30-60cm long blade often used either as a last ditch weapon or ritual suicide, but could also be wielded alongside a katana) and katana (the general purpose sword between 60 and 90 cm long). Originally their blades were straight, but eventually became single edged and curved. The iron ore in Japan has a high level of impurities, as such Japanese swordsmiths worked out a method of folding and refolding steel during forging to work out impurities. This made them rather sharp and fairly strong, though they were also fairly brittle and not the best weapons for use against heavier armor like metal plates. Additionally, samurai swords were more a symbol of their position and authority than the super death weapon romantics would insist (soft armor like silk and leather held no real resistance though). This is because after the unification of Japan the array of swords samurais carry were reserved to their class alone, no other class may carry the arrangement of swords samurais carry. This is why samurai normally carry out their popularized duels using their swords than their full arsenal; it is a matter of their class' honor than it being the ultimate weapon. In actual combat, however, the swords were normally reserved as backup weapons or were used against lightly armored targets, since they have long learned that poking their opponents to death with pointy sticks and/or shooting them with guns were more pragmatic options against other Samurai.  It was also the go to weapon to execute people.
[[image:Samurai armor.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Samurai Armor, those dents were made by musket bullets]]
*''Armor'': Several varieties existed, including chainmail, scale armor, lamellar (Small plates of metal held together by wire), laminated high quality wood, leather and eventually metal plate. Often suits of samurai armor would incorporate several types of armor, having laminar leg and shoulder guards with plate torso armor. Generally this would be backed up with leather and padded silk (silk having a high tensile strength, which meant that it offered above average protection against arrows) and would often be laminated to keep off rust. Towards the end of the 16th century, western elements (such as western style breastplates and morion style helmets) were incorporated into this, either being bought from European merchants or made locally. In general it was fairly good for its time period, sometimes even being proofed against musket fire, though it did not offer the same degree of coverage as contemporary European counterparts and often sacrificed protection for speed and agility.
* [[Shuriken]]: Yes, samurai used these too.
* [[War Fan]]: One of the quirkier weapons in a Samurai's arsenal. They would sometimes carry normal fans for cooling themselves off or to use for signaling to allied troops. However, all-metal fans were also made, which could double as a blunt sidearm or small shield for civilian wear, especially if they were worried about assassination attempts in otherwise unarmed meetings.
* ''Jitte'': A short, dagger sized iron baton, almost always sporting a hooked guard.  During the Edo period, the carrying of swords in the presence of the Shogun was outlawed and palace guards began carrying the unsharpened Jitte instead for defense.  This led to it being used as a badge of office for anyone who held any sort of civil authority under the Shogunate.  Like the Okinawan Sai, the Jitte is an effective blunt striking and jabbing weapon, and with practice can parry or even trap a blade.  These would remain in police use up through the Meiji era.  The corresponding fighting techniques, jittejutsu, evolved into taiho-jutsu which is the current regimen of self defense techniques taught to Japanese police.