Tate & Tedate (盾 & 手盾) - Japanese Shields
Tate & Tedate (盾 & 手盾) - Japanese Shields
A samurai carrying a Tate type of shield converted into a Tedate and a Nagamaki, " 石山寺縁起絵巻", 13th century
Japanese shields are a really interesting topic to study, and an highly misunderstood one, especially inside the "pop culture". It is in fact quite common to read or hear the comment that says "samurai didn't use shield as they were dishonorable"; however the reality of things were far from this romantic statements.
Since it's a long story to tell, to really understand the development and the usage of shields in Japan, I have to start back in the early history of the "Rising sun's" country.
When we talk about shield is quite hard to fit them inside a category, since they function both as armor component and as a weapon; and although some type of shields could be really complicated, most of them are quite easy to produce and is not a surprise to see that shields were used almost everywhere all around the world, even in Japan.
From descriptions in Chinese dynastic record, archaeological evidences and surviving examples we have a lot of information about hand held shields (Temochi tate or Tedate - 手持盾 or 手盾 ) used from the third to the eighth century. These shields were either made of wood, iron plates riveted together or several layers of lacquered rawhide. They were almost all of the time rectangular in shape, 100 to 150 cm in length and 50 to 70 cm in width. Like all the types of Japanese hand held shield, they had a wooden handle in the centre.
Hand held shield were used in combination with swords, spears or axes in close combat situation.
During the late Nara - early Heain period we also start to see stationary shields (like mantlets or European Pavise) being deployed by the Ritsuryoo army. This was the main type of shield used through out all the periods and highlight how strong was the impact of projectiles weapons in Japan, since this kind of protective tool allows the archers to shoot while providing cover to them.
These shields were usually higher than 150 cm (although smaller example of 120 cm existed too, which could be converted as hand held shield occasionally) and 100 cm in width. They were made to stand by means of a pole, or foot, attached to the back by hinges that allowed it to be folded against the shield for transport or storage. The best were constructed from a single board, but most were made from two, three, or even four planks, about 3 cm thick.
A riveted iron plates Tate shield from the Kofun period
These shields usually called Tate (盾) were either held by their pole or carried by hands by the soldiers. When retreating, they were usually "worn" or placed on the back of the soldiers to protect them.
Typically, shields of this sort were lined up, sometimes overlapping like roof tiles, to form a portable wall that protected archers on foot. They were also placed atop the walls of fortifications and hung from the sides of boats. On occasion, they served as substitutes for other tools, such as benches or ladders.
Some Samurai carrying old types of shields, spears and an axe, from Kenponchaku shoku shōtoku taishieden-"絹本著色聖徳太子絵伝", describing event of the 7th century, made in the 15th.
A detail from the kiyomizudera engi emaki - 清水寺縁起絵巻, made in the 1517, depicting events from the 800s. It is curios to notice that the demonic-like people are actually Japanese people from the Ezo region; even if different in design, the weapons used by those Ezo's warriors are directly related to Japanese weapons used in the 15th and 16th century. There are both Tate and Tedate, an hint that the artist was aware of them in the 16th century.
The Tedate as shown in the night attack of the Hōnen Jōnin Emaki - 法然上人絵巻, 13th century.
A detail from the Jū ni-rui emaki "十二類絵巻" where hand held shield and stationary shield are depicted, an Edo period copy of an original 14th century scroll
Since it's a long story to tell, to really understand the development and the usage of shields in Japan, I have to start back in the early history of the "Rising sun's" country.
When we talk about shield is quite hard to fit them inside a category, since they function both as armor component and as a weapon; and although some type of shields could be really complicated, most of them are quite easy to produce and is not a surprise to see that shields were used almost everywhere all around the world, even in Japan.
PRE-SAMURAI ERA
From descriptions in Chinese dynastic record, archaeological evidences and surviving examples we have a lot of information about hand held shields (Temochi tate or Tedate - 手持盾 or 手盾 ) used from the third to the eighth century. These shields were either made of wood, iron plates riveted together or several layers of lacquered rawhide. They were almost all of the time rectangular in shape, 100 to 150 cm in length and 50 to 70 cm in width. Like all the types of Japanese hand held shield, they had a wooden handle in the centre.
Hand held shield were used in combination with swords, spears or axes in close combat situation.
A Yayoi period solider with a shield
During the late Nara - early Heain period we also start to see stationary shields (like mantlets or European Pavise) being deployed by the Ritsuryoo army. This was the main type of shield used through out all the periods and highlight how strong was the impact of projectiles weapons in Japan, since this kind of protective tool allows the archers to shoot while providing cover to them.
These shields were usually higher than 150 cm (although smaller example of 120 cm existed too, which could be converted as hand held shield occasionally) and 100 cm in width. They were made to stand by means of a pole, or foot, attached to the back by hinges that allowed it to be folded against the shield for transport or storage. The best were constructed from a single board, but most were made from two, three, or even four planks, about 3 cm thick.
A riveted iron plates Tate shield from the Kofun period
Typically, shields of this sort were lined up, sometimes overlapping like roof tiles, to form a portable wall that protected archers on foot. They were also placed atop the walls of fortifications and hung from the sides of boats. On occasion, they served as substitutes for other tools, such as benches or ladders.
Some Samurai behind one of the previously mentioned Tate shield wall while shooting arrows, from 春日権現験記
SAMURAI ERA
As I said before, Tate shields were the main type of shields used through out the entire Japanese history. When it comes to the Samurai period ( from the Heian period onward) hand held shields weren't used as much as before, but were still common.
It is in fact a widespread misconception that Japanese armies didn't rely on hand held shields, at least to some extent.
Although it is not arguable that hand held shield didn't play a major role anymore, for the reasons I'm going to explain, among the Samurai class, this type of defensive tool was still used by infantry and others warriors.
Early Samurai, from the 11th to the late 14th century were mainly mounted archers, since training with bows and horsemanship were the main martial activity of the upper class.
Even if the warfare of these centuries is a topic for another article, the main role of these mounted forces was to charge and "storm" the enemy ( be it on foot or on horseback) while engaging from mid to close distance and then retreat, usually without running straight against enemies formations but rather stay on the flanks of the enemy. Within this context, the powerful Japanese Bow was the perfect weapon.
There were exceptions to this rule, for example in the late 14th century, polearms started to replace bows for some cavalry warriors, and there is at least one 13th century iconography depicting a Samurai carrying a Tate shield on horseback ( like his western counterpart).
To be able to use effectively the bow, the samurai didn't use hand held shields; the lack of defense was compensated by the way the Ousode (大袖) in their armor worked:
However, the infantry soldiers still relied on shields. When fighting on formation, archers were usually behind Tate, but there are some soldier depicted using hand held shield when engaging on open battlefield and in close quarter situation.
In fact the Fusō ryakuki (扶桑略記) 940 2/8 lists among the goods captured following the defeat of Taira Masakado “300 hand shield".
By this time, hand held shields were almost exclusively made of wood and of rectangular shape (although rounded shield seems to have been used too), and were 90 to 160 cm in length per 50 to 70 cm in width. Sometimes, Tate shields were directly modified to be used as hand held shield.
On the far right, a mounted Samurai holding a sword and a tedate while riding; from the scroll Kangiten Reigen ki, "歓喜天霊験記", around the 13th century.
It is fair to notice that shields were never a popular piece of equipment; this situation might be explained by the fact that those types of foot units were expected to engage directly against both cavalry and foot soldiers; polearms like the Naginata (薙刀) and the Kumade (熊手) were more useful to deal against both of them, especially when the numbers of these units in the early periods didn't allow a dense phalanx type of formation. These weapons were much more effective when used with two hands.
Although it is not arguable that hand held shield didn't play a major role anymore, for the reasons I'm going to explain, among the Samurai class, this type of defensive tool was still used by infantry and others warriors.
Early Samurai, from the 11th to the late 14th century were mainly mounted archers, since training with bows and horsemanship were the main martial activity of the upper class.
Even if the warfare of these centuries is a topic for another article, the main role of these mounted forces was to charge and "storm" the enemy ( be it on foot or on horseback) while engaging from mid to close distance and then retreat, usually without running straight against enemies formations but rather stay on the flanks of the enemy. Within this context, the powerful Japanese Bow was the perfect weapon.
There were exceptions to this rule, for example in the late 14th century, polearms started to replace bows for some cavalry warriors, and there is at least one 13th century iconography depicting a Samurai carrying a Tate shield on horseback ( like his western counterpart).
To be able to use effectively the bow, the samurai didn't use hand held shields; the lack of defense was compensated by the way the Ousode (大袖) in their armor worked:
While facing enemy arrows or polearms a Samurai placed his big shoulder shield on the front, covering the face and the upper torso. This period illustration shows how Ousode were used.
However, the infantry soldiers still relied on shields. When fighting on formation, archers were usually behind Tate, but there are some soldier depicted using hand held shield when engaging on open battlefield and in close quarter situation.
In fact the Fusō ryakuki (扶桑略記) 940 2/8 lists among the goods captured following the defeat of Taira Masakado “300 hand shield".
By this time, hand held shields were almost exclusively made of wood and of rectangular shape (although rounded shield seems to have been used too), and were 90 to 160 cm in length per 50 to 70 cm in width. Sometimes, Tate shields were directly modified to be used as hand held shield.
On the far right, a mounted Samurai holding a sword and a tedate while riding; from the scroll Kangiten Reigen ki, "歓喜天霊験記", around the 13th century.
It is fair to notice that shields were never a popular piece of equipment; this situation might be explained by the fact that those types of foot units were expected to engage directly against both cavalry and foot soldiers; polearms like the Naginata (薙刀) and the Kumade (熊手) were more useful to deal against both of them, especially when the numbers of these units in the early periods didn't allow a dense phalanx type of formation. These weapons were much more effective when used with two hands.
On the extreme right a soldier carrying a round wooden shield and a sword, "Illustrated Story of Night Attack on Yoshitsune's Residence At Horikawa"*, a 16th century scroll depicting an event from the 12th century
*: I wasn't able to obtain the original Kanji for reference here
*: I wasn't able to obtain the original Kanji for reference here
Some Samurai carrying old types of shields, spears and an axe, from Kenponchaku shoku shōtoku taishieden-"絹本著色聖徳太子絵伝", describing event of the 7th century, made in the 15th.
A detail from the kiyomizudera engi emaki - 清水寺縁起絵巻, made in the 1517, depicting events from the 800s. It is curios to notice that the demonic-like people are actually Japanese people from the Ezo region; even if different in design, the weapons used by those Ezo's warriors are directly related to Japanese weapons used in the 15th and 16th century. There are both Tate and Tedate, an hint that the artist was aware of them in the 16th century.
The Tedate as shown in the night attack of the Hōnen Jōnin Emaki - 法然上人絵巻, 13th century.
A detail from the Jū ni-rui emaki "十二類絵巻" where hand held shield and stationary shield are depicted, an Edo period copy of an original 14th century scroll
Within the course of the 14th century, warfare started to change in Japan; much more emphasis was given to the infantry and fighting on foot became more common. The mounted archery was left behind and the Samurai started to operated as various form of horse units, from mounted infantry to shock cavalry.
However, instead of relying more on hand held shield, like in Europe, they developed a more comprehensive armor system, which was able to cover head to toe with lamellar, plate and mail.
With the Sengoku period, Tosei Gusoku armors started to emerge and the brand new infantry units, the Ashigaru (足軽), were issued with pikes, arquebus and bows; weapons that precluded the use of hand held shield, even if their armor wasn't as good and as protective as the one used by the Samurai.
However, firearms and hand held cannon were able to destroy and break the old types of Tate shield, and new designs were used to cover the ranged units on the battlefield.
Although old model were still common they were often made with iron, and thick "rolled bamboo bundle" called Take wa (竹把) or Taketaba (竹束) were used to protect from gunfire in lieu of the older wooden version.
Old Tate shield being used by Ashigaru riflemen in the Edo period book "Budō gei-jutsu Hiden Zukai" 武道藝術秘傳圖會. [1]". Note the wet straws section placed in front of the shields; they were supposed to slow down the bullets and prevent them to break the wooden shields.
One of the several structure used to place Taketaba on the field to protect from gunfire
Small and sturdy hand held metal shields were still used, although to a lesser degree, by warriors of this period of constant warfare. There are some later Edo period depictions that explain how to defend against pistol shot from horseback with Tedate;
However, instead of relying more on hand held shield, like in Europe, they developed a more comprehensive armor system, which was able to cover head to toe with lamellar, plate and mail.
With the Sengoku period, Tosei Gusoku armors started to emerge and the brand new infantry units, the Ashigaru (足軽), were issued with pikes, arquebus and bows; weapons that precluded the use of hand held shield, even if their armor wasn't as good and as protective as the one used by the Samurai.
However, firearms and hand held cannon were able to destroy and break the old types of Tate shield, and new designs were used to cover the ranged units on the battlefield.
Although old model were still common they were often made with iron, and thick "rolled bamboo bundle" called Take wa (竹把) or Taketaba (竹束) were used to protect from gunfire in lieu of the older wooden version.
Old Tate shield being used by Ashigaru riflemen in the Edo period book "Budō gei-jutsu Hiden Zukai" 武道藝術秘傳圖會. [1]". Note the wet straws section placed in front of the shields; they were supposed to slow down the bullets and prevent them to break the wooden shields.
One of the several structure used to place Taketaba on the field to protect from gunfire
Small and sturdy hand held metal shields were still used, although to a lesser degree, by warriors of this period of constant warfare. There are some later Edo period depictions that explain how to defend against pistol shot from horseback with Tedate;
A famous illustration of a Japanese hand held shield, from the same 武道藝術秘傳圖會. [1]
An illustration showing how the shield and the sword were hold together
So this was pretty much the full history and development of shields in Japan, hope you have enjoyed reading it! As you might have noticed, is far from the stereotypical idea that in Japan shields were never used.
Feel free to leave a comment or share this article!
There are also several sources of the Sengoku or early Edo period where the use of hand held shield is described, being used on foot but also on horseback, on open field battles as well as on night raid attack. Shield were used as a standalone weapon and in combination with sword or spear.
On the left a rear view of a small iron Tedate; on the right a bigger wooden Tedate with a candle attached, a skirt of mail and an opening for seeing behind the protection of the shield. This device was probably built to protect themselves during night attacks.
Last but not least, one of the most iconic use of hand held shield is taught inside the Yagyu Shingan Ryu (柳生心眼流) where an Iron Jingasa (陣笠) helmet is used as a buckler; although a valid technique, it might be dangerous to use if the warrior is supposed to remove is own helmet.
During the peaceful Edo period, hand held shield became pretty small and were used as a form of hand protection; they were easier to carry and if needed they were held together with the sword to gain an advantage over an opponent devoid of this equipment. Some Koryuu school like the Tenshin Ryu (天心流) in Japan is still teaching the use of this Tedate.
On the left a rear view of a small iron Tedate; on the right a bigger wooden Tedate with a candle attached, a skirt of mail and an opening for seeing behind the protection of the shield. This device was probably built to protect themselves during night attacks.
Last but not least, one of the most iconic use of hand held shield is taught inside the Yagyu Shingan Ryu (柳生心眼流) where an Iron Jingasa (陣笠) helmet is used as a buckler; although a valid technique, it might be dangerous to use if the warrior is supposed to remove is own helmet.
During the peaceful Edo period, hand held shield became pretty small and were used as a form of hand protection; they were easier to carry and if needed they were held together with the sword to gain an advantage over an opponent devoid of this equipment. Some Koryuu school like the Tenshin Ryu (天心流) in Japan is still teaching the use of this Tedate.
An illustration showing how the shield and the sword were hold together
So this was pretty much the full history and development of shields in Japan, hope you have enjoyed reading it! As you might have noticed, is far from the stereotypical idea that in Japan shields were never used.
Feel free to leave a comment or share this article!
Gunbai
Very good post mate, I found your blog via pinterest recently and I really like your work. I myself made reassure on this topic, but not knowing Japanese, it's rather difficult. Anyway, I wonder if you could make a post about the warrior from Okinawa, or just their interactions with samurai during the occupation, it's very difficult for me to find information about them, their armors, and so on. Keep the good content up, have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'll appreciate it a lot! It is in my plan to deal with the Okinawa Invasion and I will talk about those warriors for sure, but I have to study the topic in depth (or at least try to) before posting an article so it might take some time... but I'll appreciate the feedback so this is definitely an high priority topic! Have a nice day too
DeleteNice overview on the subject of Japanese shields. This is actually suprising for me, but quite logical if I sit down and think hard about it.
ReplyDeleteHi and thank you! Is always nice to see you around!
DeleteI have to say that shields in Japan were never used as much as in Europe or in China, but they were definitely a part of the Japanese warrior's arsenal through out all their history, including the Samurai period.
Hello this is really very interesting and quite useful to me for the sport that I do, Historical Medieval Battle. Please keep up the amazing work, we need more historians to focus on the history of Japanese and Asia in general. There are so many misconceptions from films and TV.
DeleteOh also I know that I am replying very late to this and you will probably not see this message but does anyone have any information about the round hand held shields like the tadate, and the smaller one which is similar to a buckler? For some reason I'm thinking of turle shell shields but I have no idea if that is an actual thing. I know that these smaller tadate shields were not used often but I do not mind as long as there is enough proof of it being used historically for me to be allowed to use it in my HMB fights.
DeleteInteresting did not know about the last bit about during the edo period, are you going to an article about the other forms of Taketaba anytime soon?
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting depiction of handheld Shields is during the shimabara rebellion http://pinterest.com/pin/788552215978244403/?source_app=android.
And is fun one I found from this book cover if you look carefully you see a samurai holding a shield https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-boost-us&biw=360&bih=253&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=6Pg8WtKMFYTamwGi6JSIDA&sjs=16383&q=japanese+armor+books&oq=japanese+armor+books&gs_l=mobile-gws-img.3...164634.189980..190294.......228.2583.23j3j2............mobile-gws-wiz-img.....3..0j35i39j0i67j0i10j0i8i30.a3NIRsGD9V4%3D#imgdii=Gcgqmpj593xd1M:&imgrc=2vZWcNI9RoUZPM:&isa=y
I might write an article about siege equipment and other forms of Taketaba in the future, but I'm still studying the topic so it won't come soon I'm afraid! Anyway thank you for the other references, I'm sure that I've missed a lot of illustrations were samurai holding shields are depicted
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry my fault the second image is not the one I want to show this one ishttps://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+arms+and+armor+books&client=ms-android-boost-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwirjYKfpZ7YAhUq7YMKHbm-CGkQ_AUIEigC&biw=320&bih=489#imgrc=Gcgqmpj593xd1M:
ReplyDeleteHi Gunsen--- This is some truly amazing stuff to read, keep up the good work!--- For the longest time I didn't know Samurai had used Shields in their arsenal of weapons and equipment... Love learning new things every day!
ReplyDeleteWhich leads me to ask--- Because of the Japanese having basic familiarity with how shields work in combat--- Would that be another contributing reason as to why the Samurai were still very effective with fighting against the Mongols during the Mongol Invasion of Japan in 1274 & 1281 and the Ming and Joseon armies during the Invasion of Korea and China in close-quarters combat?
As the Mongols, Chinese, and Koreans were highly known for implementing shields into their weapons and equipment...
*hand-held shields into
DeleteHello and welcome to my blog! I'm glad that you were able to learn something new with it.
DeleteYou raised a good question. As far as Mongol invasions are concerned, the majority of shields deployed by the invaders according to the Moko Shurai Ekotoba were pavise like shields called Fang Pai (防牌). These were the kind of shields that the Japanese used too. It might be that during some close quarter fight, they may have faced hand held shields too. A shield offers a great advantage if you are skilled with it and if your enemy is not heavily armored. The Samurai were quite armored by the 13th century and the majority of soldiers deployed by the Mongols were not skilled at all I would say. In any case they were familiar with the concept of hand held shield so yes they didn't have any serious problem in dealing with it.
The Same goes with Ming and Joseon, although by that period the pike and shot tactics deployed by the Japanese made them deadly at a range in which shields didn't work that much. But again, the fact that you see hand held shields in Japan too means that they were perfectly capable of dealing with them; with polearms and heavy armor.
Thank you Gunbai and I appreciate the reply! very pleased to know this is certainly the case to a lesser extent when it came to Samurai dealing with shielded opponents and I agree with your accessment
DeleteReally looking forward to your next blog!
I was looking at that picture of the "famous illustration of a Japanese hand held shield, from the same 武道藝術秘傳圖會."
ReplyDeleteIs he trying to block the bullet with a shield? Does that mean the shield was bulletproof? If so, was the shield made of steel.
My bad. Of course they were made of steel
DeleteYes it look like if it was made of steel in order to stop bullets. In fact even wooden tate shields were replaces with iron ones or taketaba because wood wasn't able to withstand the arquebus!
DeleteHey Gunbai!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if you knew this but I just wanted to pop in and inform you that the Youtuber Gaijin Goombah actually referenced your blog regarding Japanese shields in his "The Culture Behind Kamura's Weapons in Monster Hunter Rise! - Yokai Hunter Rise" video here (including a citation to your blog!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avqtpokx6fo&t=460s Glad to see the myth of shield-less samurai slowly being corrected all thanks to you and your hard work! :D
Nice! I'm glad to see that :D
DeleteI have one question for you Gunsen. Which shield do you think is better between Tate and Scutum?
ReplyDeleteWell I'm not really an expert on roman warfare but you have to consider that these two shields had different purposes. A Tate would be much more sturdy and ideal to defend positions as it was akin to a portable wall rather than a shield - you cannot really use that as a normal shield. A scutum on the other hand is a hand held shield so it fits a different purposes; it won't be as sturdy and heavy but it would be possible to use it in a hand to hand fight, unlike the tate.
DeleteI know this is probably not really your perrogative but I'm currently building a D&D character, whose aesthetic is based on japanese and samurai culture and this article was tremendously helpful in that endeavour.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that!
DeleteWere there any specific classification for the round shields or were they also just called Tedate?
ReplyDeleteHello Gunsen,
ReplyDeletethanks for the article although I am a bit late to the party... I am interested in the use of the shield used in the Ryukyu Kingdom. In recent martial arts it is called "tinbe" which derives from the chinese "tengpai". But there are two types: one is clearly imported from China - it is round and made from rattan and is used in conjunction with a chinese saber. The other one is typically used with a short spear. This version is often made out of a turtle shell (which for shure is a modern development) but is also significantly smaller.
After reading your article I ask myself whether it is possible that the use of the small shield on Okinawa was introduced via Japan. The small spear for example (Te-Yari) was a common weapon in the Edo-Period. Is it known whether the tedate was used together with a short spear?
To add: The Takenouchi Ryu also uses the small shield.