A samurai warrior must not only be strong mentally and physically, but also look beautiful. That's why his clothes are a special outfit that was chosen carefully.
Samurai casual wear
The appearance of the samurai was different, based on the situation. For example, for daily wear, clothes were used, consisting of 3 main elements:
kimono: shoulder robe;
hakama: belt element;
haori: a cape that had the same straight cut as a kimono.
All these parts of clothing were made in dark or black.
Khakami were worn over the kimono. These are trousers of a special cut, which were very similar to wide trousers. At the same time, these pants were sewn in different lengths. The length of the product depended on the status of the samurai. For example, ordinary samurai wore short khakami pants, but upper-class warriors wore elongated khakami. The pants were so long that they dragged across the floor.
In military campaigns, so that long clothes do not interfere, they were tucked into the belt or greaves.
And the final touch - haori: put on a kimono and khakami on top. Haori were sewn from dark fabrics, and were decorated with a white bow in front. A distinctive feature of such clothes was a special cut: a small cut at the bottom of the back.
Thus, khaki, complete with haori, created the composition of the solemn attire of a samurai warrior.
Formal samurai costume
When a samurai attended an important event, his outfit had a different look. So over the “haori-hakama” a tight cape without sleeves was put on. An important feature of such a cape was well-starched shoulders of large sizes. Such a cape was referred to as a "kataginu". The hakama and katagina formed the samurai's formal dress for a special occasion.
Samurai headdress
In many drawings, samurai are depicted without headdresses. However, when visiting the palace of the feudal lord, the samurai without fail put on a hat. In everyday life, many samurai wore cone-shaped straw hats. Such a hat completely covered the face of the samurai, and thus the warrior remained unrecognizable in public places.
The samurai also used the amigaso straw hat, which had the appearance of a low wide cone and a small window in front. It was through this window that the samurai could see others.
The original form was the headdress of the members of the so-called Komuso brotherhood. It was a closed fraternity of itinerant monks, where samurai were also accepted. The headdress of the members of this brotherhood resembled a beehive.
The straw hat is not the only accessory that the samurai used in their daily lives. For example, an important accessory was a wide umbrella made of bamboo and oiled paper. The umbrella was used during bad weather or active sun.
Samurai shoes
What did the samurai wear? Classic shoes are straw sandals with leather soles. They were called - setta.
In heavy rains, other shoes were used - geta: wooden sandals.
Such shoes differed in the height of the socle supports. In addition to these shoes, shields with cords were attached, which served as protection for the toes from dirt.
A very important point: all types of shoes were equipped with special straps and combined with special cut-out socks.
Family crest on samurai clothes
Particular attention was paid to the family coat of arms - kamon. For every samurai, the family coat of arms was a very expensive and significant symbol. He emphasized the lineage of a warrior and was passed down from generation to generation along with the name. Many coats of arms had ancient origins: some of them went back to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.
Such a symbol was applied to the upper kimono, which was worn on the lower white. This element was applied in five places: on the chest and back (front and back), between the shoulders, and also on the sleeves. However, it is not uncommon for outerwear to be completely decorated with family coats of arms. For this decor, a special paint was used. In the future, the family coat of arms was applied to other accessories of the samurai.
Regarding the appearance of the coat of arms, it was based on different life stories. It could be celestial bodies or stars, representatives of flora and fauna, various geometric shapes, elements of culture. Each element was endowed with a special magical power. After all, the coat of arms was supposed not only to emphasize the status of the samurai, but also to be his kind of talisman.
See also
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Kubota Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be Satake Yoshinobu (1570–1633). Yoshinobu was one of the six great generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Odawara Campaign of 1590, he took part in the siege of Oshi Castle under the command of Ishida Mitsunari, with whom Yoshinobu developed a good relationship.
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Kavanhoe Castle
Kawanoe Castle is located on the small Wasi-yama hill near the port area of the Kawanoe district in the city of Shikokuchuo, occupying a central position along the northern coast of Shikoku Island. Kawanoe was also known as Butsuden Castle. The term “butsuden” in Japan refers to temple halls, and for this reason it is believed that a Buddhist temple once stood on the site before the castle was built. Due to its location at the junction of four provinces on Shikoku Island, Kawanoe held significant strategic importance and was repeatedly targeted by rival forces seeking military control over the region.
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Yokote Castle
The founder of the castle is considered to be the Onodera clan. The Onodera were originally a minor clan from Shimotsuke Province and served Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the first shogunate. The Onodera distinguished themselves in battle against the Fujiwara clan of the Ōshū branch and were rewarded with lands around Yokote. Around the 14th century, the Onodera moved to Yokote as their permanent residence. Their original stronghold was Numadate Castle, but after a series of clashes with the powerful Nambu clan, they relocated their base to the site of present-day Yokote Castle. It was likely during this time that the first fortifications appeared at the castle.
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Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle was built in 1585, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered his uterine brother, Hashiba (Toyotomi) Hidenaga, to construct a castle on the site of the recently captured Ota Castle. The purpose of this construction was to secure control over the likewise newly conquered Province of Kii. Following an already established tradition, Hidenaga entrusted the project to his castle-building expert, Todo Takatora. Takatora carefully inspected the future castle site, personally drew up several designs, created a model of the planned castle, and took part in the work of laying out the grounds (nawabari). For the construction he brought in more than 10,000 workers and completed the large-scale project within a single year, which was considered extremely fast by the standards of the time.
Toyama Castle
Toyama Castle is located almost in the very center of the former province of Etchū and is surrounded by a wide plain with a large number of rivers. The very first castle on the banks of the Jinzu River was built in 1543 by Jimbo Nagamoto. The Jimbo clan were vassals of the Hatakeyama clan and governed the western part of Etchū Province. The eastern part of the province belonged to their rivals, the Shiina clan, who were also Hatakeyama vassals. Beginning in the 15th century, the influence of the ancient Hatakeyama clan gradually weakened, and as a result, the Jimbo and the Shiina fought constant wars for control of the province. Meanwhile, the forces of the Ikkō-ikki movement periodically intervened, helping first one side and then the other.
Takada Castle
During the Sengoku period, the lands where Takada Castle would later be built were part of Echigo Province and were controlled by the Uesugi clan.
Kishiwada Castle
The celebrated 14th-century military commander Kusunoki Masashige (1294–1336), who owned extensive lands south of what is now the city of Osaka, ordered one of his vassals, Kishiwada Osamu, to build a fortified residence. This order was carried out around 1336. These fortifications became the first structures on the site of what would later become Kishiwada Castle. From the beginning, the castle stood in a strategically important location—roughly halfway between the cities of Wakayama and Osaka, south of the key port of Sakai. Because of this position, it changed hands several times during periods of warfare.
Kaminoyama Castle
Kamino-yama Castle stood at the center of an important logistics hub, in the middle of the Yonezawa Plain, which served as the gateway to the western part of the Tohoku region. Roads connecting the Aizu, Fukushima, and Yamagata areas intersected here.
