Samurai weapons and equipment

thumb|upright|Five types of shuriken thumb|upright|Edo period shuriken in [[Odawara Castle Museum, Japan. Note the senbon darts.]]

The is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.

A is a traditionally made Japanese knife () that was worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate. were used in traditional martial arts () and in the seppuku suicide ritual. The term has seen a resurgence in the West since the 1980s as referring to a point style of modern tactical knives, designed for piercing or stabbing, though the style is not present on any traditional tantō.

thumb|150px|Various types of bokken A bokken (, , 'wood', and ken, '(double-edged) sword') or bokutō (, , 'wood', and tō, '(single-edged) sword') is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō. Some ornamental bokken are decorated with mother-of-pearl work and elaborate carvings. Sometimes, it is spelled "boken" in English.

300px|thumb|Daishō style sword mounting, gold banding on red-lacquered ground. 16th century, Azuchi–Momoyama period. Important Cultural Property. [[Tokyo National Museum.]]

thumb|300px|A shinai made of bamboo

A is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (nihonto) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana ("katana") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the , or signature, on the tang. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana, which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century. Tachi were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kotō period between 900 and 1596. Even after the Muromachi period (1336–1573), when katana became the mai

traditionally made sword from Japan

Japanese firearm

thumb|upright|Japanese bows, arrows, and arrow-stand thumb|upright=1.3| bow names

Japanese hand-sickle

military use of fans in feudal Japan

thumb|Woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi from the series Six Select Heroes depicting [[Kojima Yatarō wearing a sashimono]]

armor originating from Japan

thumb|Kiseru smoking pipe, before 1894, from the Oxford College Archives of Emory UniversityA is a Japanese smoking pipe, traditionally used for smoking kizami, a finely shredded tobacco product resembling hair.

thumb|These colorful nobori outside Tō-ji announce a bazaar being held within the grounds of the temple.

300px|thumb|right|upright=2|A variety of Uma-Jirushi designs, taken from the 17th century book O Uma Jirushi. For other pages from this book see the Commons:Category:Heraldry of Japan|collection of Japanese heraldry images or collection of Uma-Jirushi images.

cloak with a wickwork frame worn by samurai

thumb|Japanese "makibishi" iron spikes, a type of caltrop A makibishi ( or ) is the Japanese version of the caltrop. The tool (igadama) is a sharp spiked object that was used in feudal Japan to slow down pursuers and also was used in the defense of samurai fortifications.

thumb| Antique Japanese iron kaginawa climbing hook is a type of grappling hook used as a tool in feudal Japan by the samurai class, their retainers, foot soldiers and reportedly by ninja. Kaginawa have several configurations, from one to four hooks. The hook would be attached to a rope of varying length; this was then used to scale a rather large wall, to secure a boat, or for hanging up armor and other equipment during the night. Kaginawa were regularly used during various sieges of miscellaneous castles. The rope was attached to a ring on one end which could be used to hang it from a saddl

thumb|300px|An Edo period wood block print showing samurai gunners firing bo-hiya with hiya-zutsu (rocket guns)

The , also known as hachiwari, was a type of knife-shaped weapon, resembling a jitte in many respects. This weapon was carried as a side-arm by the samurai class of feudal Japan. thumb|350px|Antique Japanese hachiwari with a nihonto style of handle

housings and associated fittings that hold the blade of a Japanese sword

thumb|250px|Date Masamune's Hatajirushi.(Black flag, and Black feather on top ) text: "小馬志るし"()

thumb|Bajōzutsu The was a tanegashima in the form of a pistol. Bajō-zutsu were used by mounted samurai in feudal Japan.

300px|thumb|right|Japanese horagai, a conch shell used for religious purposes or as a signal instrument|signal for [[samurai]] Horagai () (or jinkai ) are large conch shells, usually from Charonia tritonis, that have been used as trumpets in Japan for many centuries. The instrument, which has served a number of purposes throughout Japanese history, has been given a number of Japanese names depending on its function. Special schools still teach students to play the traditional music associated with the conch.

thumb|In this Kunisada print, [[Horibe Yasubei holds a large mallet.]] An is a large wooden war mallet used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Unlike bladed weapons such as the katana or polearms such as the naginata, the ōtsuchi was a blunt-force instrument, resembling an oversized wooden mallet or sledgehammer. It had a shaft of about 6 ft (183 cm) much like the ono (war axe). Typically constructed of heavy wood, sometimes reinforced with iron, the ōtsuchi was not commonly used for direct combat but for breaching doors, gates, or fortifications. Its design and purpose align it with siege

overview of artillery in Japan

thumb|An ōdzutsu (top) from the Edo period thumb|Man with an ōdzutsu (Ukiyo-e painting by [[Utagawa Kuniyoshi)]]

A large axe.