Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Japanese warfare is often thought of as being without shields, a common staple of warfare in many other parts of the world. Yet, was this really the case? In actuality, the Japanese did use shields, they just often looked and functioned somewhat differently than many people are used to.
Linfamy's great video on Japanese shields: youtube.com/watch?v=UCKaQyC_i-g
Also check out this great article from Gunsen History about Japanese shields: gunbai-militaryhistory.blogspot.com/2017/12/tate-tedate-japanese-shields.html
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Sources Used:
"Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" by Karl Friday
"Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Modern Japan" by Karl Friday
"Samurai Weapons & Fighting Techniques" by Thomas Conlan
"The Samurai Encyclopedia" by Constantine Nomikos Vaporis
"Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 by William Wayne Farris
"Tate & Tedate (盾 & 手盾) - Japanese Shields" article by Gunsen History (link above)
"The Evolution of Shields in China" article from Great Ming Military
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Music from:
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
Artwork:
Classical art, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
Art from Osprey Publications.
Other modern artist renditions and photographs, if you see your work in this video please contact me so that I can give you proper credit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/theshogunateyoutube
X: twitter.com/ShogunateThe
Support the channel on Patreon! patreon.com/theshogunateyt?fan_landing=true
Japanese warfare is often thought of as being without shields, a common staple of warfare in many other parts of the world. Yet, was this really the case? In actuality, the Japanese did use shields, they just often looked and functioned somewhat differently than many people are used to.
Linfamy's great video on Japanese shields: youtube.com/watch?v=UCKaQyC_i-g
Also check out this great article from Gunsen History about Japanese shields: gunbai-militaryhistory.blogspot.com/2017/12/tate-tedate-japanese-shields.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources Used:
"Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan" by Karl Friday
"Hired Swords: The Rise of Private Warrior Power in Early Modern Japan" by Karl Friday
"Samurai Weapons & Fighting Techniques" by Thomas Conlan
"The Samurai Encyclopedia" by Constantine Nomikos Vaporis
"Heavenly Warriors: The Evolution of Japan's Military, 500-1300 by William Wayne Farris
"Tate & Tedate (盾 & 手盾) - Japanese Shields" article by Gunsen History (link above)
"The Evolution of Shields in China" article from Great Ming Military
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music from:
Nobunaga's Ambition: Sphere of Influence
Artwork:
Classical art, which in most cases can be considered public domain.
Art from Osprey Publications.
Other modern artist renditions and photographs, if you see your work in this video please contact me so that I can give you proper credit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Social Media:
Facebook: facebook.com/theshogunateyoutube
X: twitter.com/ShogunateThe
Support the channel on Patreon! patreon.com/theshogunateyt?fan_landing=true
