6 Fascinating Facts About The Samurai

[@ChitChatBFF]

you guys are just so fun and wholesome. Very rare in this world

[@Figgy5119]

There was also a black samurai named Yusuke who came to Japan as a slave/man servant of the Jesuit missionaries who Oda Nobunaga took a liking to, bought or otherwise gained custody of him, and eventually made a samurai. True story.

[@CamboEntertainment]

full name,please??

[@OR0R0]

xan zo His name was Yasuke, a name which was given to him after he began to serve Nobunaga.. his original name is not recorded in history.

[@erinnwright6511]

THE VERY FIRST SHO-GUN WARRIOR WAS AFRICAN. CHECK FOR YOURSELVES*

[@Joisey11]

OR0R0 The original name was SHAFT. LOL, and only his lady understands him.

[@OR0R0]

.... and so it is....

[@MsFrostitute]

1:35 Tomoe-Gozen!! I was named after someone else famous during that time, Shizuka!

[@GusVIII]

You guys didn't mention the former African slave that became a samurai and served under Nobu Naga.

[@MsFrostitute]

Yes, Nobunaga, the first unifier!

[@isaacdiakite1720]

GusVIII Yasuke you mean?

[@raz0rblad380]

Woah that’s actually so cool

[@dawlathamad1690]

I am so happy you guys are doing this kind of video again😆

[@1992kikissie]

You could say in the video what the word Samourai means. When I ask my friends who are not asian what the word Samourai means, they all answer Japanese warrior with an expression "You're chinese, don't you know yourself what it means?". When I told them it means "to serve", they are like no way :P Great video.

[@JariSatta]

The character 侍 has these Japanese readings (most common readings): JI ji(suru) = wait upon, serve habe(ru) = wait upon, serve samurai = warrior, samurai

[@1992kikissie]

***** Thanks for the information, I'll remember that :)

[@supermanboy1255]

1992kikissie They seem racist for assuming you knew and very racist for think Chinese and Japanese are the same language

[@DarthJF]

About female warriors. Women participating in battle in itself wasn't uncommon, it's about the type of battle. When a castle was under attack it was typical for women trained with naginata to participate in the fighting. And sometimes, when the lord of the castle was away when it came under attack, his wife might actually be the one leading the defence. Women fighting alongside of an army on the field was more uncommon, but there are some notable examples about that too.

[@kingpanda1]

That was great! Thanks for sharing!

[@marooma]

There's a really good movie about sepuku called Harakiri (1962) it's a classic. Tells you a lot about being a samurai. There's also a 2011 remake of it called Harakiri: Death of the Samurai, which is also good.

[@reginaldking5905]

Interesting video guys, I wonder if you guys can do a video about all warriors classes in Asia. I'm sure it would be a varied and interesting subject.

[@sardoniclab1953]

It should be noted: The original weapon of the Samurai was not the sword but the bow, this was true from the Heian period (794-1185) to the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). The film 'The Last Samurai' is loosely based off the memoir of Jules Brunet. Brunet sided with the Shogunate's forces during the Boshin War, and later helped organize the army of the Ezo Republic. While Tom Cruise's character is at the time of Satsuma Rebellion which occurred after the Boshin War.

[@marystestkitchen]

I started craving sushi at the beginning of the video. Around 6:23, that starts to go away. Thanks, guys! ;D

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

Mary's Test Kitchen we live to help :-)

[@sofiamonaco9910]

You know it's kind of funny that you uploaded this since my history class just started to learn about the Tokugawa Era in Japan yesterday. I hope to impress my teacher by bringing up some of these things, especially about the seppuku. He never went into depth about the subject, so I hope I can inform him without offending. But this was really interesting! ^^

[@chriskampen3633]

Fun fact: chainmail is almost impossible to penetrate with weapons, allowing a person to walk through a rain of arrows as if taking a walk throug ordinary rain. Chainmail was only penetrable by a special designed 'chainmail breaking sword'. And armour is indeed heavy and makes it quite difficult to move (even needing to be lifted upon your own horse) but incredibly protecting, leaving weakspots only by the armpits and back of the kneecaps

[@EmperorJavik]

Actually, european full plate armor was relatively easy to move in and they were able to run, jump, roll and get on a horse by themselves. As a matter of fact, full plate armor was actually lighter than the gear a marine carries today and you wouldn't feel the weight as much in plate armor because it is distributed pretty evenly across the whole body. It's a common misconception that full plate armor was heavy and difficult to move in.

[@mspencer243]

MightyThunderBeast uhm no, full plate armor is not as heavy as everyone thinks... but is heavy of you wear on the battlefield for a long period of time. Plus theres a reason why european knight engages in battle but not on a full hours course of fighting but the battle will be composed of several short skirmishes so that the knights that wear a full plate armor will recover their stamina. Weather will also affect the wearer of the will plate armor, if its sunny the metal plates will conduct heat that will affect the wearer. Losing his stamina quicker.. And no, US marines have 50lbs of gear or less. A european armor weighs up to 55 to 60lbs depending on the steel that was used. Some of them even weighs up to 80lbs for jousing. Its common myth that the full plate armor weight less than 50lbs. Modern plate armor that were made by modern techniques and modern steel were lighter and more ergonomic of course... And right, its a misconception that the full plate armor is easy to move in. But in depends on how long you use it, the weather, the terrain..

[@EmperorJavik]

M Spencer The average soldier carries about 60lbs of gear. Specialized soldiers and other functions sometimes carry even more, with for example a Saw gunner carrying up to 90lbs of gear. Of course full plate armor isn't light and will feel heavy after some time. However it will do so slower than modern military gear due to the way the weight is distributed over the whole body. Yeah, jousting armor was quite heavy and stiff. I believe this is were the misconception about the heavy and bulky plate armor comes from. That's a great point about the weather. I don't want to imagine how hot it must have been inside the armor when fighting on a hot and sunny day. Not only does the sun heat up the armor, you'd most likely also be wearing a gambeson underneath. Must have been almost unbearable!

[@EmperorJavik]

M Spencer And concerning the video, Japanese armor like the tosei gusoku wasn't much lighter compared to european plate armor and it was only slightly easier to move in. Knyght Errant made a great video together with the Metatron concerning this.

[@mspencer243]

MightyThunderBeast But the difference is that a Modern soldier carries gear, 40lbs of that will be supplies like ration and other necessities of the soldiers. A medieval warrior that wears a 60lbs of full plate or 40 to 50lbs of Samurai armor.

[@sabsces_6230]

i realize that i'm actually addicted to your channel xD

[@DaSpineLessFish]

Actually European armour is not as big and bulky as many people think it is, in fact it is very easy to move around in European plate armour and Western plate armour was also designed to be easy to move about in, obviously. The idea of European knights lumbering around slowly with huge plates of steel strapped to them is just fucking stupid.

[@nomyzwrite9381]

Totally agree. Also the weight of armor (plates) was distributed very good among different body parts, where for example chainmail, although was lighter than plate amour (and both are like two times lighter then today's gear that infantry carries) was worse in usage because its weight hit the shoulders very heavily. Wearer could jump, stand, sit etc. No problems in movement. Hell, they could jump on horse.

[@DaSpineLessFish]

***** Not just jump, I've seen guys do rolls, climb ladders and shit in full plate.

[@mannyc4909]

Don't forget the Roman Lorica Segmentata.

[@DaSpineLessFish]

***** Yeah, but that came before what would be considered as "medieval" as the Lorica Segmentata would have come from the first century, full plate armour would was developed in Europe during the late middle ages.

[@mannyc4909]

true but it is still classified as plate armor and last time I checked Italy is in Europe.

[@paulikanalien3814]

You guys make fun videos! Subscribed😁

[@evalamere3778]

I am learning about this type of thing in social studies!!! How cool!

[@fhjhkhkj76544]

Great and awesome video gentlemen

[@crystaluxblu39]

As soon as I heard rurounin Kenshin... Automatic thumbs up!!!

[@aliceanduril4888]

Mike and Dan, great video. I'd love to see a video about Ninja, including Kunoichi. The ways in which Kunoichi were utilized against a target are fascinating. ~Peace and love ^-^

[@amritgurung4714]

great video guys! keep it up

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

Amrit Gurung Thanks :-)

[@maylin5181]

Mike really does look like Jackie Chan 😛

[@Zelda00Gamer]

OK FACT CHECK TIME! I am currently enrolled in a Japanese images class and we talked extensively about samurai and bushido. First point, samuari wouldn't have even heard of bushido. Bushido was a word Nitobe created for his book Bushido: Soul of Japan written in 1899, long after samurai were "abolished" so to speak. Samurai did not have a code of conduct therefore they couldn't commit seppuku for breaking it. Seppuku was committed in honor of their leader, usually the Emperor, or their clan leader (or daimiyo) if they were opposed to the Emperor. Also not all samurai committed seppuku or harikiri. Only torn down, impoverished samurai with no where to turn committed it. Other samurai committed ritual suicide just not the stomach slicing variety. Seppuku was hideously painful so most weren't forced to commit it. Instead they pretended to slice their stomach open, with a fan or some such instrument, and then someone would slice their heads off. Painless and still honorific.

[@DarthJF]

The word bushido got only popularised in modern times, but the term itself originates from Edo period and the idea is much older. If you read Heike Monogatari, then it already contains many examples of bushido like conduct as examples of proper samurai behaviour. After the start of the Edo period several samurai thinkers started elaborating on the previously existing samurai ideals more extensively to create bushido in the form we know it today. Nitobe then popularised the concepts during Meiji period in his book. But the thing to remember about bushido is that it was about how samurai _should_ behave, not how they actually did. That's why the few samurai who actually lived up to the ideals of their time got so much praise, because just like today, most people actually aren't perfect examples.

[@Zelda00Gamer]

***** +DarthJF Bushido was not known among Japanese people… It appeared in literature, but was not a commonly used word.”

[@Zelda00Gamer]

***** But in reality the term bushido did not exist until the twentieth century. In fact, Nitobe, one of the first scholars to embrace bushido, thought he created the term in 1900.

[@DarthJF]

Zelda00Gamer of course it wasn't commonly used. It was a word that would be relevant only for samurai, and even among them, probably not something a low end retainer would be hearing often, if at all. That's however different from the word not having existed at all. It did exist, its use was just limited to the upper most class of society.

[@Zelda00Gamer]

***** No I never meant embrace in that sense. I meant he embraced the idea as a good ideal to display to the American public

[@seoglowy]

heyy guyss :D it was nice meeting you guys last night! can't wait to collab soon :D "do you like food?" ... "yes..yes i do." ahhaha

[@canineconundrum]

Yeah!!!!! Rurouni Kenshin!!!! I grew up with that!!! AHHH. Happy memories.

[@Mino-px4pb]

Rurouni Kenshin is one of my all time favorite

[@nunearohastros6017]

I love Rurouni Kenshin too!! It's my favorite samurai anime!~

[@Gamerarmy3543]

The teacher I tutor for is showing this video in class right now and I got so excited because I also follow strictly dumplings

[@jerryhunter1114]

TOTALLY AGREE about the post-Shishio arc. It was a fantastic show but after the Shishio saga it was like the writers quit and didn't tell the animators.

[@MrSzeklerdude]

a full set of European Knight armour set(ex milanese armour) was about the same weight as a full set of Samurai armour, except they offered far better protection. Japanese armour and weaponry(including the Katana) had more of a ceremonial status symbol function than european armours.

[@KelyrinYourSafeSpace]

That was a very interesting video !! :D I didn't know there was a whole ritual for seppuku including special way of dressing, favorite meal, poems etc. For the armors, when you see the weight of medieval occidental swords, you totally get that they needed something as solid as possible. They actually didn't move that much, it's not so much about how you're going to cut but more about how strong you're going to hit the opponent. Don't know if I made sense ^^"

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

Kelyrin's Cooking & Bento yea that makes sense :-) I would fight them and just run around :p

[@CajunCoder]

Actually, European swords are not any heavier than the Katana, on average, and the armor is as heavy or restrictive as it's made out to be -- it comes in at no more than about 60lbs usually, which is about the same weight as a fully armed soldier carries today. Furthermore, look up Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA for short. We have surviving manuals covering armored and unarmored fighting, and in neither case are the techniques and principles about heavy blows. Cuts and heavy blows are ineffective against armor, at least with a sword -- and completely unnecessary against an unarmored opponent. Therefore, armored fighting historically looks a lot like grappling and spearwork, utilizing halfswording, while unarmored fighting actually resembles Japanese Sword Arts more than you would think, but with a tendency to work from the bind more. It's really interesting stuff, and far more sophisticated than Hollywood would have you believe.

[@richardlionfart6793]

But early samurai armor like o-yoroi (8th to 14th century) weighed the same as knights armor (stereotype being 15th century stuffs) and weren't as flexible as the stuff you typically see in movies, which would be 17th century tosei gusoku, where they started giving up as much protection and padding and started making samurai into light-medium infantrymen and archers instead of horse archers. Even then, earlier knight armor looked even more flexible in comparison to earlier samurai, seeing as how they relied on mail armor until the transitional periods of the 13th and 14th centuries. As well, by the time that Japan started making tosei gusoku and Japanese styled firearms, European warfare started turning into line battles and pike formations and whatnot.

[@KelyrinYourSafeSpace]

Richard Lionfart ***** thanks for all the precisions ! English is not my first language so I had to translate a few things though ! I am very close to people who do European medieval reconstitution (historically accurate of course, mostly XIIIth century) but I don't know much about Samurai armors and weapons (words, Katana...), their weight and efficiency. So it's hard for me to make a comparison ! But I just saw a video about "halfswording" that confirmed what I said about the european armors, it doesn't really matter how hard you hit your opponent's armor with your sharp sword, it won't be able to go through the metal (unless you get access to certain points with are not covered). But if you knock him out, that certainly will be an advantage for you ! Also, the european armor at that time was indeed very heavy, but I agree with many comments, it's nothing that you can't move in (like what we often see in movies). I've seen a few combats and wow, the people in them sure can go fast ! Again, pardon my poor vocabulary (maybe even not accurate, I hope I'm not writing the contrary of what I'm thinking by using wrong words hahah), especially on this subject ! I find this very fascinating and I definitely want to learn more about Samurai combat.

[@albati88]

hi guys ur doing a great job keep it up. btw where is carmen I dont see her in the videos anymore did u guys fight or something cuz she was great in ur channel.

[@loganwetterling7331]

I remember hearing in school when I was younger, that samurais actually had armor made of tightly folded paper. It would be flexible yet very hard to penetrate with a sword or arrow.

[@haniekadil4875]

I really like the anime Ruruoni Kenshin, one of my favorite since childhood. I even watch the three-part live action movies of it starring Takeru Satoh as Kenshin Himura and Emi Takei as Kaoru.

[@arjsoriano]

Oh my G!!! Rurouni Kenshin is also my favourite. Hey Mike we really are buddies. hehe!!! This video is informative. Yeah Dan, please push that Ninja video, love that as well. Thanks!

[@Thatsprettiemuchit]

y'all look good in this video :D

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

Thatsprettiemuchit Thanks :-)

[@trippyzgota422]

Thatsprettiemuchit v

[@cc-ug7pl]

I totally agree with you Mike... After Shishio battle, I stopped watching the series... But still one of my favorite anime ever, you know I grew up watching Rurouni Kenshin and I turned up fine (I think so) jejejejeje

[@DarthDevious905]

yeah i have some armor of my own and yeah its heavy but its realy easy to move around in it and after wearing it for about 2 to 3 minutes it feels realy light and easy to move around fast in. and when my friends hold like the helmet they are always like how do you move around this stuff on just the helmet by its self is realy heavy and my armor is real metal to so i guess once you get use to wearing it, it starts feeling like its not heavy at all.

[@stormmaynard5125]

I knew some of this because I do Japanese and we learnt about it, but that was awesome and they kinda shows the way they dressed before they kill them selves in the movie 47 Ronon

[@Stablemable2]

You mentioned Darth Vader but Jedi ropes were also influenced by the Samurai robes.

[@LeizhiLi]

Dean.. Did you bite Mike again? IN HIS CHEEK!!!

[@anaabiles2872]

Great video Mike and Dan please do the ninja video i love both samurai and ninja too and also like Kenshin. ^_^

[@discordchibi1015]

Rurouni Kenshin is still one of my favorite anime. Watching, made me want to learn how to use swords. I know it sounds weird but, oh well.

[@Direwoof]

Which is why whenever I charge into battle in mech warrior I yell: "VERY HONOURABLE!"

[@jantalipun8529]

nice video.only want to say that in european armor its also very easy to move in.you probably gonna find a detailed explanation on the metatron channel.

[@joshuadimayuga4400]

That movie you guys were talking about at the outro was 47 ronin I believe

[@ShinyFallingStar]

depending on which era you're talking about, european armor was about 50lbs over the body, so it wasnt too heavy as armor.

[@hazardous0887]

BlueRainBoots No ... Just no ... Samurai armor was NOT made of bamboo and leather. It had leather components like straps to keep the armor on but it was not made of leather.

[@kawaiikittle2907]

Rurouni Kenshin is one of the best anime ever XD Also, have you seen the live-action remake of it?! They actually have two movies and they are AWESOME - best live-action anime adaptation ever.

[@ZingZapZong]

+Kawaii Kittle there are 3 live action movies now.

[@mannyuribe8780]

guys there was a sepuku attempt in that movie The Big Hit when the guy gets interrupted with the phone call regarding his kidnapped daughter. it was a funny scene xD

[@skYt9139]

My dad has a katana. A bit ancient, think he bought it in the 90s. A knock off though, still it has a bit of weight and blade... and a bit rusty. I had no idea that it existed until my younger brother saw him immitate some samurai moves with it... 😁

[@heroicdefender9747]

@Off the Great Wall You guys forgot about Yasuke He was the first and only African man to become a samurai in 16th Century Japan during the Sengoku Period and was the right hand man of the famed damiyo, Oda Nobunaga. Plus he became a Samurai long before William Adams came along.

[@secala5540]

after my class learnt about seppuku, they say so much hw im gonna commit SEPPUKU

[@demianhaki7598]

One of the worst remnants of seppuku culture seems to be the fact that the idea of killing oneself in a moment of shame is still sometimes seen as honourable by people today and used as a rationalization/reason for suicide, e.g. among business men etc.

[@anthonys7660]

kamikaze pilots and banzai charges in ww2

[@redwolfjoy]

Mike, did you forget to feed Dan, again? 😂

[@Lupo32]

The Samurai drank tea on Thursdays

[@yurylast8334]

Do a video that only explains seppuku! Please!

[@FrisoTalks]

Did something happen to Mike's face again or was this recorded a while ago? :P

[@probablymorgan4872]

OMG INLOVE FAIRY TAIL I KINDA FINISHED IT IN 2 weeks but I LOVE ANIME WHOAAAA

[@pearceharris8524]

Double Chen HOLY CRAP XD

[@lindalemoni5428]

why are you guys not uploading on the double chen channel anymore?

[@ruqaiyahtalib9279]

:-) plz do another food video

[@darincheney7568]

Although the samurai armor was lighter, it did not provide as good of protection as euro armor as it was mostly leather and not steel. Their helmets did allow for better vision though

[@charlesmichael5982]

No it's not made of leather the plates are made of steal aswell, if the armour is made of leather then the katana could easily cut it with ease so therefore leather armour would be useless on the battle field.

[@axies798]

For anyone who likes Samurai i would recommend the young samurai book series by Chris Bradford, they're really good and i loved them

[@Deadly_Fury]

KENSHIN WAS EVERYTHING!!

[@colinfonken5109]

Agreed.

[@thegreatmiyagi995]

As a person who takes Kendo and know quite a bit with the art of Samurai warfare, it's pretty funny how people who think Katanas are the *worst* weapon and "not that great" don't even know the technique behind it, it's like you're trying to compare apples to oranges.

[@Bourikii2992]

+The Japanese Nationalist Or that they even think the katana was a weapon meant for warfare which is simply not true at all. The katana was a weapon mainly used in a time of peace when cloth was common instead of armor.

[@KenyaGousuShinteEsiv]

Rurouni Kenshin & fairy tail ❤️❤️❤️

[@cherpylatina]

I see your bandaid Mike!

[@vigil2754]

The Plate (knight) armor was not built for mobility (that was what the horse was for), it was built to be nearly invincible and being a wrecking ball. Sadly, fire arms made both Samurai Armor and Plate Armor useless.

[@welcometothefishtank130]

I love Kenshin too! Let's be friends!

[@akiko2289]

Interesting! I've always been curious about what's actually true about samurai and what has been "embellished."

[@TheSaneHatter]

A quick, historical and literary note: James Clavell's novel, "Shogun" was loosely based on the life of Will Adams. And it made a better movie than, "The Last Samurai."

[@FlashCue]

I just came back home after a 3 day trip to kyoto

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

Randomcore HD sweet!

[@KeVtArO]

plot twist, Mike is the real Shishio!

[@NTDOffTheGreatWall]

KeVtArO how did you know?!

[@KeVtArO]

the bandages gave it away! lol. i'm also a fan of rurouni kenshin

[@jobgarcia7704]

Who else noticed something on Mike's face?!

[@BlackGothGirl1]

It took me until 6:20 to notice.

[@225kristent]

cut himself shaving? shrugs

[@Aytrex87]

Band aid, maybe this was an older video because I remember he had a band aid on for a bit cause he cut himself or something

[@LeizhiLi]

Dean bite Mike...

[@Joisey11]

Kristen225 Now we all know what to get Mike for Christmas: An electric shaver.

[@felisd]

Mke! Totally loved Rourouni Kenshin. ^_^ The manga and the anime.

[@yurylast8334]

Do a video that it only explains seppuku!

[@darkninjaonizuka]

You forgot Yasuke (弥助). A samurai for Nobunaga

[@Melicioel7]

+Ryuga Raijin yeah the African samurai

[@mamushi72sai]

alright a few things irritated me about this but here's one. The samurai barely used swords in the early days. they almost entirely used bow and arrows. in the 1400s spears became the go to weapon and then not long after firearms. the katana is a symbolic icon and not a real fighting weapon. taking a sword into battle would be like a modern soldier running into a battle with just a pistol.

[@robbiecarter9241]

Hi, I'm considering learning a Japanese or Chinese martial art (I'm an American) and I want to learn about each of their ancient histories and cultures and in tern their martial arts. I have a rough understanding of the Chinese Warring states period however I'm afraid that's it. I'd love it if someone more knowledgeable could recommend any documentaries or books.

[@simonakatsman974]

So I'm guessing that's where the practice of suicide notes came from? And the "final meal"?

[@wrknhvc7708]

Darth Vader’s helmet was also inspired by WWI German helmets

[@JJkul1917]

The bend in the blade of a katana actually comes from the swordmaking process.

[@andrewphillips8341]

'western armor' is a very broad term it covers a period of over 2000 plus years and was continually changed as the battlefield and weapons changed Japanese armor stagnated for a few hundred years

[@kazutokirigaya3187]

Going to watch beyond science later

[@asiansensation622]

Great video, but the analysis of European armor is a bit off. Full plate weighed between 45-60lbs, similar to what modern infantry wear. Also, the breast and back plates were load bearing, making it fairly comfortable and taking the weight off your shoulders. Check out I am Shad, Metatron, or Mike Loades, they have great videos about Medieval/Renaissance armor.

[@anthonys7660]

People were a lot shorter back then so it would've felt heavier however they usually were on horseback

[@leanncordle90]

Ruroken is good I agree with mike

[@darincheney7568]

Though European armor is heavy, the weight is distributed throughout the body well enough to allow free movement

[@gudz39]

i wonder if there'll be a list of best samurai females > //// < just wondering...

[@TheJarric]

late era knights amor lack of mobility is exadserated , lok for roger collins channel more info on it

[@amylian5515]

Question: Are you guys fan of Sword Art Online?

[@AlexChenAUst]

0:24 i'm a little suspicious about that favorite anime... roROUni(n) kenshin?? lol

[@bjornjernskjold8631]

Ever seen the work out video of guys in western armor? European armor is moveable in vary well actully.

[@Qtipz123]

That movie with Keanu Reeves in it is called 47 Ronin, based on a true story

[@Jffusilero]

guys you forgot the Samurai Lost to a Spartan Warrior in Deadliest Warrior

[@shue-boxx]

YO!!!! Dan!!! Don't eat your 兄弟!!! (Xiōngdì)

[@FK-se4hq]

I think the picture you used for chokutou are Chinese zhidao

[@cameliad3522]

the top not -hair style of samurais was called choumage

[@shivmaple1013]

Darth Vader's and all the Stormtroopers helmet was based off of War II German helmet.