. The mikado's empire. ch a pennant was thrust, or an ornament shapedlike a pear inserted. The pear-splitter was the fatal stroke in com-bat and the prize-cut in fencing. Behind the corslet on the back wasanother socket, in which the clan flag was inserted. The breastplate 220 THE MIKADOS EMPIRE. was heavy and tough; the arms, legs, abdomen, and thighs were pro-tected by plates joined by woven chains. Shields were often used;and for forlorn-hopes or assaults, cavalrymen made use of a stuffed bagresembling a bolster, to receive a volley of arrows. Besides beingmissile-proof, it held the arrows
. The mikado's empire. ch a pennant was thrust, or an ornament shapedlike a pear inserted. The pear-splitter was the fatal stroke in com-bat and the prize-cut in fencing. Behind the corslet on the back wasanother socket, in which the clan flag was inserted. The breastplate 220 THE MIKADOS EMPIRE. was heavy and tough; the arms, legs, abdomen, and thighs were pro-tected by plates joined by woven chains. Shields were often used;and for forlorn-hopes or assaults, cavalrymen made use of a stuffed bagresembling a bolster, to receive a volley of arrows. Besides beingmissile-proof, it held the arrows as spoils. On the shoulders, hangingloosely, were unusually wide and heavy brassarts, designed to deadenthe force of the two-handed sword-stroke. Greaves and sandals com-pleted the suit, which was laced and bound with iron clamps, andcords of buckskin and silk, and decorated with crests, gilt tassels, andglittering insignia. Suits of armor were of black, white, purple, crim-son, violet, green, golden, or silver Kusunoki Masatsiira. (From a photograph takeu from a native drawing.) The rations of the soldiers were rice, fish, and vegetables. Insteadof tents, huts of straw or boughs were easily erected to form a generals head - quarters were inclosed by canvas, stretched onposts six feet high, on which his armorial bearings were weapons were bows and arrows, spear, sword, and, rarely, battle-axes and bow-guns; for sieges, fire-arrows. The generals scabbard wasof tiger-skin. Supplies of this material were obtained from Corea,where the animal abounds. His baton was a small lacquered wand,with a cluster of strips of thick white paper dependent from the , banners, and streamers were freely used; and a camp, castle, ormoving army, in time of war, with its hundreds and thousands of flags,presented a gay and lively appearance. Drums, hard-wood clappers,and conch-shells sounded the reveille, the alarm, the onset, or the re-treat. Owing to the natur
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Keywords: ., bookauthorgriffisw, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookyear1894
