[THEME MUSIC]
The legends and myths surrounding the samurai
are about as numerous as Chuck Norris one liners.
So let me school you on some sweet samurai history.
Support provided by the Glick Fund,
a CICF fund focused on inspiring philanthropy.
Additional support provided by the Christel DeHaan Family
Foundation in honor of the children and families
of Christel House.
[THEME MUSIC]
Samurais were the rock stars of their time.
And their style of clothing massively
influenced the fashion of the era.
But except for the most formal occasions,
samurai didn't really dress to impress.
Their everyday clothes were not very elaborate.
But every aspect of what they wore
was designed to fit their needs as warriors.
Samurai are dressed for speed, travel, and freedom
of movement.
The regular outfit consisted of wide hakama trousers
and a kimono or hitatare, a type of vest
that was pointy and imposing at the shoulders.
The costume left the arms free, and the hitatare vest
could be removed quickly in case of a surprise attack.
The kimono was generally made of silk because of its coolness,
feel, and appearance.
Samurai history began in 792 when Japan ended
its policy of enlisting troops.
This led local neighborhoods to assemble their own forces
for defense, which led to the awesomeness
we have known as the samurai class.
By 1185, warlords took over and fought
in the name of the emperor.
These warlords or shoguns were military dictators.
Sometimes they were appointed by the emperor,
but they generally thought of themselves as the rulers.
Serving underneath the shoguns with the daimyo, which
translate to great landholder.
Samurai served under these land holders
and were so committed to them that they would pledge
to serve in life and death.
In fact, they were also so committed to the other samurais
that if only two were left against a whole army
they would still fight to the death.
How did samurai warriors train?
Great question.
Samurai were experts in many weapons, bow and arrows,
spears, and even unarmed combat.
Eventually, the sword became the weapon of choice.
But the sword was more than just a weapon.
It became the soul of the samurai,
the embodiment of his spirit.
The samurai devoted most of their time
to the art of combat.
All training was preparation for the battlefield.
They possessed very few material things
since all they really needed were their weapons.
Beginning in the 1400s, the first schools
were established to train the samurai
in the way of the laido, the way of the sword.
Teaching sessions at the Dojo started
by practicing with a wooden sword.
Their teaching focused on the weak points of Japanese armor.
Because the armor needed to provide flexibility,
it did not protect the blood vessels
on the inside of the arms and legs.
Samurai rarely practiced fighting with each other,
because it was crazy dangerous.
Most of these samurai students started as farmers.
They would train in the countryside
so they could master fighting on rough terrain.
In Japan, there is a saying that once
every 500 years a great swordsman is reincarnated.
Apparently, the greatest was born in 1584.
His name was Miyamoto Musashi.
Musashi was known for developing a style
of fighting using two swords.
Seriously, who doesn't want to be this guy?
Best of all, he also happened to be an accomplished painter.
The samurai painter, I could live with that title.
Apparently, it was thought that the samurai could not
achieve excellence in war if he did not understand art.
The samurai would say that a man who only understood aggression
was destined to die.
By the way, did you know there were female samurai warriors?
Yep.
These women were called Onna-bugeisha.
And they were known to participate in combat
along with the dudes.
Think Rosie the Riveter from World War II was tough?
Think again.
Their weapon of choice was usually
the naginata, a spear with a curved sword-like blade that
was versatile, yet relatively light.
It's like the girl from the "'Hunger Games,"
Katniss Everdeen, but this isn't a movie.
Think about the bizarre yet fascinating armor
worn by the samurai.
Unlike the ridiculously heavy armor of the Europeans,
the samurai armor was built for mobility.
A good suit of armor had to be sturdy, yet flexible enough
to allow its wearer free movement in the battlefield.
The armor had lacquered plates made of leather or metal,
carefully bound together by laces or leather of silk.
The arms were protected by large rectangular shoulder shields
and light armored sleeves.
The right hand was often left without a sleeve,
to allow maximum movement.
The strangest part of the armor was
the helmet, called the kabuto.
Its bowl was made of riveted metal plates
while the face and the brow were protected
by a piece of armor that tied behind the head
and under the helmet.
The most famous feature of this helmet
was its Darth Vader-like neck guard.
That's right, Darth Vader's design
was actually influenced by samurai helmets.
George Lucas knew how intimidating
this type of headgear would look.
This design was ingenious since it
defended the wearer from arrows and swords
coming from all angles.
Last but not least is that iconic sword.
Samurai originally carried a sword called a chokuto, which
was essentially a slimmer, smaller version
of the straight swords later used by medieval knights.
As sword making techniques progressed,
the samurai switched to a curved sword which eventually
evolved into the katana.
The katana is perhaps the most famous sword type in the world,
and certainly the most iconic of all samurai weapons.
Supposedly, these swords were so sharp they
were said to be able to slice through two
or more bodies at one time.
Now that we have found out just how sharp a katana blade is,
let's head to the Cincinnati Art Museum in Ohio
to see an amazing samurai suit of armor in their collection.
Follow me.
We are here with Hou-mei Sung.
And it's great to meet you.
Thank you so much for taking some time
to tell us about this.
Are we looking at a suit of armor then?
Yes, a suit of Japanese armor.
OK.
Of late 18the century.
Did this get used?
Was it actually functional?
Yes.
Regardless of the elaborate and beautiful decoration,
they were made for battle.
And they were used.
And they were used by a high ranking samurai.
So it's really made very, very well.
As you can see, it's not only functional,
it's also very beautiful.
Sometimes they're much plainer.
Just like you said, this one's very colorful.
Sometimes they just used blue fabric contrasted with
the black lacquered armour pieces.
Now I have to ask.
On the front here, this beautiful wave.
Yes.
Can you tell me why put the art on there?
And did it have a function?
It is actually a decoration.
The gold disc, it symbolized the sun.
The sun is rising from the waves.
So it's a rising sun over the waves.
And the Japanese have different family,
they have different so-called mon or family clan symbol.
So each samurai suit of armor was unique.
Yes.
Totally different.
Yes designed with a unique decoration.
Did they think about texture?
Because I'm seeing how the sun is smooth.
The waves even have texture.
I think the more texture on the body plates, the chest plate,
the more durable.
That's for that purpose.
It's thick.
Yeah, it's thick.
And they create a texture, it's more protection.
All the mask, the chest piece, they are all for protection.
As you can see, they are lacquered metal or wood,
and also the helmet.
These are all functional.
Even the face mask, the shoulder guards, the front chest,
the leg cover.
These are all to prevent them from injuries.
So I didn't notice until you told me.
Can you tell me about the face mask?
Is that made of metal?
Yes, it is.
And it's a little bit flexible.
You see the nose has a gap so they can breathe.
And the eyes, they have holes, they can see.
And some of them, they want to those real fierce
to scare the enemies and also to disguise their face.
This sword is our most beautiful,
the best sword we have.
You can see there's a beautiful dragon carved on the blades.
The sword making is a real sophisticated art.
They need to fold the metal numerous times
to make it strong and not breakable.
So it's a very professional.
I love how we're seeing art here, art there, art down here.
Thank you so much, Hou-mei Sung.
It was incredible getting to learn from you.
Thank you so much for you time.
Thank you.
I really enjoyed doing this whole show.
Inside this space, two groups have
to come together to create something that not only looks
good, but has to function.
Industrial designers create the look of the fixture, the form,
while engineers have to worry about the mechanism
and the function.
Both have to come together in good design.
I'm Jordan Bahler, and I'm an industrial designer
for Delta Faucet Company.
All through high school I took ceramics,
photography, painting.
I did oil painting of all things.
And my mom was a fine artist and she was a photography
major and graphic design.
And so she really was always pushing me in that direction,
taking us to museums.
And my dad was an engineer.
And so it was science fair, science fair, you know,
physics.
It was you need to be an engineer.
You need to have a job that's going to pay the bills.