Did samurai, chinese or korean warriors ever use shields?

Question: Did samurai, chinese or korean warriors ever use shields!?

Cause I've never seen one!. If not, why not!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Both Chinese and Korean lower-grade troops used various forms of shield; often rectangular for the Koreans and round for the Chinese!. A portion of the Chinese forces fighting during the Boxer Rebellion were still equipped with round shields as late as 1900, just before the Chinese forces were properly modernised!.

In Japan in the earliest phase of development (around the 3rd and 4th centuries AD), strange rectangular shields with in-curved sides and a rounded top were used by the lower-grade troops!. These shields were no longer in use by the 10th century!.

Later, and before the 19th century modernisation of the Japanese Army, large numbers of large, rectangular wooden shields fitted with a leg at the rear (equivalent to the western pavisse) were used on the battlefield, within fixed fortifications and in siege lines!. These were portable and could be re-positioned as required, but left both hands free to use a bow or matchlock musket!. They were thick enough to stop both arrows and bullets!.

Upper-class Japanese warriors (bushi or samurai) never used a shield since both hands were needed for the bow, spear or sword!. Their armour was designed to absorb both arrow hits and sword thrusts!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I've never read of or seen examples of samurai using shields, or of the ashigaru troops using them as a group!. Similiarly, I don't know of any evidence that the Chinese or Korean armies used them as standard equipment!. However, I did find a couple of pictures online showing that both the Chinese and Koreans did indeed have shields!. Apparantly the military philosophies between East and West differed, given how common the shield was from Persian times all the way to the gunpowder era in the west!. The first link is of mongol armor at the time of their conquest of China!.

Interesting question!. I hadn't thought about the question before this!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Hi C!.
Kenjutsu (Japanese swordsmanship), though consisting of very effective counter-cutting actions, also has no real indigenous provisions for fighting shields!. Although a skilled warrior could certainly improvise some, those unfamiliar with the formidable effectiveness and versatility of a Sword and shield combination would have a hard time!. In major battles among each warrior, a suit of armor was typically worn and a Sword wielded in one or two-hands!. For the Samurai the Sword was but one of three major weapons along with the bow and arrow and the Yari (thrusting spear)!. We should consider that, despite their later acquired reputation for swordsmanship, the samurai’s primary weapon was, in fact, not the sword!. The sword really did not even become a premier weapon of samurai culture and reach its cult status until the mid to late 17th century when the civil warring period ended!.
It is something of a myth that every individual Japanese Samurai was himself an expert Swordsman (no more true than every wild West cowboy was an expert gunfighter)!. After all, the expression so associated with Bushido is "the Way of the horse and Bow", not "the Way of the Sword!." Besides, unlike knightly chivalric tales and combat accounts, the majority of single combats between Samurai described in feudal Japanese literature took place with Daggers not Swords!.
As a Sword, the Japanese Katana is unmatched in its sharpness and cutting power!. Furthermore, it is particularly good at cutting against metal (–but no, it only cuts through other swords in movies and video games!)!.
C, what is important to remember about the Samurai and all Sword Fighters Swordsman is the primary technique for fighting nearly any kind of armor with most any kind of sword is not to cut but to thrust at the gaps and joints!.
I hope this is of help to you C!.
Good luck my friend,
Cathorio!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

lmao!. a bit mad!.!.haha!. uhhhh i doubt it!.!.they're all for dying of honor not scaredy-catness!. just like the japanese-they'd rather kill themselves then return home after surrendering!. it's weird so i assume that they would just die where they were instead of protecting them selves really!.!.not too sure!.good question tho!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes all three do have shields!.Some of their shields are made of metal and others made of straw!.They have started using shields even before there was Britain!.They use it mainly to block off arrows raining on them and not block off the sword!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Yes almost all classes of warrior did except Samaria , because their weapon was the sword and short sword they were heavily armoured but had to have both hands freeWww@QuestionHome@Com

NopeWww@QuestionHome@Com