Samurai and deer are two seemingly unrelated subjects that are actually deeply connected in Japanese history and culture.
In Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, the sika deer is considered a kind of messenger between mortals and the kami, the divine spirits. There are an estimated three million sika deer in Japan today - that’s a lot of deer in a small island country!
Sika comes from the Japanese word 鹿 shika, which means deer. There are five species of sika deer in Japan, ranging from a small melanistic (black coat) species on Kerama Island to the big Manchurian species that is still very numerous and hunted in Hokkaido on Japan’s northernmost large island. Deer were seen in Japanese and samurai culture as gentle and graceful creatures that symbolised peace and prosperity. One Shinto temple still has deer that wander around it and the adjoining town Miyajima.
The samurai was a class of warriors in Japan who were known for their skill with the sword, their fierce and uncompromising fighting spirit in battle, their code of honour and loyalty to their family, clan and their lords. But the samurai were not just skilled and fierce warriors, they were also scholars and artists. They were known for their love of poetry and literature, and many of them wrote poems about the deer. These poems celebrated the beauty and grace of the deer and often used the animal as a metaphor for the samurai's own virtues.
The samurai and deer were also linked through the practice of shika no tsukai, or deer hunting. This was a popular pastime among the samurai, who saw it as a means of honing their skills with bow and spear and testing their bravery on horseback during the chase. The hunt was a way for the samurai to show respect for their prey, as deer were considered sacred animals (sounds a bit like the ADA, eh?).
Part of the samurai culture and spirit lives on today in Kendo and Iaido, which are martial arts based on Japanese sword fighting, and which I train in. I recently spent a very wet Christmas and new year holiday in Far North Queensland. So, what do you do to fill in time on a wet, steamy tropical afternoon? Having an interest in Japanese culture through my marital arts, I naturally decided to go to the Samurai Museum in Cairns. I spent a couple of quiet hours wandering around looking at the displays and talking to the owner, John. John very kindly even gave me the opportunity to closely look at and handle a very nice 400-year-old katana (a samurai sword). It was a live blade (that is, razor sharp), beautifully polished, and had a lovely feel and balance to it (and a ‘nice’ price tag as well of $12,000. Maybe next year, Santa?).
The walk around the museum highlighted to me the connection that the samurai had with deer. There were plenty of examples of several hundred-year-old suits of samurai armour and chest plates made from deer leather coated in lacquer to harden it. Deer antlers also featured prominently on kabuto, Samurai war helmets, displayed at the museum. Deer scenes are commonly seen on some of the tsuba (the hand guards on Japanese swords) and also on menuki.
Menuki are small figurines (about 20mm long) placed under the wrapping on the handle of the sword to give a palm swell, so the sword fits and feels better in the hand, much like the palm swell on some shotgun and rifle stocks. John had two lovely sets of 200-year-old menuki from the sekibun school. I was allowed a close look at them and the detail and finish on them was amazing. One set featured two sika deer made from silver and finished in black-brownish lacquer. They had orange spots about 2mm long. When you looked closely you could see the spots were actually finely detailed deer footprints. The other set of menuki were of sika antlers with a gold hornet on each (hornets were symbols of good luck to the samurai). You could see the pearling on the antler and the hornet was finely detailed as well.
Such a pity that most of this detail would normally be hidden behind the wrapping on the sword handle. There is so much exquisite detail and fine finish that goes into the entire katana and its scabbard. This is why they are such beautiful objects, even to the casual observer. These swords are indeed works of art that, in the right hands, can slice you in half.
Kendo, which literally translates as ‘the way of the sword’, is a modern Japanese martial art that involves the use of bamboo swords, or shinai, to simulate sword fighting. It is a very popular sport in Japan and is also practised around the world, with practitioners ranging from children to crusty old fellas like myself. An important aspect of kendo is the use of protective armour, or bogu, which is worn by practitioners to protect us from injury.
One material that is commonly used in the construction of kendo armour is deer leather. Deer leather is a popular choice due to its lightweight, flexible and durable nature. The best quality bogu are made with sika deer skins sourced from Japan and deer farms in New Zealand. It is used in the construction of various parts of the bogu, including the men (helmet), the tare (hip and thigh guards) and the kote, or forearm/hand guards. One of the main benefits of using deer skin and deer hair in kendo armour is that it helps to make the armour more comfortable and easier to wear. The lightweight and flexible nature of deer skin allows it to move with you, while the softness of deer hair provides additional cushioning and comfort.
My own kote has thin, smoked deer leather on the palms which make it durable, soft and flexible, and the gloved section is also stuffed with deer hair. Good quality deer hair is placed between the layers of fabric and leather to provide additional cushioning and protection for the wearer, (especially if you are a 65-year-old practitioner with arthritic wrists). It definitely takes a bit of the sting out of some of the whacks to the hand and wrists during training and keiko (fighting).
Deer used in a Samurai battle
Speaking of fighting, there are records of sika deer being used in samurai battles. In the satsuma rebellion that occurred west of Tokyo in 1878, flaming torches were tied to the antlers of sika stags and the deer were herded or scared towards the enemy to create a smoke screen. This is the only record I can find of live deer being used in battle. Interesting stuff, huh?
What to do on your next wet, steamy day in Cairns
So, if you are in Cairns during the wet season and it is persisting down, do yourself a favour and visit the Samurai Museum. Trust me, you’ll enjoy seeing the connection of another culture with the animals we respect, cherish and love to hunt here in Australia.
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