A Study on the Ancient Weapons -An Experimental Consideration on the Practical Use-

当我们考虑古代兵器的变化时，它们是否实用是重要因素之一。为了测试它，我做了一个弓箭，这是主要的进攻武器，基于从土墩坟墓中挖掘出来的考古遗迹，并实际射击它们。因此，在战斗中，它们被证明是足够实用的。从弥生时代开始，攻击武器和防御盔甲就作为实战装备使用，并经历了相互影响的变化。首先采用的是木胸甲，以保护身体免受攻击。然后，在第四世纪，配备了沉重的铁箭头箭头的箭头被开发出来，以打破木制的防御设备。从世纪末到世纪，铁甲开始广泛使用。在世纪上半叶，新的战斗装备形式被引入。它们是带套的长矛、长节的铁箭头、箭囊、鳞甲等，这些最初是士兵的装备，据认为它们的起源是在朝鲜的北方到中国的东北地区。他们经由朝鲜被带到日本。但是，由于日本出土的盔甲很少，骑兵的战斗似乎也很少。关于这些武器的变化，不仅可以指出国内统一国家的战争，还可以指出与东亚的关系。

When we consider the change of ancient weapons, it is one of the important factors whether they are practical or not. To test it, I made a bow and arrows, which had been main offensive arms, based upon the archaeological remains excavated from mounded tombs, and actually shot them. As a result, they proved to be practical enough in battle. Since Yayoi period, offensive arms and defensive armors were used as actual fighting equipment, and went through changes influencing each other.It was the wooden cuirasses that were adopted first to protect the body against the attack. Then, in the 4th century, the arrows equipped with a heavy iron arrowhead were developed to break the wooden defensive equipment. From the end of the 4th century to the 5th century, the iron armors came to be widely used.In the first half of the 5th century, new forms of battle equipment were introduced. They were socketed pikes, iron arrowheads with long joint of tang, quivers, scale armors and so on. These were originally the equipment for the troopers and it is considered that their origins are in the area from the northern part of Korea to the northeast district of China. They were brought to Japan by way of Korea. But, as unearthed horse armors were very rare in Japan, it seems that there were few battles by the troopers.As the reason for these changes of weapons, it will be possible to point out not only the domestic battles to unify a state but also relations with eastern Asia.