A was a
baton carried by
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
commanders in feudal Japan, now used by
Kannushi
, also called , is the common term for a member of the clergy at a responsible for maintaining the shrine and leading worship of the there.* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The chara ...
in formal settings. The saihai or sai-hai was a sign of rank and a signal device.
Appearance and use
A saihai usually consisted of a
lacquer
Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity.
Asian lacquerware, which may be c ...
ed wood stick with metal ends. The butt had a hole for a cord for the saihai to be hung from the
armor
Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...
of the samurai when not being used. The head of the saihai had a hole with a cord attached to a tassel of strips of lacquered paper, leather, cloth or
yak hair. The saihai first came into use during the 1570s and the 1590s between the Genki and Tensho year periods. Large troop movements and improved and varied tactics required commanders in the rear to be able to signal their troops during a battle.
[Russo-Japanese war, Volume 3 A.T.Mahan Publisher Kinkodo pub. co., 1905 p.911]
Gallery
File:Saihai.JPG, Edo period commanders baton "saihai" with a yak hair tassle
File:Saihai 1.JPG, Japanese (samurai) commanders signal baton "saihai" with leather tassels
File:Saihai 2.JPG, Japanese (samurai) commanders signal baton "saihai" with leather tassels
See also
*
Hossu
* ''
Chigiriki
The is a Japanese flail weapon. It consists of a solid or hollow wood (sometimes bamboo) or iron staff with an iron weight and chain on the end, sometimes retractable. The chigiriki is a more aggressive variation of the parrying weapon kusariga ...
''
*
Flail
* ''
Gohei''
* ''
Gunbai''
*
''Hu'' (ritual baton)
* ''
Inau
Inau or Inaw ( Ainu: イナウ or イナゥ) is an Ainu term for a ritual wood-shaving stick used in Ainu prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most Ainu religious rituals, and were also frequently made to request assistance for hun ...
'', wooden wands used in Ainu rituals
* ''
ÅŒnusa''
*
Ruyi (scepter)
A ''ruyi'' () is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. The "ruyi" image frequently appears as a motif in Asian art ...
* ''
Shaku''
* The
Glossary of Shinto
This is the glossary of Shinto, including major terms on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries.
__NOTOC__
A
* – A red papier-mâché cow bobblehead toy; a kind of ''engimono ...
for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Shinto, Shinto art, and Shinto shrine architecture.
References
{{Shinto shrine
Military communication in feudal Japan
Samurai weapons and equipment
Exorcism in Shinto
Shinto
Wands
Ritual weapons
Ceremonial weapons