Martial Arts

Samurai Armor: The Textile Quality of the Woven, Knotted, and Tied Armor Plates.

1 Comment / Artists, Fiber Arts, History, Japonisme, Martial Arts, Warriors /

As a knitter and a weaver, I was so struck by how much handwork there was involving knotting, netting, and the interlacing of reeds, braided threads, slivers of metal, and leather in the making of the various armor plates covering the chest, back, top of the hips and arms. While relatively light to wear compared […]

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Jousting Snails: A Medieval Martial Art

5 Comments / Animals, Artists, Illuminated Manuscripts, Marginalia, Martial Arts, Myth /

 Above is a curious and captivating of two nude jousters — male and female(?) — on snails. This is from the Baldus de Ubaldis. Lectura super Institutionibus. 1480-1481. The best part of this image is that it remains an utter mystery as to what sort of allagorical or rhetorical meaning they were trying to express by

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