Samurai Heights
The Long and The Short of It
The average height for Japanese men during the Sengoku period was 155cm-160cm, and around 140 -145cm for women. Today the average height for a Japanese male is 172cm for men and about 158cm for women.
Examining their extant armour — all of which would have been order made — the weapons they carried, particularly their swords, as this gives us an idea of arm length, as well as contemporary descriptions and records, gives us a fairly accurate understanding of the heights of the various historical samurai personages.
For example, the first Shogun, Minamoto no Yoritomo's (1147 – 1199) height is said to be around 165 cm, which is slightly smaller than the average modern male at the time. His younger brother, Yoshitsune, was even smaller at 155 cm. Interestingly, looking at the O-yoroi (armour) of the Heian and early Muromachi periods, it appears that the Japanese were taller in those days, growing smaller although physically more muscular by the mid to late Sengoku period and through the Edo period, and once again growing taller during the late Showa (1926-1989) and following Heisei periods.
Let’s have a look at a number of random samurai warriors in order of height.
Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was just 124cm tall!
The mortuary tablets of all the Tokugawa Shogun are kept at the Daiju-ji Temple in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, and each tablet stands at the height of each individual man. The fifth Edo Shogun, Tsunayoshi (1646 – 1709), was about the height of a current second grader schoolboy. He was small even for that time.
Yamagata Masakage, around 135 - 140cm
Hero of the Takeda forces at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, Yamagata Masakage was less than 140cm tall. Although small in stature, he was among the most feared men on the battlefield, and one of the big names among the Takeda clan generals.
Ikeda Terumasa 140cm
In building the large and impressive Himeji Castle, was he trying to compensate for his lack of stature? An excellent military commander who served Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and finally his father-in-law, Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was known as the Shogun of the West.
Minamoto no Yoshitsune 147cm
Yoshitsune (c. 1159 – 1189) was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, commander of the Minamoto clan in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. A skillful swordsman, Yoshitsune defeated the legendary warrior monk Benkei in a duel. From then on, Benkei became Yoshitsune's retainer, eventually dying with him at the Siege of Koromogawa.
Mouri Motonari was 152cm
Motonari (1497 – 1571) was born in a small castle (Suzuo Castle), to a minor clan, but with a keen military mind clawed his way to the top to become a powerful warlord who unified the western Chugoku region and stood 152cm.
Takeda Shingen: 153cm.
One of the biggest names in hiostory, Takeda Shingen was known as the Tiger of Kai, one of the most powerful daimyo and one of the greatest strategists of the late Sengoku period.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi: About 154cm...
In his book, History of Japan, Portuguese Jesuit missionary Louis Frois, who actually met Toyotomi Hideyoshi, records Hideyoshi as “Short in stature and with an ugly appearance.'' Hideyoshi also had six fingers on his left hand and had type O blood.
Ishida Mitsunari 156cm
Leader of the Western forces at the Battle of Sekigahara, Ishida Mitsunari was 156cm tall, but two weeks after the battle, he became much shorter when Ieyasu had him executed.
Akechi Mitsuhide, 156cm
The general who mysteriously turned against his liege lord, Oda Nobunaga in the Honno-ji Incident of 1582 was 156cm tall.
Uesugi Kenshin …156cm?
Born in 1530, he was the 16th head of the Uesugi clan, and the man who unified Echigo Province at the age of 22. Some reports have him standing at 180cm, however this appears to be an exaggeration.
Tokugawa Ieyasu: Approximately 157cm.
As mentioned, the mortuary tablets of all the Tokugawa Shogun are kept at the Daiju-ji Temple in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, and each tablet stands at the height of each individual man. Ieyasu’s is 157cm. Despite his short stature, he became one of the biggest names in history.
Sanada Yukimura, 158cm
Sanada Nobushige was a military commander who was best remembered for his actions in the Siege of Osaka. He was 158cm tall. He was never known as Yukimura during his lifetime.
Date Masamune: 159.4
The official website of Sendai based Zuihoden, a public interest incorporated foundation, states that Date Masamune’s height was 159.4 cm, based on excavations conducted on Masamune’s grave which revealed his bones and armor.
Honda Tadakatsu: 160
Tadakatsu has the image of being a large man who wielded a large spear with great strength, however, according to historical facts, he was 160 cm — about average height for the time— small compared to modern people. Of interest, his distinctive armour, of which a few sets remain, were all made of lightweight rawhide, lacquered over to resemble steel.
Kato Kiyomasa: 165cm
Although some reports have Kiyomasa standing at 180cm, and some claiming 200cm,…which may have been the case when wearing his tall eboshi kabuto helmet, but looking at his armour, he was around 165.
Ii Naomasa was 165cm.
One of the Four Great Tokugawa Generals, Naomasa’s red armour worn at Sekigahara was heavier than average, weighing in at a hefty 27kgs.
Yodo Dono stood 168cm.
Although not a samurai, Hideyoshi’s wife Yodo, better known as Lady Chacha is included only because I came across her details, and because she towered about 14 cm over her husband.
Tachibana Muneshige: 180cm
Senior retainer of the Otomo clan, and recognised for his brave martial feats, Tachibana Muneshige’s (1567 –1643) remaining armours show him to have stood 180cm tall, and with a very muscular physique.
Kobayakawa Hideaki: 180cm
A controversial character and the supposed turncoat at Sekigahara, 180cm tall Kobayakawa died of alcoholism two years after the Battle of Sekigahara.
Miyamoto Musashi: 180cm.
The Sword Saint as he has been dubbed was 180cm. No doubt his extra height and reach gave him an advantage over smaller opponents.
Maeda Toshiie stood 182cm tall.
While Hideyoshi was small and ugly, Maeda Toshiie was described as tall and handsome. One of the five elders of the Toyotomi administration, his weapon of choice was a 6.3 meter long spear.
Naoe Kanetsugu: 182cm
Naoe Kanetsugu (1559 –1620) served two generations of the Uesugi clan. He was tall, intelligent, skilled in both literature and the martial arts. He is best remembered for having a huge 愛、(ai) or “love” character as a helmet crest.
Sanada Nobuyuki: 185
Elder brother of Sanada “Yukimura” Nobushige, and master of Matsushiro Castle in Nagano Prefecture, Nobuyuki (1566 – November 1658) lived 91 years and stood 185cm.
Todo Takatora: 190cm
Front line warrior, master castle architect, daimyo, strategist and best friends with Tokugawa Ieyasu, 190cm tall Todo Takatora was a no-nonsense samurai among samurai.
Saito Yoshitatsu : 197cm
Son of the viper of Mino, Saito Dosan, whom he attacked and defeated, Yoshitatsu’s physique may have been inherited from his mother, who is said to have been about 181cm.
Toyotomi Hideyori: 197cm.
The son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi is generally said to have been over 190cm, believed to be 195-197cm tall and weighed around 160kg. It has been suggested that he was not actually Hideyoshi's child, but the biological son of one of Hideyoshi’s generals.
Saito Musashibo Benkei is estimated to have been 208cm tall.
The height difference between Minamoto no Yoshitsune (147cm) and his companion and guard, the warrior monk Benkei (1155–1189) was around 61cm.
Magara Naotaka: 220cm
During the 1570 Battle of Anegawa, he served the Asakura clan on the front lines, together with his son Naomoto. They supported the Asakura's retreat from the joint forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the retreat, Naotaka lost his sword. While attempting to continue fighting bare-handed, he and his son were both killed in action. Nagoya’s Atsuta Shrine now has what is said to be Magara Naotaka’s sword, the Taro-tachi (太郎太刀), in its collection. The O-dachi has a blade length of 221cm. The Akechi Gunki (明智軍記) records claim he used an O-dachi of 7 shaku 8 sun, or 237cm.
Miura Yoshioki - 227cm!
a samurai in the service of the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War of Japan's late Heian period, the Hojo Godaiki records states that Miura Yoshioki was 7 shaku 5 sun, or a whopping 227cm tall. He is said to have fought with an octagonal steel club called a kanasaibo, some 364 cm long, and when he cornered an opponent and hit him over the head, the poor man’s helmet broke into small pieces. When it reached the torso and swept sideways, 5 to 10 others were crushed with the singles swing! In total over 500 people were supposedly killed by the steel club.
This is just a short selection from the long list of historical personages who played a major role in Japan’s long history. In regards to achievements, size appears not to have really mattered. It was the intelligence, abilities, and military skill of the warlords and warriors that brought them to the heights of success. That’s the long and the short of it.
Haha, very interesting!
Well, the range variety only tells Us that it was just a small factor to be successful. Also, for some reason, i always thought that Naotaka Giant sword was a kind of a exaggeration. Didnt know was kept in a shrine.