Early and more traditional samurai weapons consisted of the sword and the bow and arrow. Samurai carried two swords, a katana and a wakizashi, in a pair called daisho. The katana is the most well known weapon, with a 2-3 foot curved blade made of iron and carbon. The wakizashi is a shorter sword, measuring around 16-20 inches long. Samurai also used shorter daggers called tantō. When horses were introduced in the 5th century, samurai transitioned from battling to the death on foot with their sword to stunning with their sword on their horse and then dismounting to kill by cutting off the victim's head with their tantō (McGee). Although guns were introduced by foreigners ten centuries later, samurai continued to use the sword as their main weapon. Samurai believed that their swords contained their soul, and it was a common practice for samurai's to be buried with their sword.
Samurai armor served not only to protect in battle, but to display prestige. As the armor was typically made of many layers of leather, it was lightweight but durable. It was not uncommon for samurai to wear thin iron sheets in addition to leather acting as shields to guard against arrows and swords on their shoulders, shins, and chest. On the bow arm (usually the left), a fabric sleeve plated with more leather or iron was worn from shoulder to fingertip, while the other arm left unprotected as to easily draw the bow. The main body of the armor is called "oyorio", meaning "great harness" in Japanese. It was worn similarly to a dress, and consisted of a "boxlike body with a panelled skirt (for easy movement) that hung from the shoulders with broad straps and fastened around the waist" (Samurai and Shoguns).