The Bun Tori ritual in the feudal samurai. Notes of Japanese medieval history.

BUN-TORI (literally, "to take your part") was the custom of cutting off the head of enemies on the battlefield. This practice, first collected in the Gunbôryô (a military statute of the seventh century), was intended to prove the achievements of a samurai during the contest.

It should be borne in mind that the system of vassalage in ancient Japan was governed by a strict system of merit-reward, so that the stipend of a samurai, as well as his position in his master's army, depended heavily on the achievements on the battlefield. In the face of the need to prove conclusively the death of an enemy, the samurai who killed the life of an adversary proceeded to decapitate him on the same battlefield, usually severing his head with the wakizashi (short saber). The heads harvested during the contest were kept in boxes with salt, so that they could be kept until the clan clerks ratified the name and rank of the beheaded enemy. In the case of the heads of great generals and other high-ranking enemies, the custom was to bathe them in gold dust and present them to the victorious daymo on lacquered trays.

This truculent-cruel custom was wrapped in a great ceremony, and in it is believed that the origin of the peculiar samurai haircut is found, with its characteristic bow knotted on the nape of the neck: the bun allowed to pick up the head and hang it for transport without to dishonor the fallen, since the head was only nailed in spades in the case of traitors and delinquents.

In the Heike Monogatari a description is made that narrates the arrival of the samurais Yositsune and Noriyori to the city of Rokuj in the year 1184 and mentions to a delivery of heads to the lieutenant of the imperial guard Nayakori, that took place during the In the course of the battle of Ichi-no-Tani, the emperor and several councilors opposed this macabre practice, but in spite of everything, they finally gave way and were able to perform the head-dressing on the great Higasi-no-toin avenue. Precisely years later, the women of the daymo were in charge of such preparations for presentation with wooden tablets as identification, if they could not see them in the day before a battle exit, it was their Bugyo who performed it, remembering who were, had done and how they had been achieved. There was a ritual of interpretation to the case: if he looked at the sky, it was unfortunate, if he looked to the right was a good omen, if he had his eyes closed was synonymous with tranquility. The presentation scene of a defeated general was somewhat macabre since he was allowed to share the sake and some of the food at the head of the deceased, pouring the sake with a large handle. After the battle of Sekigahara, when Oda Nobunaga inspected Katsuori's head, he was impressed because his right eye was closed and his left was animated by a frown; nevertheless it was kept in mind that Katsuori had previously committed sepuku.

The wary samurai of this practice took to the battles a reinforced collar of iron to avoid that they cut off their heads besides burning incense in the interior of his helmet to avoid the bad smells in case they were cut. In certain cases they carried to the battle a sachet where to store their precious trophies as it is narrated in the chronicle Azuma Kagami (1180-1266).

There is also evidence of other practices such as severing the noses of adversaries as reported in the war against Korea by Hydeyoshi in 1597, not being able to carry so many heads by sea with so many barrels of salt, decided to do so by counting nose by head.

(ABOUT THE LETTER: The letter that appears in the post, dated the Year 9 of Eiroku -1566-, is a message of thanks sent by the daymo Yoshikage Asakura, of Echizen, to his vassal Nomura Shichirogoro). It reads: "We appreciate your efforts to kill a high ranking samurai in the battle of Yokokitaguchi. We are very happy that he brought his head. "