Japanese Samurai were apex warriors, superlative fighters dedicated to their daimyo, or lord, and living according to the principles of bushido, an honour code that stressed selfless service, martial excellence, valour in battle and implacable determination. Often fighting on horseback and skilled archers, they developed a style of armour which, although changing over time, suited the dexterous combat techniques developed in Japan in the medieval and early modern eras.
Samurai Armour provides a vivid and informative guide to the many types of armour worn by Japanese warriors from the 10th to the 19th centuries. Learn about the classic o-Yoroi (‘great armour’), designed for its lightness and flexibility for firing a bow from horseback; understand the development of the haramake (“belly wrap”) armour, worn by the ashigaru men-at-arms – a new class of foot soldier that emerged during the Warring States period (1467–1615); explore the many types of classic Do-maru, a heavy box-like armour constructed from flexible small scales of leather or metal laced into plates with cord; and see the various armoured elements used by samurai, including highly decorative kabutos (helmets), haidate (thigh guards) which were tied around the waist, and elaborate ornamental mempo (face masks) designed to reflect the personality of the wearer and strike fear into his enemies.
With 180 photographs and illustrations covering every aspect of Japanese armour, Samurai Armour provides a compact, accessible guide to this complex, highly decorative protective clothing that still fascinates modern readers.
- Expert text provides a detailed history of samurai armour and its development
- Includes 160 superb illustrations and photographs
- Accessibly presented for the newcomers to the topic
With 160 photographs and illustrations covering every aspect of Japanese armour, Samurai Armour provides a compact, accessible guide to this complex, highly decorative protective clothing that still fascinates modern readers.
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Fully illustrated guide to samurai armour through the ages
1: Historical Context Samurai armour changed over time: in the Heian
Period (7941185), armour was designed to be light and flexible because
samurai fought on horseback, often as mounted archers; by the Azuchi-Momoyama
Period (15731603), gunpowder weapons had been introduced via Dutch traders,
causing samurai to wear a European-style plate cuirass for protection against
musket balls. In the later Edo Period (16031867), Japans longest stretch of
peace, armour was worn more as an expression of culture and status.
2: Construction Japanese armour contained leather, iron, steel, wool, cotton,
and sometimes silk in its construction; despite popular perceptions, wood and
bamboo were not used for Japanese armour. The building blocks of samurai
armour were the kozane, lacquered iron and leather scales of various sizes.
These scales were often attached to a mail backing called a kusari, which in
turn was stitched onto a leather or cloth surface.
3: Types of Armour Arranged chronologically: Tanko The first iron armour
appeared in the 4th century and was called tanko. This was for infantry
combat and featured a distinctive lamellar construction. The cuirass (do)
consisted of a metal frame and lamellae. Keiko Without any doubt, the
introduction of the keiko (or kake-yoroi), was connected with the importation
of horses from continental Asia around the end of the 4th century or
beginning of the 5th century. The Japanese quickly discovered that Korean
armour, with scale construction, was much better than Japanese lamellar
armour for fighting on horseback. Kozane and Kebiki-odoshi The basic type
of scale was called o-arame. O-yoroi The o-yoroi (or great armour)
appeared in the beginning of the 10thcentury. It was specially designed for
mounted archery and for several centuries was considered to be the only
armour suitable for the high-ranking warriors(bushi). Do-maru At the
beginning of this period retainers and servants usually wore simpler armour
(do-maru), which appeared approximately in the same time with the o-yoroi or
even earlier. Haraate and Haramaki Beginning in the 15th century, the
constantly-increasing light infantry (ashigaru) was equipped with a new type
of armour called haraate (protection of the abdomen). Kusari Japanese
mail, appeared in the 14th century. It differed from European mail in both
construction and use. Mogami-do gusoku The earlier variants of the
mogami-do gusoku, which appeared in the late 15th/early 16th centuries were
considered to be transitional types of armour. Maru-do gusoku The maru-do
was a modern variant of the do-maru and usually was the armour of
high-ranking warriors. It was opened under the right arm like classical
armour but was of lamellar construction. Ni-mai-do gusoku Strictly
speaking, the ni-mai-do was not a particular type of armour but was a term
for a group of armours of different construction. The name means cuirass of
two sections and directly refers to their common feature. Okegawa-do
gusoku Around 1550 a new type of armour appeared, and soon became extremely
widespread due to all its advantages. This was the okegawa-do or the armour
of riveted lamellae. The name means tube-sided, because the cuirass had a
tube-like shape and construction. Tosei-gusoku in the beginning of the
16th century the Classical armours were replaced by tosei-gusoku (Modern
armours) of lamellar construction. These exhibited enormous variety but
their common feature was minimal use or total absence of lacing (as in the
riveted and full-plate cuirasses). The Modern armours offered better
protection against firearms, introduced to Japan in 1543 and first used in
battle in
1549. Namban-do gusoku The namban-do gusoku or armour of the
south barbarians was one of the results of contact with Europeans. Japanese
armourers quickly learned how to produce local copies of European plate
armour, and starting around 1560 the namban-do Made in Japan appeared.
Although the quality varied widely, these always were associated with the
high-ranking samurai. Feature: Famous Samurai Takeda Shingen (152173) wore
yoroi armour, including white Yak haired helmet with beaten gold Shikami
headerboard Oda Nobunaga (153482) fabled to have worn a Portuguese
inspired Nanban gusoku with metal breastplate Tokugawa Ieyasu (15431616)
the first Shogun wore Daikoku-Zukin helmet with the beaten gold fern fronds
kabuto
4: Parts of Armour Dou or d, a chest armour made up of iron and or leather
plates of various sizes and shapes with pendants Kusazuri made from iron or
leather plates hanging from the front and back of the dou (d) to protect the
lower body and upper leg. Sode, large rectangular shoulder protection made
from iron and or leather plates. Kote, armoured glove like sleeves which
extended to the shoulder or hankote (kote gauntlets) which covered the
forearms. Kabuto, a helmet made from iron or leather plates (from three to
over 100 plates) riveted together. Mengu, various types of lacquered metal
and or leather facial armour designed ina way that the top heavy helmet could
be tied and secured to them by various metal posts. Haidate, thigh guards
which tied around the waist and covered the thighs. Suneate, shin guards
made from iron splints connected together by chain armour(kusari) and sewn to
cloth and tied around the calf. Guruwa, throat protector. Nodowa, a type
of throat and neck guard. Tate-eri, the tate-eri is a small padded pillow
like piece with a standing armoured collar that sits on the shoulder to
protect from the weight of the dou (d) Manju no wa, the manju no wa, (also
manjunowa or manju nowa) is a combination of shoulder pads, collar and armpit
guards in one that protected the upper chest area. Manchira, the manchira
is a type of armoured-vest covered with kusari (chain armour), karuta (small
armour plates) or kikko (brigandine) Wakibiki, the wakibiki is a simple
rectangle of cloth covered with kusari (chain armour), karuta (small iron
plates), or kikko (brigandine) Yoroi zukin, cloth hoods with various types
of armour sewn to the cloth.
5: Heraldry Samurai in battle would wear a banner with their lords crest on
it, attached to the back of their armour. The motifs could be abstract
patterns, simple shapes, or representations of nature like flowers, or they
could be kanji representing a motto. For example, the mon of the Hojo family
is an arrangement of three triangles forming a larger triangle. Some mon
survive as company logos today: the Mitsubishi logo is the most recognizable.
Martin J. Dougherty is a former defence consultant, he has written numerous books on history and military history, including Vikings: A History of the Norse People, Medieval Warrior, Weapons and Fighting Techniques of the Medieval Warrior 10001500AD and books on personal self-defence. He lives in northern England.
