What was samurai armor called

Kohire Winglets connected to the watagami of a do. Ko manju jikoro A small rounded neck guard. Komori tsuke An intermediate band of leather used to connect a tare to a mengu. Koseizan A high sided helmet, usually flat on top, whereby the profile is taller than the hemisphere. Koshi gusari Mail that has rectangular spaces to increase flexibility, especially on the inside of the elbow. Kote An armored sleeve. Ko-zane A small narrow plate shaped like a scale.

Ko zane gashira The top edge of an iyo zane, cut to resemble two ko zane. Kuchi hige A simulated mustache. Although they were generally made using animal hair, they could also be etched into the surface, or applied in lacquer.

Kuro urushi nuri A black lacquer finish. Kusari do A mail and plate do. Kusari do maru A mail and plate do maru. Kusari gote A mail and plate kote. Kusari haidate A mail and plate haidate. Kusari haramaki A mail and plate haramaki. Kusari suneate A mail and plate suneate. Kusazuri Skirt-like plates attached to the bottom of a cuirass. Kusugai do Yokohagi okegawa do in which the plates are joined by a variety of staples. Kutsu Stiff boots or shoes of fur. Kuwagata Flat, stylized horns or antlers, worn as a frontal crest.

Kuwagata dai A shallow, u-shaped holder on the tsuke mabizashi of a helmet bowl, designed to mount and display a pair of kuwagata. Kyahan suneate Suneate without knee guards. Kyubi no ita Defense for the left armpit, worn with o yoroi. Kyubi A plate which protects the left chest area of O-yoroi.

Lamellar Layered armor plates. Often the plates are overlapping like roof shingles. Mabizashi The peak of a helmet. Machi uke The socket at the waist on the back of a do, into which the sashimono assembly is fitted.

Maedate A crest or decorative fitting mounted on the front of a helmet. Maki e do A do decorated with a lacquered design or picture. Manchira A type of padded vest with kikko plating sewn between the material layers. Manju wa A short, armored waistcoat worn beneath an armor to protect the armpits and upper chest.

Maro do A tosei version of the do maru, differing from the original versions of the armor in that they have an extra row of scales in the naka gawa. Maru bachi See daienzan bachi. Maru do yoroi A hybrid armor between an o yoroi and a do maru.

Mayu Simulated eyebrows. Mei no ana A slit in the lining of a helmet through which the signature can be read. Men Mask. Mengu Face armor. Men no shita men A face mask covering the face and nose from below the level of the eyes.

Could also be referred to as men no shita bo face below the eyes. Menpo An alternative and abbreviated term for men no shita men. Miage shiwa Simulated forehead wrinkles. Midzu nomi no o A cord that secures the sode to the age maki bow of a do from the kogai kanamono. Mimi Purely decorative ear shaped plates present on some mengu. Mimi ito Braid around the outer edges of a piece of armor, often variegated.

Mimi no ana The small holes in the mimi that simulate the opening of the ear canal. Mino A cape woven from palm worn over armor, designed to protect armor from the elements. Mizu nomi no o Cord attached to the rear edge of a sode. Mogami do A do of horizontal plates, each of which is articulated by separate hinges.

Momen Cotton cloth. Momonari bachi A pointed helmet that has a medial flange inspired by a European cabasset. Muku boshi A rivet with a narrow pointed head. Muna ita The uppermost plate on the front of a do. Muna tori hotoke do A smooth faced do with a laced top section. Muna zuri no ita The lowermost lame of a tare. Muromachi Circa to Corresponds with the reign of the Ashikaga shoguns. Namazu o kabuto A tall, laterally flattened helmet with a rounded profile, said to resemble the tail of a catfish.

Nambokucho Circa to Corresponds with the conflicts between the northern and southern branches of the imperial court to establish themselves as the legitimate line. Nami gata An item made with an undulating wave like shape. Nanban gusari International style mail in which each link is meshed with four others. Nanban kabuto A helmet of European manufacture, or one inspired by a European prototype. Nanban kiri gane Small , decorative, cut metal pieces applied to the surface of an armor that was influenced by foreign designs and made in non-traditional Japanese shapes.

Nanban yoroi A foreign made piece of armor. Nawame fukurin A roped fukurin copying the edging of European armours. Neri gawa A single layer of rawhide, generally horse or ox hide, or several layers secured together with adhesives. Nibe Animal glue Ni-mai do Nimai A do in two parts, joined by a hinge under the left arm. Nio do A do modelled to represent the human torso.

Nishiki Brocade. Nodowa A bib like defense to protect the throat and upper chest, consisting of of a u-shaped plate with two or three curved rows of scales attached to it. Nuinobe do A sugake laced ni mai do, made of iyo zane. Obi A belt or sash. O boshi A rivet made with an over-sized head, used for decorative purposes. Oda gote Kote with gourd shaped plates applied over the forearm and upper arm.

Oda haidate Haidate of mail, with ikeda and knee plates resembling those at the elbow of oda gote. Oda yori gane, or Yadome A pair of erect flanges that fasten diagonally across the cheeks on some examples of mengu.

Oda yori kugi A pair of erect posts fitted to either side of the lower jaw of a mengu, used to anchor the shinobi no o of a kabuto when tying the helmet in place. Oda yori no kan A pair of metal rings attached to both cheeks of a mengu, through which the shinobi no o helmet rope of a kabuto are threaded when tying the helmet in place. Oda yori ore kugi A pair of sturdy l-shaped posts set into both cheeks of a mengu, used to anchor the shinobi no o of a kabuto when tying the helmet in place.

Odoshi ge Lacing material, silk, leather, hemp or cotton twill. Okashi gusoku Armor issued to low a ranking soldier, usually of low quality. Oki tenugui bachi A helmet bowl with almost vertical sides and top plates which are extended rearwards, beyond the back of the bowl.

Omodaka do A do with a metal ridge. Oni damari no ita The turned out upper edge of the muna ita, designed to deflect spear or sword thrusts. Oni gashira An item with a demon like face or facade. Ori kugi A hook on the cheek of a mengu, around which the helmet cord is fastened. O sode A large, rectangular sode. O tateage suneate Shin guards with large standing plate defenses for the knees. O yoroi A lamellar armour that has a separate defense for the right side of the body, classic of the Heian period.

Renjaku do A tosei do fitted with internal suspensory cords. Ressei men A mengu with an aggressive looking expression and prominent facial wrinkles. Ressei men no shita bo The most typical type of men no shita men, made in the ressei style. Roku mai do A tosei do with five hinges that is divisible into six sections.

Ronin A samurai warrior without a master. Ryo takahimo A tosei do in either two or six sections, with ties at each side of the body. Ryubu men A mengu with a calm, noble expression devoid of any facial wrinkles. Sabi nuri A lacquered surface imitating rusty iron. Sai han no kan A ring on the right breast of a tosei do. Saiga bachi A type of multi plate helmet made in the distinctive Saiga style. The term can refer to any bowl made in Saiga but is most commonly used in relation to a helmet bowl topped by a number of large chrysanthemum shaped plates.

Sane An individual scale of either iron or rawhide, from which lamellar armour was made. Sane ita A lame assembled from individual sane bound together. San ju hachi ken Used in conjunction with other terms to describe a hachi that has been assembled from 38 tate hagi no ita. San ju ni ken Used in conjunction with other terms to describe a hachi that has been assembled from 32 tate hagi no ita. The Sangu armor included the kote, haidate and suneate. Sanko no byo Dome headed rivets that attach the peak to the bowl of a hachi.

Saru bo A v-shaped hanbo with indented cheeks that partially frame the upper outline of the mouth. Sasa heri Leather or braid edging around the fabric portion of an armor. Sasa mayu A type of simulated mayu with sharp pointed features that resemble the shape of bamboo leaves. Sashimono An ornamental device attached to the back of an armour, often a flag. Sashimono dome no ana Small holes in a haraidate dai in which to insert pins that lock a maedate in position when the latter is mounted on a kabuto.

These often go from side to side. A decoration with trident-like shape, carrying three pheasant feathers was riveted on the top of the hachi. Broad leather strips were laced through holes drilled at the sides and on the back of the koshimaki , and these secured between three and five U-shaped horizontal lamellae.

The lamellae protected the neck and later were given the name shikoro. Each of the lamellae was laced so that it covered the bottom part of the one above and allowed upward movement. Another helmet appeared with the introduction of the keiko. It was called mabizashi-tsuki kabuto in reference to its leaf-shaped, pierced visor mobizashi. The helmet had a hemispherical shape and its construction was similar to the construction of the shokaku-tsuki kabuto.

The koshimaki and do-maki were still in use, only now they made full circles around the head, over the scales, forming the bowl. The upper part of the helmet was closed with a rounded iron plate fuse-ita , to which two cup-shaped decorations were riveted. Their function is not fully clear. Some authors suggest that the warrior's hair was placed in the bottom cup, but the fuse-ita is not drilled there. The other idea is that it was designed for a panache.

The neck-guard shikoro had the same construction as in the shokaku-tsuki kabuto. Yet another type of helmet was introduced in the latest keiko. The bowl was formed by long rectangular scales and the upper part was closed with a hemispherical iron plate. The shikoro had a scale construction and for the first time the upper rows of scales were curved forward and upward at a right angle, forming the prototype of the fukigaeshi.

Many of the haniwa show other types of simpler helmets. It remains unclear why none of these types have been found, while many helmets rarely depicted on the haniwa have been found. In contrast with the Ancient armours, influenced by continental forms and with Modern armours, some influenced by the Europeans, the Classical armour style is an original Japanese invention.

The unique feature of the Classical armours is their construction. They are made from laced small rectangular or trapezoidal scales, the most widespread of which is called kozane. Different types of such armour were the basic defensive equipment in Japan from the 10th to the 15th century.

Kozane and Kebiki-odoshi The basic type of scale was called o-arame. It was made from leather or steel, and during the Heian period was as large as cm x 4 cm. The o-arame had a rectangular shape with slightly cut upper part, and 13 holes, punched in two rows. In order to prevent the "stretching" of the armour over time, the shikime-zane , with 19 holes in three rows, was used. In the 13th century the size of the kozane decreased and it became more trapezoidal in form.

The scales of this type were called hon kozane , and when laced overlapped each other by approximately half their width. Each gusoku required several thousands of scales. The sturdiness of the armour at the ends of the laced rows of hon kozane was improved with narrower scales with one row of holes only. The iyo zane are easily recognized by their cut upper ends. The cut itself could have different shapes. The distance between the rows of holes was bigger and the iyo zane overlapped only at their ends.

The result was fewer scales and thus faster construction. The mass of the armour was decreased but so were its protective capabilities. Usually the upper left edge of scales was bent to facilitate lacing. The most common were S- and C-curved kozane. This process began with lacing the scales in rows, forming broad plates. The plates were covered with up to eight layers of lacquer. In the next phase the plates were connected by the lacing kedate , which ran up-down-up and in-out-in, from the left to right, between each couple of plates.

The lacing in the right- and left-most rows of holes was called mimi-ito. The mimi-ito ran vertically the full length of the armour section. The bottom plate was decorated with the bright-colored, X-form lacing called hishinui.

The top-most parts of the sections were laced either with nawame or tate garami. But leather had some disadvantages limited number of colors and short length and was replaced with the flat silk cord ito-odoshige.

The colors of the cord varied widely, but the most common were red aka , orange hi , black kuro , green midori , white shiro , yellow ki , blue hana and violet murasaki. Many combinations between them existed. In traditional Japanese manner, the color of lacing formed part of the full name of the particular armour.

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 , who at that time were required to serve as cavalrymen and archers. The most distinctive feature of the o-yoroi was its cross-section, which had the form of the Latin letter "C".

A three-section cuirass fully protected the back, left and front parts of the body, and only the right part where the letter "C" is opened was protected with a separate section called the waidate. The straps watagami were strengthened with vertical, semi-rounded plates which protected the shoulders from vertical cutting strokes.

The cuirass was closed with the traditional buttons kohaze attached to the watagami. These were made from hard wood, horn and sometimes ivory. A copper ring agemaki-no-kan was riveted in the middle of the back section.

To it, the heavy silk braid, butterfly-like knot called agemaki was tied. Its main purpose was to be a fixing point for the o-sode. The cuirass and many parts of the armour usually were covered with the printed leather called egawa.

This prevented the front row of scales from blocking and damaging the bow-string. Sometimes the tsurubashiri gives a false notion of a full-plate front section. The armpits were protected with two movable sections attached to the shoulder straps. The section on the right was of scale construction and was called sendan-no-ita , while the section on the left, called kyubi-no-ita , was a full plate. Both were made of steel or, rarely, leather.

The lower part of the body and the thighs were protected with four trapezoidal sections of kusazuri of scale construction, laced to the bottom parts of the cuirass and waidate.

The shoulders and the upper parts of the arms were protected with two big rectangular shoulder guards o-sode. As the other elements of the armour, they were made of scales laced in six or seven rows, the top-most of which was riveted to the long plate kamuri-no-ita. The o-sode acted like mobile shields, providing freedom of action for the arms in the same time.

One double silk cord ran from the front part of the kamuri-no-ita to the front part of the shoulder straps watagami , while the leather strip ran from the middle of the kamuri-no-ita to the back part of the watagami.

The second double silk cord connected the back part of the kamuri-no-ita with the "wings" of the knot agemaki. One single silk cord ran from the middle of the back part of the o-sode and was tied to the base of the knot close to the ring agemaki-no-kan. The tying cords of the o-sode always were in a bright color, usually fiery-red, no matter the colors of the lacing odoshi , 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.

This type is defined as armour of scale construction without hinges, which opens under the right arm. The five-section cuirass do fully protected the body. Its right- and left-most edges overlapped each other always under the right arm. When wrapped, the right edge of the cuirass was always under the left. The cuirass was secured with two cords, one at the level of the chest and the second around the waist.

The warriors who wore do-maru usually walked or ran near the horse of their lord. In order to give freedom to the legs and improve the ability to walk, the kusazuri was divided into seven or eight sections. The do-maru did not have the guards sode. Instead, two small, leaf-like plates, called gyoyo , were laced to the watagami. They protected only the shoulders, and did not give any protection to the arms.

The only decoration on the do-maru were the covers of the gyoyo of printed leather and, sometimes, chrysanthemum ornaments. Many of the poorer and low-ranking samurai preferred to fight on foot. Although the heavy, box-like o-yoroi was modernized to some degree in the 13th century, it remained quite unsuitable for infantry combat. At the same time, the do-maru's comfort, ease in wear and use on the battlefield made it a favoured replacement for the o-yoroi and other types of armour in such combat.

Later, in the 15th century, a new popular type of armour was derived from the do-maru. According to the warrior's rank, the armour was more or less decorated. The plates gyoyo were moved, replacing the sendan-no-ita and kyubi-no-ita. Instead, classical o-sode were worn as shoulder guards. The knot agemaki was tied to the ring agemaki-no-kan. A hybrid armour called maru-do yoroi also existed. It had a multi-section kusazuri and was wrapped around the body like the do-maru , while the cover tsurubashiri on the front section of the cuirass, the plates sendan-no-ita and kyubi-no-ita and the shoulder guards o-sode were from o-yoroi.

As its name indicates, this was simple armour to protect only the chest and abdomen of the warrior. Another strap was wrapped around the waist. Usually, the haraate had only a three-section, rudimentary kusazuri , which covered only the thighs, but there were also armours with normal kusazuri. At this time the o-yoroi was still used by the high-ranking bushi , but already it was considered to be an anachronism. The samurai widely used a new cuirass called haramaki "around the abdomen".

Unlike the do-maru , the haramaki was open on the back. There was no place for the knot agemaki and some problems with attaching the sode appeared. In order to solve them one narrow plate, called se-ita , was added. The se-ita was attached to the cuirass with buttons kohaze and tied around the waist. It provided protection to the back and often was called "coward's plate," because in traditional belief the samurai should never turn his back to the enemy.

The kusazuri was multi-section, as in the do-maru. In addition, another narrow section was laced to the se-ita. All of them provided better protection and mobility for the arms.

These effects were achieved by curving the top-most plate kamuri-no-ita and decreasing the sizes of the sode. The complicated system for tying the o-sode was replaced with buttons kohaze , attached to the watagami. Kusari Kusari , Japanese mail, appeared in the 14th century.

It differed from European mail in both construction and use. Kusari almost never existed alone. Rather, it was used to fill all the gaps between the scales on the kote and suneate , or to connect them. Usually, it was sewn to the foundation fabrics or leather, or placed between two layers. The construction of the kusari was like with no other, except possibly the Etruscan form.

It consisted of two types of rings: Round, parallel to the foundation fabrics or leather and oval, which were perpendicular to them. The round rings were made from thin wire diameter was about 1.

The oval rings were even smaller 7. Unfortunately, its heavy weight made samurai warriors slower and less mobile. For several centuries, yoroi was the preferred type of body armor worn by samurai warriors. It wasn't until the s when a new type of armor emerged as a replacement: plate armor. Around this time, firearms were becoming a common weapon used on the battlefield. Traditional yoroi armor proved ineffective at deflecting bullets, so samurai warriors began wearing plate armor instead.

Typically made of iron or steel, plate armor was even heavier than its yoroi counterpart, though it was also able to protect against more types of weapons and attacks, including firearms. Sold Out. Japanese Katanas. Samurai Armour Helmet. Samurai Lower Body Armour. Free learning resources from arts, cultural and heritage organisations. A Suit of Armour to Terrify the Enemy This resource is part of the Museum Snapshot collection - a collection of smaller resources perfect for starters, plenaries or spare moments to explore something fascinating.

The Samurai were warrior-nobles in Japanese society, with a strong honour code called bushido.