History and Types of Samurai Armor

Introduction

There are many ways to symbolize Japanese people; ‘bushido’ and ‘samurai spirit’ are used to define the Japanese tenacity and capacity to strive many things.

The samurai who lead Japan from the Heian period to the Edo period created such culture. Samurai are also the symbol of the spirit of Japan. Armor and swords were the attributes that made a samurai a samurai. The following will be a discussion about the armor and weapons that can also be said to embody the samurai spirit.

What is samurai armor?

 Samurai arm themselves with armor when in combat. This armor serves the same purpose as body armor in recent terms. There are two basic components of armor. One is the helmet to protect the head. The other would be the body armor. These two together are referred to as ‘Yoroi Kabuto’.

The development of armor had three major phases. The first type of armor was called ‘Tankou’ or ‘Keiou’. It was simple and was made of wood or iron, and were worn like clothes.

The “Ooyoroi” armor was the folowing type of armor. Samurai first appeared during the Heian period (from year 794-1185). At the time of their origin, samurai first fought mostly with bows and arrows rather than swords. The “Ooyoroi” was designed to defend against those bows and arrows. Ooyoroi armor was very heavy and difficult to move around in because it was made for horse combat.

What we call armor today appeared in the Sengoku period. It was called ‘Tosei Gusoku’. Swords and other percussive weapons were primarily used in combat throughout the Sengoku period. Also, the introduction of firearms necessitated the development of extremely defensive and transportable armor.

The ideology and mentality of the samurai who wore it were also mirrored in the armor of the era.The patterns on the armor also served as representation of the ideology of the samurai who wore it on the battlefield.

Samurai Body Armor

 The body armor samurai wore were made of various parts, but there were two major parts in particular. The first was torso-protecting body armor. The torso area of the Tosei Gusoku of the Sengoku period was made to accommodate weapons with strong piercing force lie firearm, spears, and swords.

Some bodies are formed with a single iron plate, but the majority of side bodies are made of horizontal iron plates that are joined in sequence from top to bottom and riveted together. This is referred to as “Butsudo” and lacquer is used to smooth up the gaps between the iron plates of the barrel-sided body.

The “Kusazuri,” the second component, covers the lower torso below the waist and covers the thighs. The kusazuri is made of several boards that look like a skirt attached to the waist of the armor.  It is made of “kozane,” which are tiny iron plates or “nameshigawa” (tanned animal skin). A kusazuri is created by stringing together the kozane in layers varying from four to eight layers.

Some kosazuri are linked to the body with a cord, while others, known as koshikawa-attached, are tied to the waist belt. There are roughly 6 “ken” in a single kusazuri. The number of ken is the quantity of kusazuri pieces fastened to the body. The front one, known as the “testicle hide,” is always put in front and is surrounded by several ken.

Samurai Leg Armor

There are two key components to the leg armor worn by samurai. The “haidate,” which guards the thighs, is the first. Haidate is said to have been utilized since the Kofun period. They were first fashioned out of an apron-style cloth with a board hanging from it.

Later, a type of little tag called “iyozane” was utilized to minimize weight. Iyoepidate was the term referring to the plaques made of iyozane. The little tag plaques were referred to as “itapidate.” These two plaque styles ended up being the standard for the art. Chain plaques were versatile, highly defendable, and easy to move around in. They were constructed of carefully interwoven chains. However, due of the weight of chains and the high cost of production, they were not widely used. Shin pads served as the eye of the leg’s armor. This protects the shin, as the name implies. The original shin pad was made of a metal tube that wrapped the shin. Shino shin pads—thin metal strips attached horizontally to a cloth—and chain shin pads—chains attached to the cloth—were later developed during the Sengoku period to improve flexibility and movement.

Along with shin pads, there were protective gear that shielded the knees. This was known as “tate-age.” The tateage gained popularity during the Nanbokucho Period. Shino and chain shin pads, which allowed for easy movement, were utilized for protection in cavalry fights throughout the Sengoku period.

Samurai Arm Armor

The armor worn by the samurai on their arms was the ‘kote’. The arm to the hand are all shielded by the kote. The samurai’s kote, originally referred as the katagote, was intended to shield the bowholder’s left hand and arm. Later, when using weapons like swords and spears for combat became common, they were worn on both arms.

The two arm crates are known as ‘morogote’, and in the early days, the most popular variety of morogote was the bass basket with rounded tips. Other variety of bass kagote is the “Yoshitsune Kagote,” which was said to have been worn by Minamoto no Yoshitsune at Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara Prefecture.

During the era of the Sengoku period, numerous types of ‘morogote’ were produced. In general, ‘morogote’ were produced by attaching leather or iron plates to a sturdy fabric called ‘iwaji’. If a tubular iron plate is sewn on, it is called a tubular ‘morogote’; if a long, thin metal plate is sewn on, it is called a shino ‘morogote’; this depends on how the metal or leather is attached.

A different kind is known as “fukube-gote,” which is formed of gourd-shaped metal that is sewn into a gourd that can be opened and closed. These metal gourd-shaped baskets are fully practical storage containers for medication and other supplies. There are also additional varieties of baskets, including “sasanuki-gote,” in which the baskets on both arms are attached like clothing, and chain baskets with chains fastened onto them.

The sleeves serve as the component that protect the shoulders. Small pieces of tags were combined to create the sleeves. Originally, the sleeves were  broad and wide, but gradually narrowed at the ends to facilitate mobility, earning them the name “tsubo-sode.”

Samurai Swords

 A samurai’s weapon of choice is a sword. The samurai’s sword, commonly known as the Japanese sword due to its exceptional sharpness, is revered across the world. The sword is a sensitive weapon, though. For instance, the blade cannot cut if it spills. They must also be stored carefully because changes in temperature and humidity could render them useless.

The main component of a sword is tama-hagane, which is created from iron sand. Steel is an alloy that has carbon added to the iron, making it more brittle than iron alone. The tatara-tekko technique, which produces iron from charcoal using a blowtorch, is used to create the tama-hagane used in Japanese swords.

Making charcoal cannot, however, remove the impurities in the iron, therefore folding forging is employed to create Japanese swords. Iron is pounded during the folding forging process, which hardens the iron and removes impurities, to create Japanese swords.

In use since the Sengoku period, uchi ga tana (uchigatana) are the swords commonly referred to as Japanese swords (1467-1568). In addition to uchi-tachi, there are other terms such wakizashi and tachi that were previously used but are shorter than uchi-tachi.

The tachi sword has a large warp of the sword, and the blade is turned downward at the time of obi. The sword is difficult to draw out like the uchinata, and is designed to be struck down by a cavalry rider. In the Warring States period, battles centered on slashing, so the sword was replaced by the uchigatana.

Samurai armor displayed as famous art

The embellishments on samurai armor are a reflection of the wearer’s views and thoughts. Particularly the feudal warlords who made their mark during the Warring States era were able to convey their ideas and ideals through their armor. It resembles contemporary political campaigning in certain ways.

This kind of armor is highly prized as a work of art. Here, we’d like to introduce some of the warlord’s armor that was highly regarded as artwork.

The armor of Uesugi Kenshin

The armor of Uesugi Kenshin is one example of armor that is well renowned for being art. “Izuna-Gongen-Maedate Kabuto Tsuki Irodoshi Haramaki” is the name of Uesugi’s armor.

The helmet with its Gongen decorations, which Uesugi believed in and prayed to for battle success, is its most recognizable feature. The armor symbolizes Uesugi’s faith in Buddha and the gods. Vibrant colors are also used to decorate the armor itself. The armor’s name alludes to armor that has more than three colors.

The term “odoshi” refers to the threads or leather used to connect the little tags—the iron components of the armor—to one another. The body, shoulders, and sleeves of Uesugi Kenshin’s armor are covered in three colors: purple, indigo, and red.

The armor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought about national unification. The Ichinotani Bari Kabuto is among Toyotomi’s most well-known sets of armor. The back of the helmet, which gives this helmet its notoriety as Toyotomi’s gift to Shigenari Shiga in recognition of his exploits during his invasion of Kyushu, is distinctive.

The term “Barin” refers to a particular variety of iris that is either used in baths or decorated at the Boys’ Festival in May. The 29 “Korotate” (decorations on the back of the helmet) were inspired by the leaves of the “BARRIN” (Japanese iris). Because the word “horse rush” sounds the same as the word for triumph, it was once thought to be lucky charm. Horse rush is a variety of iris.

The armor of Kuroda Kanbei

Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s faithful retainer was Kuroda Kanbei. The “Ginbyakudan Nurigosunari Kabuto” is Kuroda Kanbei’s most recognizable piece of armor (silver helmet).

A bowl with a lid is referred to as “Goshi” in the name. Because it was painted vermilion at the time, this distinctive helmet, shaped like an upside-down bowl, was dreaded as the red goshi of Josui (another name for Kuroda Kanbei).

The bowl symbolized a meeting, etc., and also the height of a stone because it protected food. The dedication to national power is evident in this armor. Due to the fact that it may also be used to eat soup, the bowl also has the symbolism of consuming the enemy.

The armor of Yamanaka Yukimori

The Amago clan was a feudal lord in the San’in region, and Yamanaka Yukimori, also known as Yamanaka Shikanosuke, was one of their vassals. Because of the helmet he wore, Yamanaka Yukimori earned the moniker “Kirin-ji of the San’in.” Yamanaka’s helmet included a deer horn side stand and a crescent moon front stand. The bronze statue of Yamanaka Yukimori in Gassan Tomita Castle, the location of the Amago clan’s castle, depicts a helmet from that era, despite the fact that no helmet from that era has survived.

The “Tessabi-juniken-suji helmet” is one of Yamanaka Yukimori’s current helmets. This helmet’s front has a sizable hoe-shaped crescent form. Yamanaka Yukimori used the crescent moon as the front stand because he thought of it as a symbol of rebirth and because he believed in it.

The armor of Gamo Ujisato

Army leader Gamo Ujisato served Oda Nobunaga and later Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Gamo Ujisato was sporting a really distinctive helmet. The “Namazuo helmet” is the one in question. Cowhide with a black paint finish makes up the symmetrical tail.

The design on the Namazu-o helmet is based on a swallow’s tail, thus the name Enbi-narikabuto (swallow-tailed helmet). A house with a swallow’s nest was thought to be prosperous since swallows consume rice pests.

The armor of Satake Yoshishige

Military leader Satake Yoshishige was in charge of Hitachinokuni (present-day Ibaraki Prefecture). The “Kurourushi Nurikon Ito Odoshi Gusoku” is Yoshishige’s armour (Black Lacquer Armor with Dark Blue Threads). The entire body of this armor is painted black because, as the name says, it is made of black lacquer.

In addition, the helmet’s front stand has a caterpillar-like appearance. This is due to the caterpillar’s previous name, “Genji,” which indicates that he is a member of the Genji clan.

In addition, it is stated that the caterpillar can only travel forward, signifying that it will not turn back. A distinctive piece of armor, the bird’s feathers on the side of the armrests blow and flow rearward.

Summary of samurai armor

Samurai armor is designed with the ultimate goal of victory in mind. Additionally, it conveys the samurai commander’s (genkatsugi) hopes and aspirations for victory in battle. Please use our “samurai vs. ninja” video streaming service to view these samurai-armored conflicts. You’ll have a stronger sense of the samurai spirit.