The earliest type of Japanese armour was the Tanko (a solid cuirass or chest piece) then the keiko, a cuirass made of scales fastened together. The next development was the full scale armour or o-yoroi ("great armour"). The do-maru was a lighter scale armour which some samurai favoured in the 14th and 15th centuries. One of the most well-known and popular armours was the ni-mai-do, or clamshell armour, solid armour which was developed around the same time as guns started to be used, in the late 16th century.
Parts of armour
The helmet was called the kabuto, the do was the chest guard or cuirass, the sode was the shoulder pad, the kote the armguard, the tekko the glove, the suneate the leg guards and the haidate the skirt thing.
Advantages of Japanese armour
Medieval Japanese armour was flexible as well as being strong. The early armours were lighter to use on horseback. The Japanese armour was lighter than the European armour, so the users could move faster. Mediaeval Europeans had to breed really big war-horses to carry knights in full armour.
How it's made
Medieval Japanese armour was often made with small bits of iron, sewn together with silk string. It was also quite common for it to have leather in it. Armour was made in several different ways. One of these was kozane, or scale armour, and another odoshi, or laced scale, where the scales were laced into solid boards of armour.
click here to see some samurai armour!
Types of armour / History
The earliest type of Japanese armour was the Tanko (a solid cuirass or chest piece) then the keiko, a cuirass made of scales fastened together. The next development was the full scale armour or o-yoroi ("great armour"). The do-maru was a lighter scale armour which some samurai favoured in the 14th and 15th centuries. One of the most well-known and popular armours was the ni-mai-do, or clamshell armour, solid armour which was developed around the same time as guns started to be used, in the late 16th century.Parts of armour
The helmet was called the kabuto, the do was the chest guard or cuirass, the sode was the shoulder pad, the kote the armguard, the tekko the glove, the suneate the leg guards and the haidate the skirt thing.Advantages of Japanese armour
Medieval Japanese armour was flexible as well as being strong. The early armours were lighter to use on horseback. The Japanese armour was lighter than the European armour, so the users could move faster. Mediaeval Europeans had to breed really big war-horses to carry knights in full armour.How it's made
Medieval Japanese armour was often made with small bits of iron, sewn together with silk string. It was also quite common for it to have leather in it. Armour was made in several different ways. One of these was kozane, or scale armour, and another odoshi, or laced scale, where the scales were laced into solid boards of armour.click here to see some samurai armour!
Bibliography
www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/japan/War/War2.htmlhttp://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html