Japanese armour

Japanese armour first appeared in the 4th century, as evidenced by the discovery of cuirasses and basic helmets in graves.
During the Heian period, the unique Japanese samurai armour ō-yoroi and dō-maru appeared. The Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style of body armour worn by the samurai known as the dō, with the use of leather straps and Japanese lacquerware for weatherproofing. Leather and/or iron scales were also used to construct samurai armours, with leather and eventually kumihimo used to connect the individual scales of the cuirass.
The Sengoku period had created new armies of ashigaru, lightly-armoured peasant soldiers armed with long spears. Japan also began trading with European powers, principally the Portuguese Empire, which is known as the Nanban trade. Matchlock guns were sold to the Japanese in the 1500s, who rapidly improved them. These new tanegashima guns were mass-produced domestically. The combination of these two things meant samurai needed much lighter and simpler armour with different defensive qualities; this new style was called tosei-gusoku "modern armour".
When a unified Japan entered the peaceful Edo period, samurai continued to wear both plate and lamellar armour as symbols of their status.
Ōyamazumi Shrine is renowned as a repository of armour. It houses 40% of armour that the government of Japan has designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties. Kasuga Grand Shrine also has a large collection of valuable armour.
Every year on Children's Day, which is May 5, households in Japan display miniature samurai armour and kabuto as an adaptation of the former Imperial Court ritual of the tango no sekku. In feudal times, real samurai armour, kabuto, and tachi were displayed.

History

The earliest Japanese armour is thought to have evolved from the armour used in ancient China. Cuirasses and helmets were manufactured in Japan as early as the 4th century. Tankō for foot soldiers, and keikō with extra upper torso protection for cavalry, were both pre-samurai types of early cuirass constructed from iron plates connected by leather thongs.
During the Heian, the ō-yoroi and dō-maru emerged. High-ranking mounted samurai wore the luxurious and heavily built ō-yoroi, while the lighter dō-maru were typically used by lower-ranking foot soldiers. The Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style known as the dō. Armour makers began using leather, and lacquer was applied to weatherproof the components. Leather and/or iron scales were used to construct samurai armour, with leather and kumihimo connecting the individual scales.
The artistic decoration of ō-yoroi reached its peak around the time of the Genpei War, a civil war at the end of the Heian. Ō-yoroi, which required a high degree of aesthetic refinement, might require up to of kumihimo in various colours and weaving styles to complete a single suit of armour. Toward the end of the Kamakura period, even high-ranking samurai often wore the lightweight dō-maru.
In the Kamakura period, the simplest style of armour, called hara-ate, appeared. It protected only the front of the torso and the sides of the abdomen and was worn by lower-ranked soldiers. In the late Kamakura, the haramaki appeared, which extended both ends of the hara-ate to the back. During the Nanboku-chō period, ashigaru and conscripted farmers fought on foot, increasing demand for light, mobile, and inexpensive haramaki. Later, kabuto, men-yoroi, and kote were added to the haramaki, and even high-ranking samurai began to wear them.
In the Muromachi period, the production process of armour became simplified, and mass production became possible at a lower cost and faster rate than before. The scales of traditional armour were connected with cords in a style called kebiki odoshi, which was so dense that the entire surface of the scales was covered with the cords. During this period, another new method, called sugake odoshi, was adopted, in which two cords sparsely connected the scales. The technique of overlapping armour scales was also simplified. Traditional-style scales were the honkozane, in which half the scales overlapped and were connected. During this period, a new style of scales, iyozane, was developed, in which one-fourth of the scales were overlapped and connected.
In the 16th century, the Nanban trade brought matchlocks to Japan in 1543. These were called "Tanegashima" after Tanegashima, the first island the Europeans arrived on. Soon after, when Japanese smiths improved and began to mass-produce the tanegashima, warfare changed completely. The samurai needed armour that was lighter and more protective. In addition, large-scale battles also required the mass production of armour. As a result, the tosei-gusoku was created from the design of the dō-maru.
Additionally, the Japanese adopted a full-plate armour known as nanban dō-gusoku, with an iron helmet and solid cuirass, in imitation of Portuguese armour. The first set was given to Sakakibara Yasumasa by Tokugawa Ieyasu right before the Battle of Sekigahara. It was handed down in the Sakakibara family. Scales were changed to itazane, a relatively large iron or leather plate, providing better defence. Itazane could also replace a row of individual honkozane or iyozane with a single plate. This type of gusoku resembled plate armour; the front and back dō are made from a single iron plate with a raised center and a V-shaped bottom, was called Nanban dō gusoku. Bullet resistant armours were developed called tameshi gusoku, allowing samurai to continue wearing armour despite the use of firearms.
Since the armour was no longer flexible, gusoku has changed its method to facilitate donning and doffing by opening and closing the armour at a hinge. The simplified structure of the armour makes it easier to manufacture, allowing armour makers to focus on design and to increase the variety of armour appearances. For example, the iron plate was designed to resemble an old man's chest, and dō-maru-style gusoku was made by attaching coloured threads to its surface.
Samurai during this period, especially those with a high rank, such as daimyo, owned a lot of suits of armour. For example, Tokugawa Ieyasu owned dozens of suits, which are now owned by Kunōzan Tōshō-gū, Nikkō Tōshō-gū, Kishū Tōshō-gū, Tokugawa Art Museum, The Tokugawa Museum, Tokyo National Museum, etc.
The era of warfare called the Sengoku period ended when a united Japan entered the peaceful Edo period. Although samurai continued to use both plate and lamellar armour as a symbol of their status, traditional armours were no longer necessary for battle. For this reason, in the Edo period, armour in the style of the revival of the medieval period, incorporating gorgeous ō-yoroi and dō-maru designs, became popular.
During the Edo period, lightweight, portable, and secret armours became popular, as personal protection remained necessary. Civil strife, duels, assassinations, and peasant revolts all required the use of armours such as the kusari and armoured sleeves, as well as other types of armour that could be worn under ordinary clothing. Edo period samurai were in charge of internal security and would wear various types of kusari gusoku and shin and arm protection as well as armored hachimaki to protect the forehead.
Armour continued to be worn and used until the Meiji era in the 1860s, with the last use of samurai armour in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion.

Construction

Japanese armour was generally constructed from many small iron and/or leather scales and/or plates, connected to each other by rivets and macramé cords made from leather and/or braided silk, and/or chain armour. Noble families had silk cords made in specific patterns and colors of silk thread. Many of these cords were constructed of well over 100 strands of silk. Making these special silk cords could take many months of steady work, just to complete enough for one suit of armour.
These armour plates were usually attached to a cloth or leather backing. Japanese armour was designed to be as lightweight as possible as the samurai had many tasks including riding a horse and archery in addition to swordsmanship. The armour was usually brightly lacquered to protect against the harsh Japanese climate. Chain armour was also used to construct individual armour pieces and full suits of kusari were even used.

Individual armour parts

A full suit of traditional Samurai armour could include the following items:

Dou or dō, a chest armour made up of iron and or leather plates of various sizes and shapes with pendents
Kusazuri made from iron or leather plates hanging from the front and back of the dou 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 han kote which covered the forearms. Kote were made from cloth covered with iron plates of various size and shape, connected by chain armour.
Kabuto, a helmet made from iron or leather plates riveted together. A neck guard shikoro made from several layers of curved iron or leather strips was suspended from the bottom edge of the kabuto.
Mengu, various types of lacquered metal and or leather facial armour designed in a way that the top heavy helmet kabuto could be tied and secured to them by various metal posts. Mengu had throat guards yodare-kake made from several rows of iron or leather plates or kusari sewn to a cloth backing, suspended from the bottom edge.
Haidate, thigh guards which tied around the waist and covered the thighs. These were made from cloth with small iron and or leather plates of various size and shape, usually connected to each other by chain armour and sewn to the cloth.
Suneate, shin guards made from iron splints connected together by chain armour and sewn to cloth and tied around the calf.