is one of the major components of Japanese armour worn by the

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

and

ashigaru were infantry employed by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The first known reference to ''ashigaru'' was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ''ashigaru'' became prevalent by various ...

or foot soldiers of

feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inven ...

History

Gusoku Type Armor With domaru cuirass and white lacing

The predecessor of the dō was manufactured in Japan as early as the fourth century. ''Tankō'', worn by foot soldiers, and ''keikō'', worn by horsemen, were both pre-samurai types of early Japanese ''cuirass'' constructed from iron plates connected by leather thongs. During the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

(794 to 1185), the cuirass evolved into the more familiar style of armour worn by the samurai known as the ''dō''. Japanese armourers started to use hardened leather along with iron in their construction methods, and lacquer was used to weather-proof the parts. By the end of the

the Japanese cuirass had arrived at the shape recognized as being distinctly samurai. Leather and or iron scales were used to construct samurai armours, with leather and eventually silk lace used to connect the individual scales (''kozane'') which these cuirasses were now being made from. In the 16th century Japan began trading with Europe during what would become known as the

Nanban trade or the , was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to the first '' Sakoku'' Seclusion Edicts of isolationism in 1614. Nanban (南蛮 Lit. "Southern barbarian") is a Japanese word which had been used to desig ...

. Samurai acquired European

cuirass A cuirass (; french: cuirasse, la, coriaceus) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French '' cuirac ...

es which they modified and combined with domestic armour as it provided better protection from the newly introduced

matchlock A matchlock or firelock is a historical type of firearm wherein the gunpowder is ignited by a burning piece of rope that is touched to the gunpowder by a mechanism that the musketeer activates by pulling a lever or trigger with his finger. Befor ...

s known as ''teppo'' or ''Tanegashima'' from the Portuguese trading Post in the town of the same name. The introduction of the ''Teppo'' in 1543 along with a change in battle tactics caused armourers to change the design of the dō from the centuries-old

lamellar armour Lamellar armour is a type of body armour, made from small rectangular plates (scales or ''lamellae'') of iron or steel, leather ( rawhide), or bronze laced into horizontal rows. Lamellar armour was used over a wide range of time periods in Centr ...

plate armour Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, ...

constructed from iron and steel plates. This type of armour was called ''tosei gusoku'' "new armour". Bullet resistant dō were developed, this type of armour was called ''tameshi gusoku'' "bullet tested", allowing Samurai to continue wearing their armour despite the increasing use of firearms. The warfare of the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

(15th and 16th centuries) required large quantities of armour to be produced for the ever-growing armies of foot soldiers (''

''). Simple munition quality (''okashi'' or lent) dō were massed produced including ''tatami dō'' which could be folded. The victory of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

at the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 ( Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1600, and his subsequent rise as ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamaku ...

'' in 1603, marked the end of the

. By this time Samurai continued to use both plate and lamellar cuirasses as a symbol of their status, but traditional armours were no longer necessary. During the Edo period, lightweight and concealed armour became popular as there was still a need for personal protection. Civil strife, duels, assassinations, and peasant revolts required the use of ''tatami dō'' as well as ''kusari katabira'' (chain armour jackets) and armoured sleeves as well as other types of armour which could be worn under ordinary clothing.

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

samurai were in charge of internal security and would wear various types of ''kusari gusoku'' (chain armour) and shin and arm protection as well as forehead protectors ( ''hachi-gane''). Traditional armour continued to be worn and used in Japan until the end of the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

in the 1860s, with the last widespread use in 1877 during the

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and b ...

Types of dō

The type of dō that originally came with a matched suit of armour defined the name for that particular suit of armour, for example, a suit of armour that came with a hotoke dō would be called a hotoke dō gusoku; a suit of armour that came with a karuta tatami dō would be called a karuta tatami dō gusoku.

Kozane dō

True ''kozane dō'' are of lamellar construction using individual scales known as ''kozane'', they were used before the introduction of firearms in Japanese warfare. *

Ō-yoroi The is a prominent example of early Japanese armor worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The term ''ō-yoroi'' means "great armor."(Mondadori, 1979, p. 507). History ''Ō-yoroi'' first started to appear in the 10th century during the midd ...

, an early type of dō used by mounted samurai and constructed with hon kozane. *

Dō-maru ''Dō-maru'' (胴丸), or "body wrap", was a type of chest armour (''dou or dō'') worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. ...

, an early type of dō with no hinge that opened on the right side, constructed with hon kozane. * Haramaki dō) originally an early type of dō which opened in the back, constructed with hon kozane, in later times "harimaki" was used to describe any dō that opened in the back. * Hon kozane dou (dō), any dō constructed with hon kozane. * Hon-iyozane dou (dō) or Nuinobe dō, any dō constructed with hon iyozane.

Kozane dō gallery

File:Antique samurai O-Yoroi 1.jpg, Ō-Yoroi, constructed with hon kozane File:Hon iyozane maru dou front.jpg, Hon iyozane dō File:Nerigawa hon kozane maru dou.jpg, Hon kozane dō

Types of kozane

*Hon kozane (true small individual scales) *Hon iyozane (true large individual scales) File:Iyozane dou.JPG, Hon iyozane dō File:Hon kozane dou.jpg, Hon kozane dō, showing the individual ''kozane'' (scales) and the silk lace (''odoshi'') File:Nerigawa hon kozane (close up).JPG, Nerigawa (hardened leather) hon kozane (close up) File:Hon iyozane maru dou wakiita inside view.JPG, Inside view of a hon iyozane dō

Kiritsuke kozane dou (dō)

False kozane dou (dō) in the form of ''kiritsuke hon iyozane'' or ''kiritsuke hon kozane'' mimic the construction of lamellar armour but instead of being made from true individual scales ''kiritsuke kozane '' are actually constructed with long lames (strips or rows) of armour lashed together and are a form of laminar armour.

Types of Kiritsuke kozane

*Kiritsuke hon kozane (false small scales) *Kiritsuke hon iyozane (false large scales)

Kiritsuke kozane gallery

File:Kiritsuke iyozane dou (dō).JPG, Kiritsuke iyozane dō (false/simulated iyozane) File:Kiritsuke hon kozane.JPG, Kiritsuke hon kozane (false/simulated ''hon kozane'') File:MAP Expo Manche samourai 05 01 2012.jpg, Kiritsuke hon kozane dō (false/simulated ''hon kozane'')

Tosei dou (dō)

''Tosei dou (dō)'' (tosei meaning modern), were made from iron plates (''ita-mono'') instead of individual scales (''kozane''). ''Tosei-gusoku'' became prominent starting in the 1500s due to the advent of firearms, new fighting tactics and the need for additional protection. * Okegawa Dou (dō) gusoku - (tub-sided), refers to the tub-like shape of the dou (dō). There are two types of okegawa dou (dō): (horizontal lames), and tatehagi (vertical lames). * Hishinui dou (dō) or Hishi-toji dou (dō) - chest armours with rows of prominent cross knots, usually an okegawa dou (dō). * Munemenui dou (dō) or Unamenui dou (dō) - chest armours with a running stitch that goes horizontally across the surface of the dou (dō). This stitch of lacing runs along the surface of the lame looking like a dotted line paralleling the top. * Dangae dou (dō) gusoku - meaning "step-changing", a combination of two or more styles. * Hotoke dou (dō) gusoku - chest armor which is smooth and shows no signs of lames. * Nio dou (dō) - embossed to resemble the emaciated torso of a starving monk or old man; named in resemblance of the Buddhist deities of the same name. * Katahada-nugi dou (dō) - embossed to resemble a half-naked torso. * Yukinoshita or Sendai dou (dō) - A five plate, four hinge (go-mai) chest armor in the sendai or yukinoshita style. * Hatomune dou (dō) gusoku - (pigeon-breast chest armour or cuirass) were inspired by European peascod breastplate armour. Hatomune dou (dō) have a sharp central ridge running vertically down the front. * Uchidashi dou (dō) gusoku - Embossed or hammered out relief on the front. * Nanban dou (dō) gusoku — Armour made on the base of late European armour * Mōgami dou (dō) - five-plate, four hinge (go mai) chest armours with solid lames which are laced with sugake odoshi instead of being riveted.

Tosei dou (dō) gallery

File:Hotoke dô or dou.JPG, Hotoke dou (dō). File:Okegawa ni mai dou.jpg, Yokohagi okegawa dou (dō). File:Go-mai sendai or yukinoshita dou.jpg, Go-mai sendai or yukinoshita dou. A five plate, four hinge go-mai Japanese (samurai) chest armor in the sendai or yukinoshita style. File:NanbanDo.jpg, Nanban dou (dō).

Tatami dō

''Tatami dō'' (folding or foldable) were made from small square or rectangular armour plates (''karuta'') or hexagon armour plates (''kikko'') that were usually connected to each other by chain armour (''kusari'') and sewn to a cloth backing, ''tatami dō'' could also be made entirely from ''kusari''. Tatami dou (dō) were lightweight, portable, convenient for transportation, and were manufactured inexpensively and in great numbers for the

light infantry. ''Tatami dou (dō)'' were worn by all samurai classes from the highest class to the lowest class. The higher class samurai wore elaborate ''tatami dou (dō'')''The samurai: warriors of medieval Japan'', 940-1600, Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing p.63
/ref> while the lower class samurai and retainers wore plainer, simpler designs

Types of tatami armour

* Karuta tatami dō,

karuta are Japanese playing cards. Playing cards were introduced to Japan by Portuguese traders during the mid-16th century. These early decks were used for trick-taking games. The earliest indigenous ''karuta'' was invented in the town of Miike in ...

, small square or rectangular iron or leather plates linked together by chainmail. * Kikko tatami dō, kikko, small hexagon iron or leather plates sewn to a cloth backing, the kikko armour can be connected to each other by chain armour (kusari) or by threads. * Kusari tatami dō, kusari, Japanese chainmail, consisting of links of iron formed in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, connected to each other in various patterns.

Tatami dou (dō) gallery

File:Karuta tatami dou 6.JPG, Karuta tatami dō. File:Kusari dou 1.png, ''kusari tatami dō'' (chain armor cuirass). File:Tetsu kikko tatami dou.jpg, Kikko tatami dō, small hexagon iron plates. File:Karuta tatami dou 3.JPG, Karuta tatami dō, the karuta armor plates are laced to each other.

Tatami armour gallery

File:Karuta armor close up.JPG, Karuta armour plates. File:Kusari examples.JPG, Kusari types. File:Kikko wakibiki close up.JPG, Kikko armor.

References

External links

Anthony Bryant's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Do (Armour) Samurai armour