''Tatami'' (畳具足), or ''tatami gusoku'' (from ''tatamu'' 畳む, "to fold") and ''gusoku'' (meaning full suit of armour), was a type of lightweight portable folding

Japanese armour Scholars agree that Japanese armour first appeared in the 4th century, with the discovery of the cuirass and basic helmets in graves. During the ''Heian period'' (794-1185), the unique Japanese samurai armour ''ō-yoroi'' and ''dō-maru'' appea ...

worn during the feudal era of Japan 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 h ...

class and their foot soldiers (

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 ...

). The ''Tatami dō'' (a foldable cuirass) or the ''tatami katabira'' (an armoured jacket) were the main components of a full suit of tatami armour.

Structure

A '' tatami gusoku'' (complete suit of folding armor) includes a ''tatami dō'' or '' tatami katabira'' (jacket) and a ''tatami kabuto'' (helmet) '' chochin kabuto'', or '' tatami zukin'' (hood) or similar type of head protection along with the other related parts of a full suit of

. Collapsible head protection such as '' hachi gane'' and other collapsible armor are also ''tatami'' armor; a traditional

kabuto ' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors which, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the Jap ...

could also be part of a tatami gusoku. Tatami armour was lightweight, portable, convenient for transportation, and they were manufactured inexpensively for the

light infantry. Tatami armours were worn by all samurai classes from the highest class to the lowest class. The higher class samurai wore elaborate armour while the lower class samurai and retainers wore simpler versions. In his book ''Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan'' Ian Bottomley shows a ''karuta tatami do'' and a ''karuta tatami kabuto'' (p. 88), and discusses different types of ''tatami dō'' ''karuta gane dō'' and ''kikko gane dō'' on p. 91. George Cameron Stone shows a ''kikko tatami'' armor on p. 606 of his book ''

A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor ''A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times'' is a reference work written by George Cameron Stone. Contents ''A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in Al ...

''.

Types of Tatami armour

Karuta tatami armour

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 C ...

are small lacquered square or rectangular iron (sometimes leather) plates usually connected together by

chainmail Chain mail (properly called mail or maille but usually called chain mail or chainmail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common military use between the 3rd century BC and ...

and sewn to a cloth backing. File:Tatami gusoku.JPG, Edo period samurai folding suit of armor ''tatami gusoku'' completely matched set with ''karuta tatami dō'' and ''chochin kabuto''. File:Karuta tatami dou and zukin.JPG, Karuta tatami dō and karuta zukin (hood). File:Hara-ate karuta tatami dou.JPG, Edo period samurai ''karuta tatami dō'' in the ''hara-ate'' style. File:Antique Japanese karuta katabira 1.JPG, Karuta katabira.

Kikko tatami armour

* Kikko are small iron or leather hexagon plates usually connected together by kusari or

, and sewn to a cloth backing. File:Tetsu kikko tatami dou.jpg, Edo period ''tetsu kikko tatami dō''. A lightweight portable folding tatami cuirass, made from small metal hexagonal plates (''kikko''), sewn to a cloth backing. File:Kikko tatami dou.JPG, Edo period ''kikko tatami dō''. A cuirass with small hexagon armor plates ''kikko''. The ''kikko'' are connected to each other by chainmail and sewn to a cloth backing. File:Kikko tatami dou 2.JPG, Edo period ''kikko tatami dō'', shown folded up. File:Nerigawa kikko katabira.jpg, Kikko katabira.

Kusari tatami armour

Kusari is an eroge visual novel by Leaf. It is a suspense adventure game dealing with psychological warfare as players are pitted against a cunning and powerful criminal while trapped in the open sea on a cruise ship. Although this game produced Leaf, ...

is mail or chain armour, normally sewn to a cloth or leather backing. File:Kusari dou.jpg, ''Kusari tatami dō'', a cuirass made from chain armour shown next to a traditional iron cuirass. File:Kusari gusoku 11.JPG, Kusari tatami gusoku, a suit of chain armour. File:Kusari gusoku 5.JPG, Kusari tatami gusoku, a suit of chain armour

References

External links

Samurai Arms and ArmorAnthony Bryant's online Japanese armour manual
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tatami-Do Japanese clothing Samurai armour