''Dō-maru'' (胴丸), or "body wrap", was a type of chest armour (''dou or dō'') 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 h ...

class of

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

. ''Dō-maru'' first started to appear in the 11th century as an armour for lesser samurai and retainers. Like the ''

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 mid ...

'' style it became more common in the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed himself ...

at the end of the 12th century.

Description

There were quite a number of similar styles and types of Japanese armor; the ''dō-maru'' is particularly defined by the fact that a ''dō-maru'' opens on the right side as opposed to the ''haramaki'' style which opened in the back and the ''ō-yoroi'' the cuirass of which is completely open on the right side requiring a separate plate (''waidate'') to cover the right side. The ''ō-yoroi'' was a heavy box like armour meant for use on horseback, and was expensive to make. The ''dō-maru'', like the ''haramaki'' had more skirt plates (''kusazuri'') than an ō-yoroi and was lighter, closer-fitting, and cheaper to create. The ''dō-maru'' was easier to fight with on foot and eventually even higher status samurai adopted it over the ''ō-yoroi''. ''Dō-maru'' were constructed from small scales of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

or metal laced into plates with cord and lacquered. Then each plate was laced together to form the armor. Due to the weight of iron, armour makers limited its use to the most vital parts of the armor and used leather for the remainder.

References

External links

Warrior in Do-Maru Armor
an illustrated explanation of ''Do-Maru'' armor components

{{DEFAULTSORT:Do-Maru Samurai armour 11th-century fashion

Description

See also

References

External links