Samurai Armor

Samurai was the term used to define the military aristocracy in the pre-industrial Japan. The samurai's started playing an important role in the Japanese society from the 12th century. They acted as security force in Kyoto and were the employed as guards of the imperial palace and private guards. They were skilled in martial arts, and were allowed to use weapons. The samurais used to use a special sword called katana to protect themselves from the enemy. Another important part, of their tradition was the samurai armor, which was made using metal, bamboo, or cloth. Most of the armors were made using bamboo as it is quite flexible, and the rest of the armor was supported by metal plates. Initial armors were made during the Gempei War of 1181-1185. The upper body armor was called as Do and it comprised of a 'Sode', suspended shoulder, and upper arm protection plates. These Sode had hoops that were tied by a silk cord and attached to the armor in the form of an 'agemaki' or decorative knotted tassel. They also included guards that were placed over the shoulder cords, and a leather plate, which was placed across the bow cords to prevent them from getting cut or gripped during the fight. The samurai also wore helmets called Kabuto that were made of plates. These plated were attached together with cone shaped bolts. A shikoro, which is a thick five plate protector, was attached to the helmet to protect the back of the head, neck, and cheekbone of the samurai. The samurai helmets had specific distinctions to show the rank of the samurai wearing it. The final touch to the armor was an emboshi, which was a silk headgear to be worn under the helmet.