Japanese Armor (Yoroi Kabuto) Individual armour parts

Individual armor parts

A full suit of traditional Samurai armour could include the following items:
Dou or dō, a chest armour made up of bamboo and or leather plates of various
sizes and shapes with bamboo and hardend leather pendents.
Kusazuri - the bamboo was cut into staves and steamed to work and shape them.
This made the armor light compared with European armor and allowed samurai to perform their
legendary fighting skills (which would have been impossible under the weight of iron or steel armour)
made from bamboo staves (in a layer-upon-layer fashion, overlapping over the ribcage) and boiled leather
plates or simply boiled hard leather overlapping hanging plates hanging from the front and back of the
dou (dō) to protect the lower body and upper leg.
Sode, large rectangular shoulder protection made from bamboo staves and or leather plates.
Kote, armoured glove like sleeves which extended to the shoulder or han kote (kote gauntlets)
which covered the forearms. Kote were made from cloth covered with lacquered bamboo plates of
various size and shape, connected by chain armour (kusari).
Kabuto, a helmet made from bamboo staves and leather plates (from 3 to over 100 plates) riveted together.
A neck guard shikoro made from several layers of curved bamboo and boiled leather strips was suspended
from the bottom edge of the kabuto.
Men bo, various types of lacquered bamboo and or boiled hard leather facial armour designed in a way
that the top heavy helmet kabuto could be tied and secured to them by various metal posts.
Menbo had throat guards yodare-kake made from several rows of bamboo or leather plates or kusari
(chain armour) 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 bamboo and or leather plates of various size and shape, usually connected to each
other by chain armour (kusari) and sewn to the cloth.
Suneate, shin guards made from bamboo stave splints connected together by chain armour (kusari),
sewn to cloth and tied around the calf.

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