Armour in Japan has a history that goes back as far as the 4th century. Japanese armour developed enormously over the centuries since its introduction to the battlefield. It was worn to varying degrees by numerous classes; most notably by the samurai (and by default the ashigaru), and was seen on the battlefield both on mounted and foot troops. The pinnacle of Japanese lamellar armour is generally accepted as being the ō-yoroi (大鎧?, literally 'great armour') type.
Read more about Japanese Armour: History, Construction, Individual Armour Parts, Auxiliary Armours, Clothing Worn With Japanese Armour, Auxiliary Items Worn With Japanese Armour, In Popular Culture, Individual Samurai Armor Parts, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words japanese and/or armour:
“In fact, the whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no such country, there are no such people.... The Japanese people are ... simply a mode of style, an exquisite fancy of art.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Saint, do you weep? I hear amid the thunder
The Fenian horses; armour torn asunder;
Laughter and cries. The armies clash and shock,
And now the daylight-darkening ravens flock.
Cease, cease, O mournful, laughing Fenian horn!”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)