Ō-yoroi

A samurai wearing an ō-yoroi; two of the large skirt-like kusazuri can be seen—Ō-Yoroi had four kusazuri, unlike other armour of the era, which usually had seven kusazuri.

The ō-yoroi (大鎧) is a prominent example of early Japanese armor worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The term ō-yoroi means "great armor".[1]

History

Ō-yoroi, Kamakura period, 13th–14th century, National Treasure, Kasuga grand shrine[2]

Ō-yoroi first started to appear in the 10th century during the middle and late Heian period, and came into widespread use in the Genpei War around the 12th century when the call for armor was at its peak. Significant aspects of this armor were designed for cavalry archers.[1] The box shaped ō-yoroi was heavy and did not allow as much movement or flexibility as its counterpart the dō-maru, so the armor fell out of favor in the fifteenth century when samurai shifted to mostly infantry tactics.[3]

For the most part the ō-yoroi was a rich man's armor and not used by lower ranking samurai. The armor was mainly worn by the higher ranking samurai on horseback. The lower ranking soldiers had armor that was similar to the ō-yoroi, but had fewer components, was lighter, and lacked the decorative markings of the higher ranking samurai.[4]

Most of the information known about the ō-yoroi is based on the armor of the higher-ranking officials since the armor was either donated to a shrine as an offering or maintained by the descendants of the original wearer.[3][5] Many of the original components of the ō-yoroi still in existence have been replaced over time due to the items being lost or damaged. The few remaining examples of ō-yoroi are on display in museums (in several different countries) or in Shinto shrines where they have been maintained and protected for centuries.[6][3]

Components

A man wearing a replica of the dark blue threaded Kon'ito-odoshi Ō-yoroi, 1935

The basic components of the ō-yoroi and other samurai armor are known collectively as the "hei-no-rokugu" or simply "rokugu," which means six articles of arms.[4] The six major components are the dō (cuirass), kabuto (helmet), menpo (mask), kote (armoured sleeves), sune-ate (greaves), and the hai-date (cuisses). The ō-yoroi combines plate and scales (kozane) laced together (lamellar). One specific advance over earlier armors is that the kozane of ō-yoroi are first laced together and then covered with lacquer, which enhances resistance to corrosion.[1] The dō of the ō-yoroi is unique from later models because it is composed of two separate parts instead of one piece with an opening on the side or back of the dō to allow the samurai to put on the armor.[3]

The ō-yoroi (dō) consisted of two parts. One (the waidate) was a separate defense for the right side and the other part covered the rest of the wearer's trunk. The upper part of the waidate was solid iron plate covered with leather. The lower part was lamellar. When dressing for battle, the waidate was put on before the rest of the dō and fastened with cords that tied around the body. The rest of the dō was constructed with individual lacquered scales (kozane) laced together and covered with leather on top.[7] The shoulder straps of the dō-yoroi, the watagami, were also unique from those on the dō-maru. The watagami were made of leather with attached metal plates. They were thicker and offered more protection than the straps on the dō-maru. The watagami of the dō-maru were eventually adopted because it was lighter and allowed more flexibility.[5] A four piece box like skirt (kusazuri) of similar construction to the rest of the armor differentiated the ō-yoroi from the other armours of the era, the (dō-maru) and the (haramaki), which usually had seven panels of kusazuri.[8]

An armourer making a replica of Ō-yoroi, 1935

The kabuto (helmet) of the ō-yoroi is known as a hoshi-bachi-kabuto (star helmet), because of the protruding rivets. This type of helmet first appeared around the 10th century and was constructed with iron plates (tate hagi-no-ita) that are arranged vertically, and radiate from an opening in the top called the tehen or hachiman-za, the rivets that connect the plates have large protruding heads (o-boshi).[9]

Facial armor called mengu[10] was worn to protect the samurai's face as part of the full yoroi. It was composed of iron or lacquered leather. Mengu could cover the entire face or only sections of it. There were many different types and styles of mengu.[4]

Ō-yoroi weighed around 30 kg or 65 pounds, and the metal of choice was iron. Due to the weight of iron, armour makers limited its use to cover the vitals, and substituted leather for the rest. One way to lower the weight was by alternating metal and leather kozane (scales) when constructing the rows of lamellar, creating a very strong armor with great flexibility and a more manageable weight. The ō-yoroi could take up to 265 days to make, using 2000 kozane in its construction. The time, materials and labor meant that an o-yoroi was a substantial investment for a samurai.[11] It was big, boxy armor designed for use on horseback and was loose fitting. The boxy shape hindered the samurai from using the sword with the free, fluid motion vital in hand-to-hand combat, hence the use of yari.[1]

Lacing

Ō-yoroi owned by Shimazu Nariakira. Edo period. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum

The color, design, and material of the lacing identified the clan of the warrior. The clans were also identified by the designs painted on the armor. Many of the clans used symbols as a crest, such as cherry blossoms or depictions of deities. The color and design of lacing the plates together, odoshi, was a system used for identification on the field.[4] There were many different color combinations that identified warriors from a distance.[12]

The design and coloring of the lacing also indicated rank. Higher-ranking officers had the plates of their armor laced together tightly, while lower ranking samurai had armor that was laced more loosely. The loosely laced armor was adopted for all ranks of samurai over time to decrease the weight, allow more flexibility, and help ventilate the armor. This allowed air to flow, keeping the samurai comfortable in hot and cool weather.

The loose lacing also allowed the armor to be cleaned and dried out, preventing the armor from rotting. It also reduced the weight of the armor by reducing the amount of water and ice retained on the lacing since it would be dried by the air flow. Once the loose lacing was adopted by all ranks, the lacing of the neck protector was then used to indicate rank.

The pattern and number of pairs in the lacing specifically indicated the rank of the wearer.[4] Many of the remaining examples of the ō-yoroi have been re-laced to maintain the original form of the armor. However, some of the remaining ō-yoroi contain sections of the original lacing which impart valuable knowledge of the clan association.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d (Mondadori, 1979, p. 507).
  2. ^ Kasuga Grand Shrine
  3. ^ a b c d e (Ogawa, 1989).
  4. ^ a b c d e (Ratti and Westbrook, 1991).
  5. ^ a b (Hoopes, 1930).
  6. ^ 相馬の物具（もののぐ）文化 - Minamisoma City Museum
  7. ^ Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan (Google eBook), Karl Friday, Psychology Press, 2004 p.94
  8. ^ Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Clive Sinclaire, Globe Pequot, 2004 P.29
  9. ^ The Watanabe Art Museum Samurai Armour Collection, Volume I ~ Kabuto & Mengu, Trevor Absolon, P.21
  10. ^ Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior. Clive Sinclaire, Globe Pequot, 2004 P.30
  11. ^ Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan (Google eBook), Karl F. Friday, Psychology Press, 2004P.94
  12. ^ (Conlan, 1999).

Further reading

  • Conlan, Thomas (1999). "The Nature of Warfare in Fourteenth-Century Japan: The Record of Nomoto Tomoyuki". Journal of Japanese Studies. 25 (2): 299–330. doi:10.2307/133314. JSTOR 133314.
  • Hoopes, Thomas T. (1930). "Recent Acquisitions of Japanese Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum". Metropolitan Museum Studies. 2 (2): 221–235. doi:10.2307/1522748. JSTOR 1522748.
  • Mondadori, Arnoldo, ed. "The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms & Weapons", (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1979).
  • Ogawa, Morihiro (1989). "A Famous Fourteenth-Century Japanese Armor". Metropolitan Museum Journal. 24: 75–83. doi:10.2307/1512871. JSTOR 1512871. S2CID 191380055.
  • Ratti, O., & Westbrook, A. (1991). Secrets of the samurai: The martial arts of feudal japan. Boston, MA: Tuttle publishing.
  • Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, Kenkyusha Limited, Tokyo 1991, ISBN 4-7674-2015-6
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ō-yoroi.

Read other articles:

Samsung SDS

Artikel ini berisi konten yang ditulis dengan gaya sebuah iklan. Bantulah memperbaiki artikel ini dengan menghapus konten yang dianggap sebagai spam dan pranala luar yang tidak sesuai, dan tambahkan konten ensiklopedis yang ditulis dari sudut pandang netral dan sesuai dengan kebijakan Wikipedia. (Mei 2020) Samsung SDS Co. Ltd.JenisPublikKode emiten KRX: 018260 ISINKR7018260000Pendiri1 Mei 1985Kantorpusat35 Olympic-Ro, 125, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea Selatan, Korea SelatanTokohkunciHong Won-Pyo (...

 

Secret Combination (song)

Song by Greek American singer Kalomira Secret CombinationSingle by Kalomirafrom the album Secret Combination Released26 February 2008 (2008-02-26)Genre Pop R&B Length3:02LabelHeavenComposer(s)Konstantinos PantzisLyricist(s)Poseidonas GiannopoulosKalomira singles chronology Gine Mazi Mou Paidi (2006) Secret Combination (2008) Please Don't Break My Heart (2010) Music videoSecret Combination on YouTubeEurovision Song Contest 2008 entryCountryGreeceArtist(s)KalomiraLanguageEngl...

 

Painkiller (TV series)

American TV series PainkillerCreated by Micah Fitzerman-Blue Noah Harpster Based on Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynastyby Patrick Radden Keefe Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemicby Barry Meier Directed byPeter BergStarring Uzo Aduba Matthew Broderick Taylor Kitsch Dina Shihabi West Duchovny Carolina Bartczak Brian Markinson John Rothman Tyler Ritter Sam Anderson John Ales Ron Lea Jack Mulhern Noah Harpster ComposerMatt Morton[...

Famille Stroganoff

Armes des Stroganov sur la façade du palais Stroganov La famille Stroganov ou Strogonov ou Stroganoff (en russe : Строгановы, Строгоновы), était une famille de commerçants, d'industriels, de propriétaires fonciers russes du XVIe au XXe siècle. Alexandre Grigorievitch, Nicolas Grigorievitch, et Serge Grigorievitch sont élevés au rang de baron en 1722 et plus tard à celui de comte. Les Stroganov appartiennent dès lors à la noblesse russe et occupe...

 

Tanghe County

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Tanghe County – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) County in Henan, People's Republic of ChinaTanghe County 唐河县TanghoCountyFrom top to bottom, left to right: Wenfeng Pagoda (文峰塔), N...

 

Church of St. Mary of the Spring (Istanbul)

Greek Orthodox Christian Church and Monastery in Istanbul, Turkey Church in Istanbul, TurkeyChurch of St. Mary of the SpringΖωοδόχος ΠηγήThe modern church viewed from northChurch of St. Mary of the SpringLocation in Istanbul41°00′24″N 28°54′57″E / 41.0066°N 28.9158°E / 41.0066; 28.9158LocationBalikli, IstanbulCountryTurkeyDenominationGreek OrthodoxHistoryFounded559-560Founder(s)JustinianDedicationTheotokos PegèCult(s) presentSaint MaryArchitect...

马哈茂德·艾哈迈迪内贾德

馬哈茂德·艾哈迈迪-内贾德محمود احمدی‌نژاد第6任伊朗總統任期2005年8月3日—2013年8月3日副总统帷爾維茲·達烏迪穆罕默德-禮薩·拉希米领袖阿里·哈梅內伊前任穆罕默德·哈塔米继任哈桑·魯哈尼不结盟运动秘书长任期2012年8月30日—2013年8月3日前任穆罕默德·穆尔西继任哈桑·魯哈尼德黑蘭市長任期2003年6月20日—2005年8月3日副职阿里·賽義德盧前任哈桑·馬利克邁達尼�...

 

Jabr Muadi

Israeli politician (1919–2009) Jabr MuadiFaction represented in the Knesset1951–1955Democratic List for Israeli Arabs1956–1959Democratic List for Israeli Arabs1961–1966Cooperation and Brotherhood1966–1967Cooperation and Development1967Cooperation and Brotherhood1967–1969Druze Party1969–1974Progress and Development1974–1976Alignment1976–1977Progress and Development1977United Arab List1981United Arab List Personal detailsBorn1 April 1919Yirka, OETA, PalestineDied19 May 2009(20...

 

التقسيم الإداري في الصومال

هذه المقالة بحاجة لصندوق معلومات. فضلًا ساعد في تحسين هذه المقالة بإضافة صندوق معلومات مخصص إليها. تنقسم الصومال رسميًا إلى ثمانية عشر منطقة إدارية تنقسم بدورها إلى تسعين (90) مقاطعة.[1] المناطق الرسمي في الصومال هي:1. جوبا السفلى، 2. جوبا الوسطى، 3. جدو، 4. باي، 5. بكول، 6. شبي�...

Chuanyin

Chinese Buddhist monk (1927–2023) Chuanyin传印TitleVenerable Master of the Buddhist Association of ChinaPersonalBornLü Yudai (吕毓岱)(1927-01-30)30 January 1927Zhuanghe, Liaoning, ChinaDied11 March 2023(2023-03-11) (aged 96)Donglin Temple, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, ChinaReligionChan BuddhismNationalityChineseSchoolWeiyang schoolLineage9th generationof Weiyang schoolAlma materBuddhist Academy of ChinaBukkyo UniversityDharma namesChuanyinSenior postingTeacherChongrenHsu YunPerio...

 

Ur

Halaman ini berisi artikel tentang kota kuno di Mesopotamia. Untuk penggunaan lain, lihat Ur (disambiguasi). Ur𒌶𒆠 URI5KI, 𒋀𒀕𒆠 atau 𒋀𒀊𒆠 Urim (Sumeria) 𒋀𒀕𒆠 Uru (Akkadia) أُوْر ʾūr (Arab)Situs reruntuhan Ur, dengan Ziggurat Ur yang terlihat di belakangnya.UrLokasi di IrakTampilkan peta IrakUrUr (Near East)Tampilkan peta Near EastUrUr (West and Central Asia)Tampilkan peta West and Central AsiaLokasiTel al-Muqayyar, Kegubernuran Dhi Qar, IrakWilayahMesopotam...

 

Android Beam

Former Android OS feature Android BeamA screenshot of Android Beam running on Android Oreo.Developer(s)GoogleInitial release2011; 13 years ago (2011)Operating systemAndroid OSSuccessorNearby ShareService nameFile sharingTypeUtility softwareLicenseApache License 2.0 Android Beam is a discontinued feature of the Android mobile operating system that allowed data to be transferred via near field communication (NFC).[1] It allowed the rapid short-range exchange of web boo...

Energy efficiency in British housing

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2016) Domestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK greenhouse gas emissions targeted by the Government for 2010. However, the process of achieving that drop is proving problematic given the very wide range of age and condition of the UK housing stock. Carbon emissions Although carbon emissions from...

 

David Baltimore

David BaltimoreBaltimore in 2008Lahir(1938-03-07)7 Maret 1938New York City, New York, USAKebangsaanUnited StatesAlmamaterSwarthmore College Rockefeller UniversityDikenal atasReverse transcriptaseBaltimore classificationPenghargaanPenghargaan Nobel dalam Fisiologi atau Kedokteran (1975)Karier ilmiahBidangBiologyInstitusiMassachusetts Institute of Technology Rockefeller University California Institute of Technology David Baltimore (lahir 7 Maret 1938) adalah seorang ahli biologi dari Amerika S...

 

New Glenn

New Glenn Ilustrasi roket New Glenn Fungsi Roket peluncur orbital yang dapat digunakan kembali Produsen Blue Origin Negara asal Amerika Serikat Ukuran Tinggi 98 m (322 ft)[1] Diameter 7 m (23 ft) Tingkatan 2 Kapasitas Muatan menuju Orbit rendahMassa45,000 kg (99,208 pon)[2][3] Muatan menuju GTOMassa13,000 kg (28,660 pon)[2][3] Roket terkait Roket sejenis Delta IV Heavy Falcon Heavy Long March 5 Saturn C-3 Vulcan ...

Gordon Getty

Billionaire American heir and composer Gordon GettyGetty in 1976BornGordon Peter Getty (1933-12-20) December 20, 1933 (age 90)Los Angeles, CaliforniaAlma materUniversity of San FranciscoSan Francisco Conservatory of MusicOccupation(s)Businessman, composerSpouse Ann Gilbert ​ ​(m. 1964; died 2020)​Children7, including AndrewParent(s)J. Paul GettyAnn Rork LightFamilyGetty Gordon Peter Getty (born December 20, 1933) is an American busines...

 

جون راتزنبرجر

جون راتزنبرجر معلومات شخصية اسم الولادة (بالإنجليزية: John Dezso Ratzenberger)‏  الميلاد 6 أبريل 1947 (العمر 77 سنة)بريدجبورت، الولايات المتحدة مواطنة الولايات المتحدة  الطول 177 سنتيمتر  الحياة العملية المهنة ممثل الحزب الحزب الجمهوري  اللغة الأم الإنجليزية  اللغات الإنجل�...

 

Zuckerrohr

Der Titel dieses Artikels ist mehrdeutig. Zur Wappenfigur siehe Zuckerrohr (Heraldik). Zuckerrohr Zuckerrohr-Pflanze (Saccharum officinarum), Illustration aus Koehler 1887 Systematik Commeliniden Ordnung: Süßgrasartige (Poales) Familie: Süßgräser (Poaceae) Unterfamilie: Panicoideae Gattung: Saccharum Art: Zuckerrohr Wissenschaftlicher Name Saccharum officinarum L. Zuckerrohr (Saccharum officinarum) ist eine Pflanze aus der Familie der Süßgräser (Poaceae) und wird dort der Unterfamili...

ヨハネによる福音書

聖書 > 新約聖書 > 福音書 > ヨハネによる福音書 啓典 > 福音書 > ヨハネによる福音書 新約聖書 福音書 マタイ • マルコ • ルカ • ヨハネ 言行録 使徒言行録 書簡パウロ書簡・公同書簡 ローマ 1 コリント • 2 コリント ガラテヤ • エフェソ フィリピ • コロサイ 1 テサロニケ R...

 

آرثر كومبتون

آرثر كومبتون (بالإنجليزية: Arthur Holly Compton)‏    معلومات شخصية اسم الولادة (بالإنجليزية: Arthur Holly Compton)‏  الميلاد 10 سبتمبر 1892 [1][2][3][4][5][6]  ووستير[7]  الوفاة 15 مارس 1962 (69 سنة) [8][1][3][4][5][6]  بيركيلي[7]  سبب الوفاة...