ARMOUR & HISTORY
Protection.
Form and craftsmanship.
Four introductions to Japanese armour history, based on museum accounts.
The armour provides historical background. This is not a list of equipment you need for training in Follo.
大鎧ŌyoroiArmour for mounted warriors
Ōyoroi is associated with mounted archers in the Heian and Kamakura periods. The National Museum of Korea describes this use in its overview of Japanese armour.
胴丸DōmaruWrapping around the torso
Dōmaru is one of the main forms in Japanese armour history. The museum’s overview associates it with lighter equipment for combat on foot.
腹巻HaramakiA related armour form
Haramaki appears alongside dōmaru in museum accounts of medieval armour. The name identifies a distinct form, rather than simply a smaller ōyoroi.
当世具足Tōsei-gusokuThe “modern” armour
Tōsei-gusoku refers to armour forms shaped during major changes in sixteenth-century warfare. The Tokugawa Art Museum discusses them in relation to the scale of battle, firearms and production.