O-yoy

The armor itself had a very complex structure and consisted of several parts, the main of which was a cuirass ( before ). It had a complex structure consisting of plates: four horizontal rows covered the warrior's stomach. These plates were called nakagawa and were interconnected using silk cords, and the entire structure was attached to a plate made of tsubo-ita metal for strength, forming a fairly reliable protection of the warrior's belly.

Three more rows of plates ( tateage ) protected the chest and the upper back of the warrior, moreover, they were reinforced in front of a metal muna-ita , which had a notch for the warrior's chin, and on the back was an ositsuko-ita plate, to which large rectangular shoulders were attached via straps forms ^[2] .

These shoulder pads, called sode , and the wide legguards gave the armor its unique and recognizable appearance. Sode are unparalleled in either Middle Eastern or Western European armor. A number of researchers believe that they come from shields that warriors used in the early periods of the Japanese state ^[3] . Like the rest of the o-yoy, the sode were stacked and consisted of horizontal plates connected by cords. Along the edges, the shoulder strap was framed by a special cord of a contrasting color, called mimi-ito .

On top of the shoulder strap was a metal plate of kammuri no ita , which was covered with skin to protect it from moisture. The ends of this plate were rounded so as not to injure the warrior's face, and copper and iron rings were attached to it at the front and back, which served to attach the shoulder pads with cords to the armor. An element of this cord fastening was a beautiful agamaki bow, which firmly entered the Japanese samurai armor and continued to be used as a decorative element even after the sode went out of use.

Despite their overall dimensions, the sode were convenient enough for an archer warrior, since when they fired they moved behind, and when the samurai dropped his hands to grasp the reins of the horse, they returned to their place and protected the owner’s hands ^[4] .

The Kusazuri Legguards consisted of five horizontal rows of records. Three kusazuri were attached to the cuirass before - one at the back, front and on the left side. The fourth, right kusazuri , was a continuation of the intermediate plate of tsubo-ita and, together with it, was called vaidate . The side gaiters were connected with the bib to stripes of patterned skin and hung lower than the front and back, about the width of one horizontal row. Thanks to this, they better protected the hips of a warrior sitting on a horse. The front and rear kusazuri were fastened with the same cords that bound the entire armor, and were more mobile than the side ones. At the rider, they covered both bows of the saddle and did not interfere with the movements of the body. To make it easier to walk, the lower plate of the front and rear kusazuri was made of two halves.

The o-ryu armor on the chest was usually covered with a rectangular piece of dressed leather ( tsurubashiri-do ). Its purpose was twofold: additional protection of that part of the body of the warrior, which was not covered by the bow of the saddle, as well as the creation of a smooth surface on which the bowstring could freely glide without clinging to small plates. The material was diverse (from buffalo to dressed up deer suede), most often tsurubasiri-do was painted in light colors and various geometric figures, ornaments or animals were depicted on it. Quite often in the Heian era, lions were used, which were borrowed by the Japanese from China; at a later time (XII-XIV centuries), the fashion for depicting Buddhist saints spreads ^[5] .

The cuirass in armor was supplemented by a helmet called kabuto . Kabuto provided good protection for the warrior's head and consisted of several parts. The base is a hemisphere cap assembled from several (usually eight) iron plates connected by rivets. In different periods, the size of these rivets was very different: for example, in the Heian period they reached significant sizes and were called o-bosi ("big stars"). On the top of the helmet was a teken hole, the purpose of which has not yet been clarified and is a debatable issue: it may have had a ritual significance (the spirit of the deity of Hachiman penetrated the warrior through it), or the end of a long hat made of silk ( eboshi ) was let up , which together with a hair bundle was a kind of comic, protecting the head from shaking when hitting the helmet ^[6] .

The Kabuto helmet was equipped with a massive headpiece with wide lapels called fukigaeshi .

In addition to the helmet, o-ery included protection of the legs and arms of the warrior. Kote’s arms were sleeves made of thick fabric, covering the arm from the shoulder to the base of the fingers. Metal plates were sewn onto the fabric, which were often decorated. A distinctive feature of o-yory was the presence of only one kote, usually the left, which made it easier for a warrior to shoot from a bow ^[7] .

Suneate Leggings consisted of one curved metal plate or several vertical, movably connected to each other using iron hinges, reminiscent of modern door. They covered only the front surface of the lower leg, leaving the leg open behind. The pattern on the plates, usually gold on blued metal, coincided with that on the kote . The standard pattern was 1-2 horizontal stripes of different widths and a decorative lining of gilded copper in the form of a chrysanthemum or a nine-star pattern. Suneate were short and reached only the lower edge of the knee. On the leg they were held by two wide ribbons tied at the top and bottom.

The colors of the armor were important because on the battlefield it was very difficult to distinguish between “friends” and “strangers”, dressed in the same armor. According to the researchers, the clans began to acquire “their own” flowers at the end of the 9th century, and the first people to do this were the Fujiwara regents who chose the green color. The main actors of the war, Gampei, had their own colors: the Minamoto clan preferred black armor, and their opponents Tyra - red-purple. However, many famous samurai preferred a unique color scheme that would distinguish them from the rest:

“Dressed in a red brocade cloak called himself Yoshitsune; the one in red armor, belted with a large sword, was called Hatakeyama Shigatada; <...> the one in black armor was called Kajiwara Kagesue, and the yellow one was called Sasaki Takatsuna. "

- “ Nihon Gacy ” ^[8]

On the other hand, poor warriors could use trophies captured from the enemy, which also distinguished them from associates. There were cases when famous commanders, fearing an attempt on their lives, used various colors of armor to disguise themselves. Here's what Haike Monogatari says about this:

“First of all, we must grapple with Kuro Yoshitsune (Minamoto Yoshitsune.), Their commander! His face is white, his height is small, his teeth stick out forward - by these signs you can recognize him. But he changes the caftan and the carapace now and then, so it will probably not be so easy to find it! ”

- Monk of Yukinaga . The Tale of Tyra's House ^[9]

White played a special role - a symbol of mourning - it was often used by warriors who were ready to die in battle. Thus, one should not assume that the warriors of one clan had uniformly colored armor, a kind of uniform, such a practice in the 11th – 12th centuries only begins to find application and will be implemented only in the Sengoku era (late 15th century) ^[10] .

The color scheme of o-ery consisted of a number of elements: this is the coloring of the protective plates themselves, from which the carapace was typed, as well as the connecting cords called odoshi , and tsurubasiri-no gava , a torn piece of leather covering the warrior's chest.

The armor plates were made of different materials - it could be both leather and iron, but all of them were covered with a special varnish ( Urusi ). This was done not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to protect the metal from a damp climate. The process of varnishing took place in several stages, so the varnish layer was very thick, which prevented accidental chips. Coloring was carried out using a variety of mineral and plant pigments: black gave soot, red - cinnabar, obtained by mixing mercury and sulfur. Red and black gave a very popular brown color (it is believed that this was due to the fashion of everything old, and brown imitated rust) ^[10] .

In addition to varnishing, the plates were often also decorated, and in a very bizarre way. Some gunsmiths added crushed coral, clay powder or even chopped straw to the varnish - all this made it possible to create a textured coating and an interesting pattern. The richest customers could afford gilding varnish (the addition of powder or sheet gold).

Another important component of the color scheme of the armor was the odoshi cords connecting the metal plates. They were made of various materials. but most often there were either leather ( kava-odoshi ) or silk ( ito-odoshi ). Popular colors for cords were aka (red), chi (orange, fiery), kurenai (raspberry), kuro (black), midori (green), con (blue), ki (yellow), cha (brown, tea ”), Shiro (white) and Murasaki (purple) ^[11] . Coloring was carried out using natural pigments, which differed in varying degrees of resistance, which also left an imprint on the final choice of a warrior. For example, indigo dye, giving a blue color, protected silk from fading, and red madder was very unstable. Of course, rich samurai could afford frequent repainting of their ammunition, and those who were poorer painted their cords in more economical colors.

Around the o-yoy, like the katana sword, many myths have developed. Outstanding qualities are often attributed to this armor: lightness (compared to European protective weapons), combined with excellent protective properties and ease of wearing. It is also widely believed that the samurai himself could put on o-yoy without outside help, which also spoke of its convenience and constructive perfection.

It should be noted that most of these provisions are erroneous. So, the weight of o-yoy was quite large. For example, a specimen stored in New York (Metropolitan Museum) weighs about 12 kilograms, and this is only the weight of the cuirass itself without massive shoulder pads, as well as the protection of arms and legs. The missing elements could increase the weight of the kit to 20-25 kilograms, which corresponded to the weight of European mail armor. An additional inconvenience for a soldier dressed in an o-yoy was also delivered by its design feature, which consisted in the fact that it created a significant burden on the shoulders of the owner (literally “hung” on them). During the battle on the horse, this drawback was eliminated by the fact that the bottom edge of the armor rested on the saddle, but it was not suitable for a long foot battle.

The abundance of cords also created a number of problems: the spear point could easily “hook” on them, the cords got wet in the rain and stretched, various insects could start in them in a warm climate, which also caused considerable inconvenience to the owner ^[12] .

The opinion that the samurai independently put on armor is also erroneous, since they had many cords and ties, most of which were located on the back, which required the help of a servant.

Thus, the large Japanese armor o-yoroy was a rather narrowly specialized protective weapon intended for equestrian archer. Subsequently, when, by the end of the 15th century, the Japanese switched to widespread use of spears, it became the main armor for the nobility, losing its military significance.