Tatami (畳具足), or tatami gusoku (from 畳む tatamu, "to fold", and gusoku, "full suit of armour"), [1] was a type of lightweight portable folding Japanese armour worn during the feudal era of Japan by the samurai class and their foot soldiers ( ashigaru). The Tatami dō (a foldable cuirass) or the tatami katabira (an armoured jacket) were the main components of a full suit of tatami armour. [2]
Structure
A tatami gusoku (complete suit of folding armor) includes a tatami dō or tatami katabira (jacket) and a tatami kabuto (helmet) chochin kabuto, [3] or tatami zukin (hood) or similar type of head protection along with the other related parts of a full suit of Japanese armour. Collapsible head protection such as hachi gane and other collapsible armor are also tatami armor; [4] a traditional kabuto could also be part of a tatami gusoku.
Tatami armour was lightweight, portable, convenient for transportation, and they were manufactured inexpensively for the ashigaru light infantry. [5] Tatami armours were worn by all samurai classes from the highest class to the lowest class. The higher class samurai wore elaborate armour [1] while the lower class samurai and retainers wore simpler versions.
In his book Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan [2] Ian Bottomley shows a karuta tatami do and a karuta tatami kabuto (p. 88), and discusses different types of tatami dō karuta gane dō and kikko gane dō on p. 91. George Cameron Stone shows a kikko tatami armor on p. 606 of his book A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor. [4]
Types of Tatami armour
Karuta tatami armour
- Karuta [5] are small lacquered square or rectangular iron (sometimes leather) plates usually connected together by chainmail and sewn to a cloth backing. [6]
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Edo period samurai folding suit of armor tatami gusoku completely matched set with karuta tatami dō and chochin kabuto -
Karuta tatami dō and karuta zukin (hood) -
Edo period samurai karuta tatami dō in the hara-ate style -
Karuta katabira
Kikko tatami armour
- Kikko are small iron or leather hexagon plates [1] usually connected together by kusari or chainmail, and sewn to a cloth backing. [2]
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Edo period tetsu kikko tatami dō. A lightweight portable folding tatami cuirass, made from small metal hexagonal plates (kikko), sewn to a cloth backing. -
Edo period kikko tatami dō. A cuirass with small hexagon armor plates kikko. The kikko are connected to each other by chainmail and sewn to a cloth backing. -
Edo period kikko tatami dō, shown folded up -
Kikko katabira
Kusari tatami armour
- Kusari is mail or chain armour, normally sewn to a cloth or leather backing. [7] [8]
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Kusari tatami dō, a cuirass made from chain armour shown next to a traditional iron cuirass -
Kusari tatami gusoku, a suit of chain armour -
Kusari tatami gusoku, a suit of chain armour
See also
References
- ^ a b c Bryant, Anthony J.; McBride, Angus (2010). The Samurai: Warriors of Medieval Japan, 940-1600. Osprey Publishing. p. 63.
- ^ a b c Bottomley, Ian (1993). Hopson, Anthony (ed.). Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan. Crescent Books. pp. 88, 91, 92. ISBN 9780517103180.
- ^ Louis, Thomas; Ito, Tommy (2008). Samurai: The Code of the Warrior. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. p. 98. ISBN 9781402763120.
- ^ a b Stone, George Cameron (1999). Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times. Courier Corporation. p. 606. ISBN 9780486407265.
- ^ a b Bryant, Anthony J. (20 February 2013). McBride, Angus (ed.). Samurai 1550-1600. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 59. ISBN 9781472801777.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (22 May 2007). Warriors of Medieval Japan. Bloomsbury USA. p. 138. ISBN 9781846032202.
- ^ The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge. Vol. 15. Encyclopedia Americana Corporation. 1919. pp. 742–744.
- ^ Dean, Bashford (1920). Helmets and Body Armor in Modern Warfare. New York, N.Y.: Yale University Press, Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 172.
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