Samurai Armor

After watching The Last Samurai as a child, I've always been fascinated by the way of the warrior, their look, and their beliefs. A scene from the film that has remained with me is the cutting of a warrior's hair which is significant to their military group representing their status and nobility. The gasp and dry swallow Another scene is the suiting of the American soldier Nathan Algren played by Tom Cruise into Samurai armor. Taka, a widow of a well known Samurai warrior of the neighborhood gracefully dresses him in the armor that belonged to her husband. The magnificent and elegant look of the armor instantly catches one's eye, even jaw-dropping studying the elements and design of the intimidating but, beautiful uniform handmade and personalized for each warrior.

The creation of the armor took months to make due to several components that were timely. Armor was commonly made using leather scales, small iron, or plates that were connected to each other with via macrame cords or rivets made with braided silk, leather, or chain armor. The construction was important because of their archery and horse riding it was necessary to create armor plates that were lightweight. Lacquered in order to keep safe from the climate this also contributed to the shininess of the armor. The Do: Cuirass, Men Yoroi: The Face Armor, Kote: Armored Sleeves, Suneate: Greaves, and Haidate: Cuisses are all different components of the armor separately constructed although the making of the gear differ from era to era. Although few still exist, the delicacy of the Samurai warriors armor remains a beauty from the past that historians such as myself admire.