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.

Ta Prohm

Rajavihara also known as Ta Prohm "ancestor Brahma" is a temple located in Cambodia constructed by Jayavarman VI, a king of the Khmer Empire in present-day Siem Reap, Cambodia in 1186 A.D. The temple was dedicated to his family consisting of various Buddhist inscriptions, artwork, and sculptures. During his reign he launched a program of construction and public works along with this temple being apart of it, different components of the temple were modeled for them. The main image of the temple representing Prajnaparamita, the personification of wisdom was designed in honor of his mother. Other parts were dedicated to his brothers, his father, and his guru. The site was home to 12, 500 people with religious leaders, dancers, and villagers. After the Khmer Empire had fallen in the 15th century, the temple was forgotten and neglected though work has been done to restore the grand temple. Original Buddhist art has believed to been salvaged by Hindu iconoclasts after the death of Jayavarman VII. However, the elegance of the temple persists through the overgrown jungle and trees that add to the beauty of the ruins.