Tatami-dō

A Tatami dou (dō) (Japanese: 畳胴), is one part of a Tatami dou (dō) gusoku (畳胴具足),[1]which is a full suit of lightweight portable folding Japanese armour worn during the feudal era of Japan by the samurai class and their foot soldiers ashigaru. The Tatami dou (dō) was a folding type of chest armor (hence its name Tatami, from Tatamu 畳む, "To fold")[2] and ( dō or dou ) which refers to a chest armor.

Contents

Structure

A tatami gusoku (complete suit of folding armor) includes a tatami dou (dō) or tatami katabira (jacket) and a tatami kabuto (helmet) chochin kabuto,[3] or tatami zukin (hood) or similar type of tatami 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 armors are also tatami armors.[4]

Tatami dou (dō) are lightweight, portable, convenient for transportation, and were manufactured inexpensively and in great numbers for the ashigaru light infantry.[5]Tatami dou (dō) were worn by all samurai classes from the highest class to the lowest class. The higher class samurai wore elaborate tatami dou (dō)[6] while the lower class samurai and retainers wore plain basic tatami-dō.

Ian Bottomley in his book "Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan" [7] shows a karuta tatami do and a karuta tatami kabuto p. 88 and he discusses different types of tatami dou (dō) karuta gane dou (dō) and kikko gane dou (dō) on p. 91 and George Cameron Stone shows a kikko tatami armor in his book "A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor" p. 606.[8]

Types of Tatami-dō

Gallery

References

  1. ^ The samurai: warriors of medieval Japan, 940-1600, Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing p.63
  2. ^ Arms and armor of the samurai: the history of weaponry in ancient Japan, Ian Bottomley, Anthony Hopson, Crescent Books, 1993 p.88,91,92
  3. ^ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008 p.98
  4. ^ A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor by George Cameron, p.606
  5. ^ Samurai 1550–1600 by Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, p.59
  6. ^ The samurai: warriors of medieval Japan, 940-1600, Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing p.63
  7. ^ Ian Bottomley & A.P. Hopson "Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan" p.88 & p.91
  8. ^ A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor by George Cameron, p.606
  9. ^ Samurai 1550-1600 by Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, p.59
  10. ^ Warriors of Medieval Japan, Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Publishing, 2007 p.138
  11. ^ The samurai: warriors of medieval Japan, 940-1600, Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing p.63
  12. ^ Arms and armor of the samurai: the history of weaponry in ancient Japan, Ian Bottomley, Anthony Hopson, Crescent Books, 1993 p.88,91,92
  13. ^ The Encyclopedia Americana: a library of universal knowledge, Volume 15, Encyclopedia Americana Corp., 1919 p.742-744
  14. ^ Helmets and body armor in modern warfare, Bashford Dean, Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), Yale University Press, 1920 p172

See also