The first prototype of the Japanese samurai armor is in the presence of Yoroi. The armor for Japanese samurai was found during the Gempei War of 1181-1185. The upper body armor of the samurai was called “Do”. It comprised of the “Sode”, a suspended shoulder and upper-arm protection plates. The Sode was tied to silk cords attached on the hoops. It is fixed to the back of the armor in an “agemaki” or a decorative knotted tassel. Guards were also placed over the shoulder cords, and a leather plate placed across the bow cords to avoid them from being cut off or being ensnared during a combat. The weight of Yoroi was around 60 pounds.
Samurai armor is not complete without a protective helmet known as Kabuto. It consisted of eight to twelve plates locked together with cone-shaped bolts. Just like in military practices of other culture, a samurai’s helmet displays the rank of the samurai and his clan. The helmets often look very decorative and highly elaborate. Samurai, in general, have long hair to which their ponytails would protrude through the tehen or a gap in the center of the helmets crown.
A thick five-plated protector called “shikoro” is found at the back of the head, neck and the cheekbone. It is fastened to the bowl of the helmet. The top four plates of the Shikoro would be upturned to create the fukigaeshi. The concept of fukigaeshi was to prevent the vertical slicing of the Shikoro’s horizontal fastening chords. A visor is also prominently seen on the front of the helmet, known as the mabisashi. The visor offers protection based on where it is placed. It keeps the sunlight out of the samurai’s eyes and shields the face from an extended and downward strike of the enemy’s sword.
Another part of the samurai attire solely intended for those having a higher importance is the eboshi or a silk cap-like headgear would be worn under the helmet. During the early time of the Gempei War, samurai fought much on horseback. They utilized bows and arrows. The standard samurai soldier often leaves the right arm free of restricting protection to allow drawing back the bow. His left arm, however, had a light protective sleeve.
The fighters during the Gempei War were not all of the samurai class. Therefore, they were equipped differently and wore a different style of lighter armor called the “Do Maru”. A body wrap style of armor resting on the shoulders and fastening under the right armpit was far less restricting than the yoroi. It was based on this freer design of armor that development would be made for the samurai’s armor of the future.