Dō (armour)


Dō or dou is one of the major components of Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and foot soldiers of feudal Japan.

History

The predecessor of the samurai cuirass, or dō, was manufactured in Japan as early as the 4th century.tankō, worn by foot soldiers and keikō, worn by horsemen were both pre-samurai types of early Japanese cuirass constructed from iron plates connected by leather thongs.
During the Heian period the Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style of armour worn by the samurai known as the. Japanese armour makers started to use hardened leather along with iron in their armour construction and lacquer was used to weather proof the armor parts. By the end of the Heian period the Japanese cuirass had arrived at the shape recognized as being distinctly samurai. Leather and or iron scales were used to construct samurai armours, with leather and eventually silk lace used to connect the individual scales which these cuirasses were now being made from.
In the 16th century Japan began trading with Europe during what would become known as the Nanban trade. Samurai acquired European cuirasses which they modified and combined with domestic armour as it provided better protection from the newly introduced matchlock muskets known as. The introduction of the tanegashima by the Portuguese in 1543 along with a change in battle tactics caused the Japanese armour makers to change the design of the dō from the centuries-old lamellar armours to plate armour constructed from iron and steel plates, this type of armour was called tosei gusoku. Bullet resistant dō were developed, this type of armour was called allowing samurai to continue wearing their armour despite the increasing use of firearms.
The warfare of the Sengoku period required large quantities of armour to be produced for the ever-growing armies of foot soldiers. Simple munition quality dō were massed produced including tatami dō which could be folded.
The victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and his subsequent rise as shōgun in 1603, marked the end of the Sengoku period. By this time samurai continued to use both plate and lamellar cuirasses as a symbol of their status, but traditional armours were no longer necessary. During the Edo period, lightweight and concealed armour became popular as there was still a need for personal protection. Civil strife, duels, assassinations, and peasant revolts required the use of tatami dō as well as and armoured sleeves as well as other types of armour which could be worn under ordinary clothing. Edo period samurai were in charge of internal security and would wear various types of kusari gusoku and shin and arm protection as well as forehead protectors.
Traditional armor continued to be worn and used in Japan until the end of the samurai era in the 1860s, with the last use of samurai armour happening in 1877 during the Satsuma Rebellion.

Types of dō

The type of dō that originally came with a matched suit of armour defined the name for that particular suit of armour, for example, a suit of armour that came with a hotoke dō would be called a hotoke dō gusoku; a suit of armour that came with a karuta tatami dō would be called a karuta tatami dō gusoku.

Kozane dō

True kozane dō are of lamellar construction using individual scales known as kozane, they were used before the introduction of firearms in Japanese warfare.

Types of kozane

False kozane dou in the form of kiritsuke hon iyozane or kiritsuke hon kozane mimic the construction of lamellar armour but instead of being made from true individual scales kiritsuke kozane are actually constructed with long lames of armour lashed together and are a form of laminar armour.

Types of Kiritsuke kozane

Tosei dou (dō)

Tosei dou , were made from iron plates instead of individual scales. Tosei-gusoku became prominent starting in the 1500s due to the advent of fire arms, new fighting tactics and the need for additional protection.

Tatami dō

were made from small square or rectangular armour plates or hexagon armour plates that were usually connected to each other by chain armour and sewn to a cloth backing, tatami dō could also be made entirely from kusari. Tatami dou were lightweight, portable, convenient for transportation, and were manufactured inexpensively and in great numbers for the ashigaru light infantry.Tatami dou were worn by all samurai classes from the highest class to the lowest class. The higher class samurai wore elaborate ''tatami dou while the lower class samurai and retainers wore plainer, simpler designs

Types of tatami armour

Tatami armour gallery