Royal Armouries Leeds - Oriental Gallery

 

 

The Samurai were a warrior middle and upper class of Japan in the ancient and middle ages. They followed a set of rules known as Bushido.

Japanese armour was generally constructed from many small iron (tetsu) and or leather (nerigawa) scales (kozane) and or plates (ita-mono), connected to each other by rivets and lace (odoshi) made from leather and or silk, and or chain armour (kusari). These armour plates were usually attached to a cloth or leather backing. Japanese armour was designed to be as lightweight as possible as the samurai had many tasks including riding a horse and archery in addition to swordsmanship. The armour was usually brightly lacquered to protect against the harsh Japanese climate.
Source: Japanese Armour
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Tosei Gusoku
Japanese 18th century

The mounted Samurai is from the 18th century, the armour being based upon developments during the civil wars of the16th century.  The flag attached to the back plate displays his personal device, his kamon.

Turkish Heavy Cavalryman
15th century



Mail plate armour for man and horse became the standard equipment for heavy cavalry under the Ottoman Turks (1370 - 1506). The cavalry were armed with bow, sword, and sometimes lance.



 

Terracotta Warrior

The Terracotta Army or the "Terracotta Warriors and Horses" is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife
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