2nd parts of Japanese armour

บทที่ ๒ :ส่วนของเกราะญี่ปุ่น

โดย แอนโธนีย์ เจ ไบรอัน

 แปลโดย ธนคลัง สินทรัพย์แสน

ส่วนต่างๆ

ส่วนของเกราะ

ส่วนของหมวกเกราะ(Kabuto)

Parts of the kote:

ส่วนของบังไหล่ Sode

ส่วนของเกราะหน้าตัก

ส่วนของสนับแข้ง

Glossary

บรรณานุกรม

อาเกะมากิ(Agemaki) — An ornamental bow used to decorate armour.
อะโกดะ นาริ(Akoda nari) — A helmet shape with a pronounced  bulge in the back. It was a common style.
อาชินางาเระ(Ashinagare) — Literally "wandering legs." This is what you don't want with the plates in your helmet bowl. They should be even and straight.
อาเทะงาเนะ(Ategane) — A pair of reinforcing plates under the visor.
Bishamon gote — A type of kote with integral sode.
Chikara gawa — A strip of leather on the haidate to strengthen the fabric and lend support the armoured section.
Chôgane — Hinge.
Dangly bits — My term for the hanging sections of armour — shikoro, kusazuri, sode, kohire, yodare kake — which are usually designed en suite.
Datemono — Helmet crest (generic term).
Dehaba — The tooth-measurement between scales.
Dô maru — An old-fashioned cuirass of scale construction which wrapped around the body and tied closed under the right arm.
Dô — cuirass.
Egawa — Printed leather.
Eriwa — See guruwa.
Etchû jikoro — Like the hineno jikoro, it was close-fitting, but it was never sleek.
Etchû kabuto — A variation on the "three-plate" helmet style.
Fukigaeshi — Blowback; "wing" or "ear" like device on either side of the shikoro.
Fukurin — Brass or gilt copper edging on kanagu mawari and some other plates.
Fusegumi — A complex locking stitch that attaches the koberi to the egawa. Cheaper armours often just glue down multi-colored braid on the seam.
Gesan jikoro — Shikoro that were divided into sections like kusazuri.
Go-mai dô — A five-sectional armour, with four hinges.
Guruwa — A type of gorget made of standing plates that protect the neck, and a bib.
Gusoku — Suit of armour.
Gusoku shita — Robe worn under armour.
Gyôyô — Small plates on watagami to protect the frogs connecting it to the munaita.
Hachi — Helmet bowl.
Hachiman-za — A virtual synonym of tehen; this is the ornamental fitting around the hole.
Hachitsuke-no-ita — The top lame of a shikoro, the one that attaches to the koshimaki.
Haidate — Thigh guards.
Hakama — Pants.
Hanbô — Literally "half cheek"; a menpô made without a nose.
Happuri — A head protector that guards the forehead and cheeks.
Haraate — See maekake dô.
Haramaki — Any cuirass that opens up the back.
Haribachi — A helmet bowl with flat plates and no ribs or protruding rivets.
Hassô byô — Ornamental rivets that hold kanagu mawari to the armour.
Hassô gane — Large ornamental seat-plate for the hassô byô.
Hibiki-no-ana — Name of the four holes on some multiplate helmets below the shiten-no-byô.
Hijigane — Elbow plate.
Hineno jikoro — An extremely popular modern style shikoro; it was close-fitting and sleek.
Hineno kabuto — A popular "three-plate" helmet style. It is very similar to the etchû kabuto.
Hirazane — A term which came about to differentiate conventional scales from moriage zane.
Hishinui — Crosslaces.
Hishinui-no-ita — Bottom-most plate of a series of dangly bits. So named because it is often ornamented by a double row of crosslaces.
Hitaigane — A metal plate that protects the forehead; usually attached to a headcloth.
Hanbô — Literally "half cheek"; a menpô made without a nose.
Hô ate — See hanbô.
Hyôtan gane — Literally "gourd plate"; a rounded, gourd-shaped plate on kote of the Kaga and Oda schools.
Ichi-no-ita — First plate, the first in a series of lames. Following it are the ni-, san-, yon-, go-, roku-, shichi-no-ita, etc.
Ichimanjû jikoro — A shikoro where the first lame has a bit of a dish to it, and the rest spread down.
Ieji — Foundation fabric.
Ikada — Small plates on kote and suneate.
Ita mono — Armour sections or lames of solid plate rather than scale construction.
Ito odoshi — Ribbon/twill used as lacing.
Iyo zane — Broad scales.
Kabuki dô — See nagagawa dô.
Kabuto — Helmet.
Kanagu mawari — A number of metal plates attached to various parts of the armour. So-called as they were originally the only "solid" metal plates in the armour.
Kanmuri-no-ita — Literally "crown plate"; the top plate(s) on several various parts of armour.
Kasa jikoro — Wide, umbrella-like shikoro style.
Kasajirushi-no-kan — Ornamental and functionless ring on the back of the helmet bowl.
Kattari — The upper bracket to hold a sashimono.
Kawa odoshi — Leather used as lacing.
Kawara — Literally "tile"; a type of scale used in haidate.
Kawari kabuto — Grotesques; elaborately built-up helmets.
Kebiki odoshi — Full lacing.
Kedate — Suspensory lacing between lames.
Kegutsu — Fur boots worn by generals.
Keikô — A protohistoric, scaled cuirass worn c. 6th-8th centuries. It was inspired by continental models and was the forerunner of the ô-yoroi and dô maru.
Kikkô — Literally "tortoise-shell", for the hexagonal pattern; Japanese brigandine.
Kiritsuke zane — Pseudo-scale; a term to identify lames cut (and often built up with lacquer or other material) to imitate scale construction.
Koberi — Edge leather often bordering egawa.
Koboshi — Literally "small star"; small, protruding domed rivets on some helmet bowls.
Kogusoku — Literally "small armour"; refers to the "other" pieces of a suit of armour, namely the kote, sode, suneate, haidate, menpô, and nodowa.
Kohaze — Frog; loop and toggle.
Kohire — Winglets — like small pauldrons, they protect the top of the shoulder. Worn instead of sode.
Komanjû jikoro — A shikoro where all the lames together pronounce a gentle down-and-outward curve.
Koshimaki — Skirtplate; wraps around the hachi. The shikoro attaches to it.
Kote — Armoured sleeve.
Kozakura byô — Literally "small cherry-blossom rivet"; small rivets that ring kanagu mawari when they have egawa applied to them. The purpose of the kozakura byô is to tack down the leather.
Kozane — Scales.
Kusari — Literally "chain"; mail.
Kusazuri — Tassets.
Kyûbi-no-ita — A slender piece of plate armour. It was worn at the front of ô-yoroi to protect the left armpit.
Kôgake — Armoured tabi.
Lame — A board of laced-together scales or solid plate used in armour.
Lamellar — While this term often refers to scale armours, in this monograph the term shall be taken to refer to armours constructed of lames (as opposed to scale).
Mabizashi — Visor. One of several terms.
Maebashi — Visor. One of several terms.
Maedate — Helmet crest when worn in front.
Maekake dô — A dô consisting of only the front. Synonymous with haraate.
Manchira — An upper-torso protector occasionally worn under armour. The name is taken from the Portuguese "mantilla."
Maru dô — A tôsei dô version of the dô maru.
Mempô — Mask; face armour that protects the chin, cheeks, nose, and throat. The nose is often removeable.
Menashi zane — Scales designed for the top row in a series of lames; they have no upper series of holes, and are punched only for suspensory lacing and shitagarami.
Mimi ito — The outermost line of lacing; typically it is a contrasting or patterned color.
Mitsume zane — Scales designed to overlap twice.
Mon — Heraldic badge.
Moriage zane — Scales built up with applications of lacquer to appear thicker and more ostentatious.
Multiplate — A term which refers to the traditional Japanese helmet constructed of any number of roughly pie-wedge-shaped pieces.
Munaita — Breastboard; top plate on the breastplate. Part of the kanagu mawari.
Nagagawa (dô) — The part of the dô that fully encloses the torso; that is, the bottom half as opposed to the tateage. It is a synonym of kabuki dô.
Namazu gane — Old-style hand guard; so named as it is shaped like the head of a catfish (namazu).
Nanban — Literally "Southern barbarian"; the Period Japanese adjective to refer to anything European, such as a nanban dô, a nanban kabuto, or nanban kusari (European-style mail).
Nawame odoshi — The row of diagonal lacing in kebiki odoshi.
Ni-mai dô — A two-sectional ("clamshell") armour, with one hinge.
Nodowa — Gorget that sits flat on the throat.
Ô — Prefix for "large."
Odoshige — Lacing material
Okegawa dô — Common two-sectional clamshell armour of rivetted lame construction.
Oharaidate — Helmet crest holder.
Oshitsuke-no-ita — Top plate attached to a backplate. Part of the kanagu mawari.
Ô-yoroi — Literally "great armour." The old-fashioned, boxy armour.
Ryô-awase dô — An armour of two (or six) sections and no hinges, which is tied closed on both sides.
Sashimono — Banner often worn on the back of armour for identification.
Se-ita — Optional back plate worn with a haramaki. Also called a coward's plate.
Sendan-no-ita — A piece of armour resembling a miniature sode. It was worn at the front of ô-yoroi to protect the right armpit.
Shiki — A strip of metal run behind scale boards to give them strength; laced in place with the shita garami.
Shikoro — Nape guard.
Shino — Splint; long, narrow plates used in kote and sode.
Shinobi-no-o — Helmet cord.
Shita jikoro — Literally "under shikoro"; a (usually brigandined or mail-faced) fabric lining that hangs down inside a kabuto.
Shita garami — Lacing to secure scales horizontally into boards.
Shiten-no-byô — Functionless rivet on the hachi, numbering four in total; paired with a hibiki-no-ana.
Shobugawa — A popular pattern of koberi. It's so popular that koberi is sometimes called shobugawa.
Sode — Shoulder armour.
Sugake odoshi — Sparce-point lacing, in pairs.
Suji — Rib, as in the turned-up edges of a helmet plate.
Suneate — Greaves.
Sômen — Full mask; like a menpô but also protects the forehead.
Tabi — Split-toed socks.
Tachi dô — Literally "standing cuirass"; another name for tôsei dô which refers to their rigidity and ability to stand up unsupported rather than collapse as did older style cuirasses.
Takahimo — Pair of cords used to tie a dô shut.
Tankô — A protohistoric, solid-bodied cuirass worn c. 4th-6th centuries.
Tatami — Literally "folding." Any of a variety of armours or accessories made of small plates sewn to a backing and/or connected by mail, designed to be folded for easy portability.
Tate garami — Older lacing style in which the suspensory braid passing through the next lame ran vertically rather than executing a diagonal. It was replaced by nawame garami.
Tateage — The term for various parts of armour that jut up from others, including the knee guards of suneate and the upper plates on a cuirass.
Tatehagi dô — A cuirass of lames that run vertically.
Tehen-no-kanamono — Ornamental fitting around the tehen.
Tehen — Hole in the top of multiplate helmets.
Tekkô — Hand guard.
Tenpyô gawa — A popular type of egawa in the 16th century. Named for the Tenpyô Era.
Tominaga gote — A type of kote with an extended upper section; the left and right kote might actually meet and close together.
Tôsei — Adjective meaning "modern" (i.e., sixteenth century). Used to delineate various items as in "tôsei gusoku" or "tôsei sode."
Tsubo — Literally "jar." It refers to a style of suneate or kote in which a few plates solidly enclose the limb and protect it.
Ukebari — Lining, be it helmet or cuirass.
Uketsubo — The receiving cup for the base of the sashimono pole.
Wakibiki — Armpit guard worn under armour.
Wakidate — Helmet crest when worn at the side(s).
Wakiita — Part of the kanagu mawari which protects the armpit.
Waraji — Straw sandals.
Watagami — Shoulder strap, part of the kanagu mawari.
Yodare kake — Literally "dribble hang"; the bib of lames that protects the neck and throat.
Yokohagi dô — A cuirass constructed of lames that run horizontally.
Yoroi — Armour; old term. Generally used to refer to older armours.
Yoroi Hitatare — Battle robe worn under armour by the wealthy and influential.
Yoshitsune gote — A type of kote so named because the great Minamoto no Yoshitsune wore kote like them. (As did everyone else before 1300.)
Yotsume zane — Scales designed for the top row in a series of lames; they are flat, with all the holes punched.
Yurugi ito — Lacing that suspends the kusazuri from the dô.
Za kanamono — Grommets.
Zunari — Literally "head-shaped"; a type of helmet style including the so-called three-plate hineno kabuto.

18th Chests

Chapter Eighteen:
Armour Stands and Chests

      Despite what you may see in photographs from some museum exhibits, Japanese armour is not displayed on a full-body, mannequin-like stand. Armour is displayed on a demi-stand, which is usually placed on the armour’s storage chest.
      The arm armour is tied to the stand or fastened to the watagami (whichever is appropriate); the haidate are tied around the top of the chest; the dô is put on the stand; the face armour is fastened on; kabuto are seated on the top; and finally the suneate are put in front of the chest. The impression one gets is of a fully armoured warrior sitting on the chest.
      There are also stands for just the helmet, to allow only it to be shown.
      I am assuming you will have some access to woodworking equipment, but you needn’t have the facilities of Norm Abrams at your disposal. Roy Underhill is perfectly fine...

Making an Armour Stand

The Real McCoy

      The armour stand — or gusoku kake — is a fairly important item if you don’t want all your work to live in a box or armour bag when you’re not wearing it. There are more baroque models, but in the interest of your time and simplicity I will provide one that is relatively easy to make and could even be collapsible if you don’t use glue.
      You don’t need nails or screws, but you will need a drill, a saw, a hammer, and a chisel. A router or a table saw are also useful, but not necessary.
      You will need 50” of 2 x 4, 56 1/2” of 2 x 2, 9” of 1 x 1, and a 5“-diameter disk of 1 x 12. Any wood is acceptable, but pine is probably most readily available.
      From the pattern and the illustration of the completed stand, it should be readily apparent as to the actual construction. To do the mortises and tenons, cut the ends down to 1” square. Open holes with a 1” diameter drillbit and use a chisel to square off the holes. You may glue the stand together (after assuring a clean fit of the pieces), or you may leave the glue out in the hopes it may break down and be reassembled over and over. I personally wouldn’t do this.
      An alternative but inaccurate construction method is to eliminate the mortises and tenons entirely and use long screws (pre drill those holes!) to secure the uprights to the shoulder board and base to hold it all together.
      When you are satisfied with your stand, you can either stain it, seal it, or leave it a natural wood and let it develop a natural patina of age.

A Portable Model

      The portable armour stand is of questionable origin, but it’s what is supplied by some shops in Japan today if you buy a suit of armour from them.
      It is a fairly easy item to make. The advantange with this model is that it breaks down and can be stored relatively flat in the armour chest for transport.
      The stand is made entirely 3/8” plywood.
      Simply transfer the pattern to your plywood and cut the pieces out. All the slots are wide enough to accomodate the plywood, of course. Sand or plane rounded the edges of the panels to avoid damaging the armour.
      Note the method of assembly shown in the finished diagram at left.
      While you can leave it natural wood, painting it black is a better choice. To make appearances better, I’d recommend draping the stand with a large, thin cloth before putting the armour on it.

Making a Kabuto Stand

The Real McCoy

The helmet stand — or kabuto kake — is very similar to the armour stand. In fact, it’s just slightly modified version of the top section with an abbreviated foot assembly.       When you place a kabuto on this stand, the single bar goes to the rear (as a shikoro support if necessary). The helmet cords go behind the horizontal bar, and back up (through the bottom slot) on the inside (as per the diagram) and then back to the front, where the cords are tied in an agemaki or a bow knot.       If you are putting a menpô on this stand as well, turn it around so that the single horizontal bar is in front; this holds the “nose” of the menpô. Place the menpô with the head cord over the top of the stand, and put the kabuto on the stand to hold it in place. Instead of tying the cords to the horizontal bars, you will tie the cords to the menpô in the same way you would if you were wearing them.

A Portable Model

Like the portable armour stand, the portable helmet stand, construct this portable helmet stand of 38" plywood. Leave the stand natural wood, or paint it a neutral black.       When displaying a helmet with such a stand, it is common to cover the stand with a good-sized cloth and then put the helmet on. (Presentation is everything.) The helmet cords are just tied in a knot and hang in front.       If you are displaying a menpô as well, put the menpô on first with the headcords over the top, then place the kabuto to hold the menpô down. Tie the helmet cords as if you were wearing the menpô.

An Armour Chest

      There are several different kinds of armour chest, or gusoku bitsu. I am providing instructions for a reasonable facsimile of the most typical model for modern armours.
      A more orrnate chest called a kara bitsu also existed, but it was primarily used for older, more expensive armours belonging to the more aristocratic and wealthy samurai. Smaller versions were also used to store (and display) particularly fine kabuto. Temping as it is to go into its construction, I must give its construction a pass. A typical one is, however, illustrated at left.
      To make the gusoku bitsu, you will need 1/4" plywood, some rope, and several fastenings you will have to construct of brass or some other metal, and a few feet of rope. The only tools you will need are a hammer a jigsaw, and a drill.
      The sides of the gusoku bitsu are actually two layers of plywood. Since the lid fits flush over the edges, you need an internal lip. This is formed by the layering process. The base and lid are forrmed from single layers of plywood.
      Start by cutting out your side pieces and checking them for size and fit. The outer side panels measure 17 3/4" tall by 17 1/4" wide. The inner side panels measure 20 3/4" tall by 16 3/4" wide.
      Take each outer side and inner side piece and glue them together with the sturdiest marine-grade wood glue you can find, butting the bottoms flat.The outer side overlaps the inner by 14" on each side, and the inner side has a lip extending 3".
      While the glue is drying, cut the four panels for the lid. They are 17 1/2" by 3 3/4". Also cut the top and bottom panels. These are both squares 17 1/2" to the side.
      Glue the lid’s side panels together and to the top panel, using the top panel to square-up the lid. If you have clamps that can maintain the square, clamp it and let it dry.
      Do the same with the body of the chest. Turn it upside down (lip down) as you glue, so that you can put the bottom panel in place. Square the sides up, clamp it, and let it dry.
      When dry, try the lid on for fit. You may have to file or sand down the lip a bit to make the fit easier.
      Choose which side you want to be the front of the chest. This done, on the left and right side panels, measure down 5" from the top of the lip and make a horizontal line. Now measure in 6 1/4" from either edge on this line. Drill a 1/2" hole completely through the sides at these two points. These holes will take the rope handles that will enable you to carry the chest.
      Now, using small finishing nails, secure the base firmly to the body. You can also put a few small nails in the edges (and set them!) if you don’t trust glue. Don’t put any nails within 3” of any corner.
      The last step before you lacquer the box is to fill all the pits, nail heads, or imperfections in the plywood with wood putty. When it’s dry, sand it nice and smooth.
      Lacquer your chest. Black is the most common color.
      You will now have to put on your metal fittings. These help hold everything together. You can probably find similar pieces in any furniture store, but you can also make them from metal (though you might have to do some welding for the corner pieces.
      You will need eight corner pieces, and eight straps. Cut them from 16-gauge brass. Bend the straps to a 90° angle for the edges. The corners need compound folds as illustrated. You will need to weld the loose edges.
      Nail the corners on each corner of the box, top and bottom, with 12 tacks. The edges get four tacks each (two per face). The edges go on the bottom part of the lid, and the top part of the box where it meets the lid (as shown in the illustration).
      Knot your rope and pass it through one hole in the side, then back through the other hole and knot it inside. Repeat this for the other side. This will enable you to carry the chest. The rope should be long enough to stick up over the lid of the chest.
      If you want to be really fancy, you can make metal brackets instead of using rope handles.
      The chest is carried either by grasping the ropes or by passing a pole through them and carrying it over your shoulder.
      The finishing detail is to paint your mon (in gold, why not?) on the front of the chest. In a classically understated way that I am sure says something about Japanese society, some chests just have an ornate cursive-painted character “mae” (“front“) as the decorative element.

Packing Your Armour

      Believe it or not, there is an “official” way to pack your armour into the gusoku bitsu.
      The correct way — assuming you have a clamshell armour with a removable side hinge — is to first remove the hinge.
      You then place the breast plate inside the back plate.
      If your amour doesn’t separate, open it and lay the parts in it as described below. When finished, fold the kusazuri over the contents, close the dô, and fold the rest of the kusazuri down.
      Into this cavity, place the kote, which you folded in half at the elbow.
      Then take your haidate, fold them in half left over right (plates out), and again in half so the fabric upper is on one side, the plates on the other. The fabric section goes against the kote.
      Then place in your suneate, flat, one on top of the other, fabric side against the haidate.
      All this means is fabric on plate, so you don’t have two pieces of plate rubbing against each other.
      The last step is to fold all the kusazuri up into the body of the dô to hold everything in place. Stand the armour in the chest.
      Place your face armour nose-first into the lining of the kabuto bowl, and then put the kabuto on top of the dô, resting on the watagami. If you have enough room, you can alternatively slide the kabuto between the cavity of the dôand the wall of the chest, with the shikoro on the wall side. Any armour robes can be put on top, and the lid dropped into place.