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Japanese Ō-yoroi Armor

Type Object Region Japan Time 1161–1170

Ō-yoroi (ō-yoroi) was heavy armor worn by the warrior class from the Heian period to the early Kamakura period, made of lacquered iron or leather sca…

Timeline

  1. 1161–1165Kyoto · KinkiAfter Taira no Kiyomori took power, Taira-lineage warriors in Kyoto and its surroundings fought primarily through mounted archery. Ō-yoroi, as heavy protective equipment, was widely issued among armed retainers, with the arrangement of scales and cord-knotting craft reflecting the aesthetic and practical needs of warrior houses at the time.
  2. 1166–1170Japanese archipelago · JapanManor lords and provincial samurai, to address public security issues and territorial disputes, imitated Kyoto-style ō-yoroi in the course of regional armament, developing scale-lacing and color schemes with local characteristics, laying the foundation for the large-scale armored confrontations of the later Genpei War.

Sources