Haramaki is a type chest armour (dou or dō) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan and their retainers.

Description

Haramaki were originally constructed with the same materials as the o-yoroi

O-yoroi

The Ō-Yoroi is a prominent example of early Japanese armor worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The term ō-yoroi means "great armor."-History:...

 but designed for foot soldiers to use as opposed to the o-yoroi which was for mounted warfare. Haramaki refers to any Japanese armour

Japanese armour

Armour in Japan has a history that goes back as far as the 4th century. Japanese armour developed enormously over the centuries since its introduction to the battlefield. It was worn to varying degrees by numerous classes; most notably by the Samurai , and was seen on the battlefield both on...

which is put on from the front and then fastened in the back with cords. Other types of dou (dō) open from the side (ni-mai dou (dō), dou (dō)-maru, maru-dou (dō)) instead of opening from the back as the haramaki dou (dō) does.

External links

• http://www.pbase.com/joanseeuw/haramaki traditional Haramaki photographs

• http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/ Extensive web site about construction and history of Japanese armor