Dōmaru
The Dōmaru ( Japanese胴 丸) is a Japanese type of armor that was worn by the infantry.
description
The dōmaru was wrapped around the wearer's body and closed on the right side. In contrast to the Ōyoroi, whose breastplate, left side and back armor were made of one piece and the right side was separated from it, the Dōmaru was made of one piece. Since the Dōmaru was mainly worn by foot soldiers of the lower ranks, its leg protection ( Kusazuri ) is made of eight strips to allow the legs a high degree of freedom of movement. In the Ōyoroi it consists of only four. Due to the lower status of the bearers, the Dōmaru was not as richly decorated as the Ōyoroi, the only decoration it had on both shoulders attached metal plates, which were called Gyōyō (Japanese 杏 葉; apricot leaves).
It was developed in the middle Heian period , i.e. in the 11th century . Along with the Ōyoroi and the Haramaki, it is one of the three most important types of armor of the era and was only replaced by the Tōseigusoku at the end of the Muromachi period ( 16th century ) .
literature
- George Cameron Stone : A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times. With an Introduction by Donald J. LaRocca. Courier Dover Publications, Mineola NY 1999, ISBN 0-486-40726-8 , p. 212.
- Anthony J. Bryant: The samurai. Warriors of medieval Japan, 940–1600 (= Elite Series 23). Color Plates by Angus McBride. Osprey Publishing, London 1989, ISBN 0-85045-897-8 .
