Kusari (Japanese Mail Armour)

''Kusari katabira'' () is the Japanese term for mail armour. Kusari is a type of armour used by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. When the word ''kusari'' is used in conjunction with an armoured item, it usually means that the ''kusari'' makes up the majority of the armour defence.

History and description

The Japanese had more varieties of mail than all the rest of the world put together. ''Kusari'' was used in samurai armour at least from the time of the Mongol invasions of Japan (1270s) but particularly from the Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392).

''Kusari'' was typically made with rings that were much smaller than their European counterparts, and patches of ''kusari'' were used to link together plates and to drape over vulnerable areas such as the underarm. Most common parts of samurai armour could be made with ''kusari'' as the main armour defence as well as many types of garments including jackets, hoods, gloves, vests, greaves, pauldrons, thigh guards, even ''kusari tabi'' socks.

''Kusari'' was commonly used during the Edo period (1603–1868) for a soldier's entire armour. According to George Cameron Stone, "Entire suits of mail were worn on occasions, sometimes under the ordinary clothing". During most of the Edo period, traditional armour was for the most part relegated to ceremonial use and as a display of wealth, power, class, and rank, while lightweight portable armour and armoured clothing such as ''tatami'' armour and ''kusari karabira'' were still in use. While large battles were a thing of the past, revolts, peasant uprisings, clan conflicts, individual duels, assassination attempts, and the like ensured that samurai still needed some kind of armour protection. Edo-period samurai police officers (''machikata doshin'') wore ''kusari'' garments for protection when making an arrest, and Ian Bottomley in ''Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan'' shows a picture of ''kusari'' armour and mentions ''kusari katabira'' "chain jazerants" with detachable arms being worn by samurai police officials during the Edo period.

The end of the samurai era in the 1860s, along with the 1876 Haitō Edict banning carrying weapons in public, marked the end of any practical use for mail and other armour in Japan. Japan turned to a conscription army and uniforms replaced armour.

Types of ''kusari''

The Japanese used many different weave methods to produce ''kusari'' mail, including: a square 4-in-1 pattern (''so-gusari''), a hexagonal 6-in-1 pattern (''hana-gusari''), and a European 4-in-1 (''nanban-gusari''), the ''kusari'' links could be doubled up, and some examples were tripled in a possible attempt to make the ''kusari'' bullet resistant. The links were lacquered black to prevent rusting, and were always stitched onto a backing of cloth or leather. The ''kusari'' was sometimes concealed entirely between layers of cloth.

Riveted links

Riveted ''kusari'' was known and used in Japan. In the book ''Japanese Arms & Armor Introduction'' by H. Russell Robinson, there is a picture of Japanese riveted ''kusari'' on page 58.
This quote from the translated reference of Sakakibara Kozan's 1800 book, ''The Manufacture of Armour and Helmets in Sixteenth Century Japan'', shows that the Japanese not only knew of and used riveted ''kusari'', but that they manufactured it as well.

"... karakuri-namban (riveted namban), with stout links each closed by a rivet. Its invention is credited to Fukushima Dembei Kunitaka, pupil, of Hojo Awa no Kami Ujifusa, but it is also said to be derived directly from foreign models. It is heavy because the links are tinned (biakuro-nagashi) and these are also sharp edged because they are punched out of iron plate".The manufacture of armour and helmets in sixteenth century Japan: (Chūkokatchū seisakuben) Kōzan Sakakibara, C. E. Tuttle, 1964 p.84
/ref>

Riveted links

File:Riveted kusari sangu final.jpg, Riveted ''kusari sangu''
File:Rriveted kusari kote.jpg, Riveted ''kusari kote''
File:Riveted kusari haidate.jpg, Riveted ''kusari haidate''
File:Riveted kusari suneate.jpg, Riveted ''kusari suneate''
Riveted kusari close up 3xx.jpg, Riveted ''kusari'' (close up view)

Butted or split/twisted links

Butted and or split (twisted) links made up the majority of ''kusari'' links used by the Japanese. Links were either ''butted'' together meaning that the ends touched each other and were not riveted, or the ''kusari'' was constructed with links where the wire was turned or twisted two or more times. These twisted links are similar to the modern split ring commonly used on key chains. Twisted links always connected to a center butted link. Both butted and twisted links could be used on the same armour item, with butted links covering certain areas and twisted links on another.

Butted links

File:6 in 1 doubled up butted kusari 2.jpg, Double butted 6 in 1 kusari
File:Antique Japanese (samurai) kusari zukin.JPG, Close up view of a kusari zukin (hood) with butted links
File:Hidden kusari.JPG, Butted oval and round kusari links sewn to a cloth backing

Twisted links

File:Antique Japanese (samurai) kusari (chain armor).JPG, Split/twisted ''kusari'' links sewn between layers of cloth
File:Kikko wakibiki close up.JPG, ''Kikko'' plates connected by split/twisted ''kusari'' links
File:Antique Japanese (samurai) kusari (chain armor)1.JPG, Split/twisted links

''Kusari'' examples

''Kusari'' was commonly used to connect the armour plates on the ''sangu'' (three extremity armours), the ''haidate'' (thigh armour), ''suneate'' (greaves covering the shins), and ''kote'' (armored sleeves), the armour for these items could also be composed almost entirely of ''kusari''. ''Kusari'' was also used to connect the armour plates on many types of ''tatami'' armour. ''Kusari'' could also be used as the main armour for the ''dō'' (chest armour), for the ''kusazuri'' (tassets) of the ''dō'', and on the ''sode'' (shoulder armour). Many types of Japanese auxiliary armours used ''kusari'' in their construction or as the mail armour defense. ''Kusari katabira'' or chain jazerants were common as well as ''kusari zukin'' (chain hoods). ''Shikoro'' (neck guards) on ''kabuto'' (helmets) and ''hachigane'' (forehead protectors) could have ''kusari'' as defence.

File:Kusari tabi.JPG, ''Kusari tabi'' (chain armour socks)
File:Kusari han kote.jpg, ''Kusari han kote'' (chain armour half sleeves/gauntlets)
File:Kusari shikoro.JPG, ''Karuta kabuto'' with ''kusari shikoro'' (chain armour neck guard)
File:Blue kusari katabira.JPG, ''Kusari katabira'' (chain armour jacket)
File:Kusari kote 2.JPG, ''Kusari kote'' (chain armour sleeves)
File:Kusari menpo.JPG, ''Hanpo'' (half mask) with ''kusari yodare kaki'' (chain armour throat guard)
File:Kusari nodowa.JPG, ''Nodowa'' (throat guard) with ''kusari''
File:Kusari zukin.JPG, ''Kusari zukin'' (chain armour hood)

See also

* Japanese armour
* Karuta (Japanese armour)
* Kikko (Japanese armour)
* Mail (armour)
* Tatami (Japanese armour)

References

External links

Anthony Bryant's online Japanese armour manual

{{Types of armour

Samurai armour