Section 2: The Armor of the 16th Century
There is much information about the different types of armor found in Japan as early as the 10th century, armor starting out made for mounted archers in a more box-like construction, and then becoming something more for dismounted fighters in the 11th century. The construction became tighter fitting around the torso and wrapped around the body in a form called haramaki (“belly band”), which tied around the side, and was used by lower class samurai and ashigaru (“soldiers”) who largely fought on foot and could not afford the more expensive armor that used more costly materials. It was lighter and more flexible than the boxy ō-yoroi (“great armor”), which meant that sword fighting was easier to perform, and as the role of the samurai changed and evolved during the 13th to the 16th centuries the need for dismounted combat also increased. Because of this, additional defenses were added in order to protect the limbs, such as the kote (“sleeve armor”) and hai-date (“thigh guard”). In the 15th and 16th centuries, armor changed again in the wake of the gradual introduction and adoption of firearms into warfare in Japan. Brass turned to iron plates, laminated and layered, riveted tightly together to form the dō in order to better provide protection against firearms and melee weapons.
Citation:
Bourbeau, Neal. “Wam Updates: Uncovering the Stylish Complexity and Craftsmanship of Samurai Armor.” WAM Updates: Worcester Art Museum. Last modified November 5, 2020. Accessed July 5, 2026. https://wamupdates.worcesterart.org/2020/11/uncovering-stylish-complexity-and.html.
Section 2, Sidebar 1: Financial Boom
Artist: Utagawa Toyokuni I (Japanese, 1769–1825). Ushiwaka-Maru in Armor. 19th century. Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper, 8 1/8 x 4 1/2 in. (20.6 x 11.4 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Open: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Artstor. https://jstor.org/stable/community.18681664.
When the period of Sengoku Jidai began, the daimyo became independent and actively fought with and against each other. In order to do continued warfare, that would cost considerable amounts of money and materials, which was great news for the merchants and artisans of the time. The daimyo needed to protect and support commerce in order to fund their war with weapons and supplies as their need for it grew. Guilds and other organizations formed to transport goods and other necessities in a safe manner. Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) established a policy to build a free market to replace the growing monopoly of the guilds, leading the way for the development of commerce, the addition of the importation of guns in the second half of the sixteenth century was an incredibly important factor to the military revolution in Japan.
Citation:
McKenna, Michael R. “Swords and Cherry Blossoms: A Very Brief History of the Samurai.” Academic.Mu.Edu. Accessed July 5, 2026. https://academic.mu.edu/meissnerd/mckenna.html.
Tamaki, Toshiaki. “Japanese Economic Growth during the Edo Period.” 京都産業大学経済学レビュー, 2014.