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Library: Aldus' guide to oriental armour

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Author: Aldus
Date:Feb 16 1999

This is a guide to newbies and people who don't know a lot about oriental
weapons.  One often finds weapons from the forges of oriental-influenced
smiths lying around the dungeons of the bat realms, and I have found myself
having to consult my own personal guide more than once while exploring to see
if the weapon or armour I found was useful to me. After many hours of
frustration I have decided to publish my preliminary results in this tome in
the hopes it will be of some help to others.

Okay, the first thing i will talk about is the "Hara-Ate", this is a corset
traditionally worn by lower-class retainers in Japan. It was usually worn
under ceremonial dress, and only protects the front upper half of the body ,
where it hangs from straps around the shoulders.

Next up is the so-called "jangasa", as near as I can figure, this must be a
"jingasa" which is an open helmet traditionally worn by retainers of Japanese
nobles. These helmets vary greatly in size and shape, but many were conical,
some almost flat, and others had a distinct 'crown' . The brims were almost
always wide and in many cases curved up at the front to allow the wearer to
see.
They were usually made of steel or lacquered wood in Japan, but in the Bat
realms, they are made of many exotic substances.

The next on my list is the "sune-ate", which is a shin-guard used primarily by
cavalrymen in Japan.
This piece of armour was traditionally made of pieces of leather or metal
hinged together and lined with cloth.  Occasionally they were made entirely of
metal, and some had a long thigh-protector that extended behind the knee.
This name is also sometimes used to refer to a bracelet of similar design that
surrounds the wrist on both sides.


Next up is the "do-maru", this is a side-opening chest-armour from Japan, it
came in many forms, all the way from what might be considered a banded-mail up
to the equivelant of full-plate, the do-maru's found in these realms seem to
be quite loose and flexible and do not offer as complete protection as a
european-style breastplate.


next that I encountered was the "do-maru" - this is a Japanese chest-covering
armour, which opens under the right arm

then there is the "hanburi" this is usually used to describe a half-helmet or
skull-cap, but it could also describe a full-helmet, many different designs of
hanburi exist

then we have the "haramake-do" probably refers to the "haramaki-do" or the
"haramaki" which is a breast-covering from Japan, the "haramaki-do" being the
earlier form, lacing up the back, later models would lace on the side.


next is the "horo" this is a cermonial piece of armour, sort of a
'head-sail/cloak' if you can imagine such a thing, like a long sail that hangs
from the top of the helmet and flys out behind a horseman, usually worn by
nobles or important persons.



next up is the "kabuto" which is a Japanese form of helmet similar to the pot
helm of europe, only much more elaborate, often the "Kabuto" was decorated
with horns or embossed and painted demonic faces, these helmets were worn by
important and wealthy individuals throughout the history of the orient.



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