0.9324/1 Suits of armour have been made in Japan for thousands of years but most of those in museum collections are from the Edo period (1603 - 1868). This suit of armour dates to the Edo period. It is made from leather scales which have been coated in lacquer. Lacquer is a type of tree sap which once dried is very tough. The scales are bound together using copper fittings and laced with silk of many different colours. The whole suit fastens on the right hand side. It is very possible that it was once worn by a samurai, the famous sword wielding warriors of Japan.
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