How to Make Japanese Armor

The armor worn by samurai was made up of slats that overlapped each other, giving the armor a scaly look.

One of the fiercest classes of Japanese warrior was the samurai. These warriors were a highly trained group taught to live and fight by the code of Bushido. The armor worn by a samurai warrior consisted of a helmet, chest plates, and arm plates. The armor was very heavy, but it offered the samurai great protection in battle. In later times the samurai developed an armor that was lighter and offered protection for other parts of the warrior's body.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Scissors
• Utility knife
• Foam poster board
• Hole punch
• Black ribbon
• Black nylon rope
• Spray paint, green or red

Instructions

1. Use a tape measure to take the measurements of your chest area. You will need to take a measurement for the height and width to make sure that the body armor chest plate adequately covers the chest area.

2. Use a pencil to sketch the shape of the samurai chest plate on a sheet of foam board. Use the measurements you recorded in step 1 to ensure you make the plate the appropriate size. As you draw the design for the plate, leave a V shape around the neck area. Divide the overall design into roughly eight pieces. Samurai armor is designed to have slats or a sort of scalelike appearance. Use scissors to cut out all of the pieces. Repeat this process to create the samurai armor back plate.

3. Use the tape measure to take a measurement of the sides of your body. You will need to measure the width of your sides. Draw up the side pieces on foam board and divide it into eight pieces. Cut the pieces out.

4. Take a measurement of your arm from the elbow portion up to the top of the shoulder. Use this measurement to draw up some straps to hold your armor on a piece of poster board. Cut them out with scissors. Two straps will be needed to hold the front and back plates together.

5. Use a pencil to make 15 tiny holes all along the vertical edge of each of the chest pieces you cut out. You should divide the 15 holes into five rows of three holes. There is no set space needed between each row, just try to keep them evenly spaced. Punch out the tiny holes using a hole punch. Repeat this process for the other plate and side pieces.

6. Spray paint the armor pieces any color of your choice. Make sure that the area you use to spray paint your armor is well ventilated to avoid being overcome by paint fumes. Give the paint three hours or so to dry.

7. Overlap the different pieces of the chest plate. Take some ribbon and weave it into the holes in each of the pieces to secure them together. Take another piece of ribbon to use for the opposite side of the chest plate. You will need a third piece of ribbon to secure the pieces up the middle. Repeat this step for the back plate and side pieces as well.

8. Take some nylon rope and use it to attach the chest and back plate together with the side pieces. Use the rope to attach the shoulder straps you made from poster board. Your armor is complete.

References

• Indy Mogul: How to Create Samurai Armor