Dō-maru (胴 丸 "body wrap") was a type of cuirass characteristic of Samurai armors (dō) used by the warrior class of feudal Japan. It began to appear in the 11th century as armor for low-ranking Samurai and servants. Like its high-ranking counterpart, the ō-yoroi, it became more common during the Genpei War in the late 12th century.
Overview
Japanese armors have numerous styles that are similar in appearance; the dō-maru is particularly defined because it opens on the right side in contrast to the haramaki style, which opens at the back, and the ō-yoroi, whose cuirass is uncovered on the right side requiring a separate plate.
The ō-yoroi was a heavy armor designed for use on horseback and was also costly to manufacture. The dō-maru, like the haramaki, had more plates (kusazuri) than an ō-yoroi and was lighter, tighter, and cheaper. It was easier to fight with the dō-maru on foot and, eventually, higher-status samurai adopted this cuirass over the ō-yoroi.
Design
Dō-maru were manufactured from small scales of leather or metal tied into lacquered plates with cord. Each plate was then joined to form the armor. The colors of the cords indicated clan affiliation.
Due to the weight of iron, manufacturers limited its use to the most vital parts of the armor, thus leaving leather for the rest. The cuirasses presented a sober style during the Muromachi period in contrast to the later flamboyant design of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
Relevance Dō-maru style armors were a typical diplomatic gift of the Tokugawa clan, the ruling family of the third shogunate.
Many of those present in European royal collections were signed by Iwai Yozaemon, one of the Tokugawa's main armorers.
The dō-maru that were sent as gifts were usually trophies from previous wars. They often had lacquer decoration on their plates with Buddhist themes or mon designs.