A Japanese Horse Armor (Japanese: Uma yoroi or Bagai) is a type of horse armor from Japan.
A Japanese Horse Armor is made of leather, silk, and lacquers. It typically consists of the following individual pieces:
Japanese Horse Forehead (Bamen) Overlay with side protection Crupper The individual parts are made of leather and are shaped and decorated with punches and awls.
A coating of various colored lacquers serves for decoration, as well as protection against moisture. The underside, which lies on the horse's back, is padded with fabrics to protect the horse's skin.
The armor is secured with the help of strong silk cords that are attached around the armor pieces. The armor was secured with three wide silk bands.
The first went around the entire belly and was also connected to the saddle (Japanese: Harubi). The second was led around the chest (Japanese: Munagai) and the third was attached to the crupper and also connected to the saddle (Japanese: Shirigai).
The armor also includes a riding saddle and stirrups, as well as a horse forehead, which is usually made to match the armor.
The horse forehead was led around the front of the head with a band (Japanese: Omozura), another around the ears (Japanese: Gashira-gake), and a third band (Japanese: Omogai) around the jaw.
The outside often bears the crests of the owner or the associated princely house (Mon). Given the construction and decoration, it is assumed that these armors were used less for combat and more for ceremonial purposes.