Knights in Central Park | Explore & Learn | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The warriors in Japan were known as samurai, which means "one who serves." They followed a strict code of behavior called bushido (way of the warrior). Until the 1300s samurai fought on horseback with bows and arrows. They used their swords only in the final, hand-to-hand stages of battle when all their arrows were gone. Their armor was well suited for such tactics. The iron helmet, flaring neck defense, and large rectangular shoulder guards protected the samurai from his opponent's arrows and sword. The sections of the hanging skirt would separate to make it easier to straddle a horse.

To make their armor flexible, it was made of many small scales—called lamellae—of shiny, lacquered iron, copper, and other metals. Silk lacing connected the lamellae and thick silk cords tied the larger sections together. The colors and patterns of the silk lacing identified the samurai or reflected his personal taste.

Armor of Gusoku type
Edo period (1615–1868); 18th century; Japanese; lacquered iron and leather, shakudo, silver, silk, horse hair, and ivory; H. as mounted, 58 1/8 in. (148.8 cm); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Etsuko O.Morris and John H. Morris Jr. in memory of Dr. Frederick M. Pederson, 2001 (2001.642)

A samurai's armor often includes little touches to make him look scarier. Sometimes they wore fur shoes that looked like bear's feet. This armor has a wild-looking moustache made of hemp (the fiber used for making rope). Click the magnifying glass to get a closer look.


			In contrast to their profession as fierce warriors, samurai wrote poetry and practiced calligraphy (the art of beautiful handwriting) and ikebana (flower arranging). Detail of a samurai from The Battles of Hogen and Heiji, Edo period, (1615–1868), 17th century; Japan; pair of six-panel folding screens; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1957 (57.156.4-5)

Photograph Credits