ЦрногорацЛуди because unlike most cultures, Japan does not give a shit with cultural appropriation and will generally like having other cultures take in their culture as long as it is properly taken on and appreciated. That is why.
@TheCrazyKid1381 You literally only speak for yourself. As a westerner that lives in Japan with my Japanese family I have yet to meet a single person that is upset about me owning a suit of Samurai armor or practicing Eikido or Iaido. Most dont care that I'm from America, they only care that I'm willing to help preserve practices and traditions. Also at no point did Europeans try to "destroy" Japanese civilization or culture, Europe has only ever traded with Japan till ww2 and even then the allies had an agreement not to bomb specific cities to help assure the culture isnt destroyed. For someone singing praises of Japanese history, you dont seem to know much about it.
@TheCrazyKid1381 Most are not anti westerner and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who actually hates westerners. My guess is you're not even Japanese, probably just another guy pretending to be because its "cool"
I always wondered how jiu-jitsu originated as a samurai technique. Makes sense if you're fighting against an armored foe that is highly maneuverable and resistant to your main weapons. Best way would be to grapple, lock your foe, then finish the fight with the tanto in the gaps.
They talk about tanto’s, but the wakizashi would have been the actual dagger that samurai carried in and out of battle. Even in samurai movies, the wakizashi was shown to be used to stab in a samurai’s throat and not through the chest or stomach. the wakizashi would have been a side arm for a samurai and even in places where he was forced to disarm, the wakizashi never left him, so that was the dagger that never left a warrior defenseless.
8:20 Thank you final someone who understands katana is great but not the best against armour. But hey, when it comes to light armoured infantry and filthy peasants the katana shines.
Yep, the katana played a bigger role in Japanese warfare during the sengoku period. The samurai went from a mounted knight status to the ultimate warrior elite that had units that fought on the ground. I will say that the Ashigaru ground infantry did not have the same quality armor, so I’m sure thousands of them were killed by all weapons shown here. peasant spearman infantry probably had mass produced armor made by the lowest bid. The samurai were the officers of the army and navy during this time.
You dont have to be Japanese to appreciate their history and culture. But you'll see white people doing this in Japan today whereas 1,000 years ago.. not so many.
You have more and more foreigners in japanese tv shows as well. As other example, there is also Anjin Miura, aka William Adams, who was a real retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu with a fief, married to a woman from a samurai family and all. His real story inspired the Shogun tv serie.
Very impressive. I am honestly surprised just how well this armor can protect. And it is easily repairable! Truly master craftsmanship and I would love to buy a set
Impressive video! I as an evil European armour fan greatly appreciate the professionality of this video. To defeat armour as they tested here you can't just attack armour - you get the warrior on the ground and stab the shit out of their .... weak spots :p BRAVO!
+RyanRyzzo Second Ryan's statement regarding this video (well, done, gentlemen!) as being impressive. One question (to Samurai Armor):Did you try a draw cut when attacking the shoulder padding and just leave it out of the video? When you struck the shoulder padding, a straight, direct blow was used and not a draw cut and I would expect direct strikes to cause very little damage to textile armor compared to draw cuts (I understand that blunt force damage to the person wearing the armor would be a completely different story).Thanks, and keep up the great work!
+Katzbalger001 Thank you. As you can see with the simple downward strike, the padding split. However drawing the blade would had made very little difference because of the kikko inside the padding. It would take several cuts to work your way through the kikko and padding. After the filming we all took turns attacking the armor using different cuts and there where very little differences in the outcome. The katana was proven fairly useless against any part of the armor other than simply wearing down the softer parts.
+Michael A. in the end, the best way to kill a samurai is to put him down and stab him? the armor is basically impenetrable, how would a samurai kill another samurai because i find it quite hard to imagine one of them slamming the other one to the floor and stab him? (pardon my grammar, english is not my native language)
Two things stuck out to me. 1) the armor held up beautifully to the yari which is what I thought would damage it the most and 2) that katana did tremendous against such sturdy armor. I fully expected fitings to come loose or a rolled edge on the katana but after hitting steel at full power it was almost unscathed. Both products appear to be top of the line!
Planning 2 do the exact same... They already freaking showed me a' armor I literally asked for... I asked 1 with purple paint or cords N few days later... Well look what I found.... A nice suit of armor with purple cords... Oh look... 30% discount on top...
@Kaiser Franz von Lappen der 2. Damn, still have no money so I decided to make my own, so far I have only done the right kote and the chainmail, though I have no time for it now since I'm at college and im in quarantine (it's in another house)
Their weapons and fighting techniques made using shields very impractical. So the samurai adapted their armor to deflect arrow attacks. Arrows will glance off the armor if struck from an angle. The brim of the helmet would be lowered to shield their face from falling arrows. The back neck guards and shoulder armor are made so they will deflect arrows away when falling down upon them.
Coming from a background doing European armoured combat, it's very interesting to see how it was done in Japan, in a delightfully weeaboo-free format. I understand that it is perpetually necessary to remind people that, whatever Hollywood thinks, you cannot, in fact, cut through armour. That said, the elephant in the room for samurai armour is the huge gaps in the armpits and upper face, as well as the exposed fingers. I had two questions, as well. 1. Is there a unique Japanese fighting style for dealing with armour? European fencing manuals are very explicit in their distinction between fighting in armour vs fighting without. I'm aware of some Japanese literature on unarmoured fighting, but not of any armoured combat treatises. 2. How much does that armour weigh? I realize it will vary depending on the size of the wearer, but a general range would be nice. European armour ranges from about 50 to 65 pounds and can cover the wearer in steel from head to foot, so I would be interested to know if the Japanese gained any mobility for wearing armour with (relatively) less protective qualities.
+MisdirectedSasha +Shugyo3302 I'll let Mike from Muso Shugyo Ryu answer question number 1. 2: Typical samurai armor weighs between 20 and 50 lbs, depending on style and additions. The a traditional Yokohagi Okegawa ni-mai dô weighs: kabuto 4.2 lbs Menpo .8 lbs Kote 1.8 lbs each Haidate 2.2 ~ 3 lbs Sode 1.4 lbs Suneate: 1 lbs each Do 10.5 ~ 14.2 Just like European armor there are different styles. Some armor has gaps and others leave the samurai fully covered. Samurai could wear chain mail, kikko manchria, manju no wa and/or kikko Tebukuro under their armor to protect the gaps in their armor. Basically gambison with chainmail or iron plates sewn inside. They also had armor plates which would cover gaps in the armor. These where known as "okubyo-ita" (coward's board). To put it bluntly - Not all knights would wear full armor. Full European armor of course offered great protection, but at the cost of visual impairment, over heating, fatigue, ease (needing help to put on and take off) and comfort. Warriors must have culture and part of the Japanese culture is to find balance. The samurai applied this principle in their armor, creating armor that offered great protection, with as little negative effects as possible. Quit simply a well balanced suit of armor.
I think the weight questions has been answered in other posts, so would like to answer the first one. Yes, there are different styles of fighting, both in and out of armour as it changes things dramatically. At Our club, we train in principles rather than techniques, which allows one set of movements that would work if no armour was worn to be adapted differently if the opponent was armoured. Makes training very interesting as well as informative. Understanding is key really. Cause and effect in action. This does allow a practical view of history as well. I have found that there are two versions of all history, the romantic and the real. Often the romantic is more popular. Both exist and the understanding of both as a whole is essential. This certainly applies to Japan and the Samurai/Shinobi.
I remember reading in a couple sources that samurai army generally weighed around 35 pounds. I can't speak from a position of expertise, but I'm pretty sure they had a system for going after the gaps in each others armor.
+Shugyo3302 generally speaking, the real question is how do you change your use of the sword when fighting an armoured man, in eurpean fighting half swording is used to essentially turn the longsword into a short iron spear to better thrust with more power and control, not to mention said swords used by armoured men at arms are usually very thrust centric, the swords are also used a great deal to lever the opponent and assist grappling techniques what is the japanese reponse to armour using the uchigatana or tachi? seeing as how they are mostly cut oriented.. what role does it usually play?
Oh no ! A white person is interested in history and other cultures ? Call the police ! Its not like he can help being white? it seems like he has no control over his skin color !
Great testing, I'm investing in getting one of the Taisho Class armors when I can, The sword survived well, I can imagine my 1045 sword would most likely break or warp cutting away at armor like you were. the armor has certainly proved it's strength surviving what it did. Great testing!
Great video.This really show me how well Japanese armor fared against Japanese weaponry and the wearer's ability to survive such fierce attacks. Many people(katana fanboy) actually thought the samurai's armor were made from wood and were greatly ineffective against katana , which has been disproved by this video :D
+khai do Glad our video brought some light to expose those wise tails to be false. We will be posting some more soon, so please subscribe if you want to learn more.
I'm glad this shows them using spears and bows more. Katanas were rarely used, mostly at times of desperate / last resort scenarios while Naginata were the most dominant weapon along side the yumi with guns.
I'd like to test western spears, axes, & swords against this armor....all of them properly sharpened too. I would also like to test eastern spears, axes, & swords against western armor....with full quality steel.
+Michael Groesbeck it wouldnt be any different i dont think. Unless youre talking about western style weapons specifically designed to crack open or crush or bypass the armor plating, it wouldnt have done shit to a warrior wearing it, Eastern OR Western.
Alex flake Well I am being inclusive, but the weapon types I described I am being very specific, but I want them tested against all armor types in a single 3 hour concise video....so that people will stop floating around on youtube looking at this old shit.
+Michael Groesbeck It would be a very popular video. We will be more than happy to craft the armor for you. Please contact one of our dealers for pricing.
Samurai Armor Oh no, I wouldn't be producing the video. I do not have enough funds to do so. However, I would be happy to be a humble contributor/investor among many, if we can but compile a very rational documentary, with no music & no story.
Thank you. You and your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Please subscribe to our channel so we may keep you updated about future videos and events.
+XPR Mitch (XPRMitch) Thank you. We are planning to release more videos. Please Subscribe to our RUclips and follow us on FaceBook so we can keep you updated with videos, pictures and information.
***** Go train in an actual martial art. Then come back and talk to me again. You have demonstrated complete ignorance on the nature of martial arts, especially Asian martial traditions.
I am also a descendant of the samurai. My parents' house has Japanese swords, daggers, large bows, and spears used by their ancestors. In old wars, swords are rarely used to slash each other, and most are bows and spears. You don't play with a sword from the beginning. Also, it is very difficult to stab the end with a sword, and a dagger called Yoroi-doshi is inserted into the gap of the armor to kill it.
Many Samurai were themselves Ninja, and the Samurai were not exclusive against employing one of their own for assassinations. There were indeed Ninja training schools and dedicated villages, but Ninja were not against becoming Samurai. It wasn't like the Templars vs Assassins in that they were enemies.
European armor was made for short combat periods, especially during warmer seasons. Samurai armor was perfect in that regard as it can be worn much easier than full plate, it’s lighter and still offers very good protections agains missile fire and cutting instruments.
You've earned yourself another Subscriber! These are exactly the kind of quality videos I've been wanting to see on RUclips for a long time! Thank you for posting.
+rein mittendorp We are excited to have you as a client. When you are ready you can order a standard model suit or contact us so we can craft a custom suit of armor for you.
With this, now we absolutely know why musket is feared back when it was introduced in Japan. Back before, they had to fight hand-to-hand with skillful techniques of swordmanship to be able to defeat their opponent, but then came gunpowder and lead ball. I remember one book that I read about Sengoku Period, where a musket could easily penetrate enemy armor. Musket might be expensive, but training samurai takes years of masterful discipline and dedications. Musket is expensive but once procured, give it to a man, train him for weeks then he's ready for combat (this sentence however, I read it from Western history). Good video there, mate. I'm quite surprised that Japanese armors holds better than what I've thought. Part-fiction and part fact, I thought that Japanese armor is penetrable by arrows or massive spear thrust. But now I know more about it :)
Your Yumi, what's the draw strength? In battles, Samurai archers are known to use a stronger Yumi, called the War Yumi, which had draw strength of ~80 pounds, very similar to English Longbows.
Amazing quality. You guys won't stay with so few subs for long! Subscribed. As for the samurai armour, it really doesn't look like it was designed to act as a shield, unlike european armour, rather like a life-saver in case you make a mistake, but nonetheless it did the job, even as a shield, splendidly.
+XPR Mitch (XPRMitch) +Tork789 I do not know a great deal about European history, but I do know that for the Samurai culture (for roughly 600 years of it) honor was gain through battle and being the best martial artist as you could possibly be. Even the women would train using naginata. For the samurai class it wasn't about expending energy, by swinging wildly in combat or wielding heavy weapons to break through shields and armor, it was about precision. So yes, a great deal of skill was certainly expected of samurai, because if they didn't have it, they wouldn't last very long.
+Tork789 Thank you for your kind words regarding our documentary. We plan to start posting bi-weekly or at the least monthly videos starting in January. Yes, there is a reason why modern day armor is based off of samurai armor. The laminated plating offers more diverse protection while being light and more maneuverable than plate armor. Like modern armor it focuses protection to your most vital areas. This makes the armor more efficient in design as well as protection; all while fatiguing the wearer far less than full plate armor. Very hard and direct strikes to the arms where less common. You arm is more likely to be sliced by a katana, than it would be chopped. So more simple protection was only needed. Also, silk in itself is difficult to cut and offers protection from edged weapons. So the combination of silk and mail was very effective.
+Samurai Armor Well, actually, plate armour is not more fatiguing or even less in case it's tailor-made to fit the wearer. But it also can be a real pain in the ass if it's not. And that's where the practicality of laminated armor comes in, since it fits to a much wider range of body sizes, and thus makes a more efficient design for the modern day body armor, since you simply can't fit every armor piece to every soldier.
+Tork789 yes, the laminated armor can be bent and manipulated to fit different body types, where thicker plate armor, like you know, either fits you or doesn't. This also helps when rolling around in armor... sometimes getting that little extra flexibility makes all the difference. Regarding the fatigue part, I was referring to only wearing the plated armor on your vital parts. Having the extra weight (as little as it is) on your arms and legs, especially adding chainmail to soft areas in the armor, really weighs on you in time. Not only in muscle use but in dispersing heat. As you said, if it isn't custom fitted for you, it can also be a real pain. Not to mention trying to breath while wearing a full face mask. This also brings up the issue of repairing armor. Just about anyone can repair samurai armor, but it takes more skill to repair / mend European plate armor (heating, hammering, etc). With the samurai armor, you can pull the parts needed off a fallen samurai and mend it to your armor quite easily, not worrying so much about custom fitting. Plate armor does offer superior protection, but just like anything in life, there is a balance of functionality and practicality. There where some spectacular European suites crafted, but they where fewer and far between and if you stack on a few pounds over the winter, your armor won't fit very well come spring. The one thing I love about European armor is that there is such a large verity of it, between leather, chain and plate, even laminated armor and a combination of all. With such a large verity of styles of armor, it is no wonder there is such a verity of weapons and fighting techniques. It is difficult to compare just 1 or even 5 styles of armor to samurai armor. It is unfortunate that most people instantly think of a heavy suit of full plate armor when they think of a knight's armor.
Intresting. Looks like lammellar armour is stronger than it looks. And woodblock paintings depicting bushi with several arrows sticking from their back while continuing to fight seems true. How is it compared to Nanban armour? Surely there must be a reason why some lords preferred the European style armour from Spain/Portugal?
Indeed it is very effective. Nanban armour was chosen more so for its ability to deflect rifle shots and because it was easier to make it thicker (1.8mm thickness).
Lamellar armor is very strong, the Mongols also used it and spread it throughout the middle east and east europe (where they faced off vs knights in plate). Basically each metal strip overlapping allows multi layer of protection and absorbing the blows, while keeping it very light. A full suit of Samurai metal lamellar weighs around 12kg, half that of the western plate mail which is typically 25-30kg.
The chest plate was not lamellar. It seems to be plate armor. Those appeared around 14-15 century. By then, they would've already used the muskets. And the construction seems to be a "Okegawa-do gusoku" -used by foot soldiers- which means the musket shots would've easily pierced it. About the bow he used: Very disappointed that he did not pull it all the way back. If he did, the arrow would've at least stuck onto the armor.
As explained in the program, the secret of samurai armor is to protect against longbows. Japanese longbows have a long range of 400m and 150m, and are so powerful that their arms and necks fly off when hit at close range. Japanese armor is equipped to protect against this large bow. Chinese and Korean bows are short bows, so their armor is thin. During the war with China and Korea, 50 Chinese shortbows were fired into Japan's armor, leaving almost all of Japan's armor intact. Shoot from a distance that cannot be reached with a short bow, and after annihilating the archery infantry, charge and kill them with a Japanese sword. In Korea, 200,000 Chinese and Korean troops surrounded the 7,000 members of the Shimazu clan who were holed up in a castle.There is a record that the Shimazu clan attacked from the castle and killed 80,000 people before escaping, but the number of Shimazu clan casualties was only two.
I saw and the guy in the video at a feit, I when I saw the armour for myself it looked tough and really cool, but I never would have though it was that strong.
+Ian Ryan Many stories are exaggerated because they are told by the victor. However some gun barrels where made from iron or soft / low carbon steel. If a blade is made from stronger steel, it could technically cut through the softer metal used to make the barrel. But most of the stories are just Hollywood fantasy and legend.
+HiiPER MaaDMaan And if it somehow did (super crappy gun smith), you'd have to throw away the sword because of the severe damage it takes. And trading a very expensive katana for a musket of shady quality, is not such a good deal at all, even in the case that it happens to work (which is a slim chance, as you rightly said).
For Your Information (FYI): The era of the Samurai and Shogunate was one of the most peaceful, yet very brutal era of Japan. The peacefulness came because of peoples fear of the "Shogunate Laws" (Also known as "Bakufu Laws"). At that time Japan was ruled by a single military ruler, known as the "Shogun". And the "Shogunate Laws" were designed to regulate the behavior of the land-lords (daimyo), Samurai and the general population. The lowest and middle class people like the Peasants and commoners of that time, often faced heavy taxation and strict social controls. In this case the Samurai only obeyed their so-called "land-lords" (daimyo). They often punished and k1lled to maintain their "land-lords" (daimyo) home and lands. While the Land-Lords (daimyo) worked directly under the Shogun. They provided military service and protection to the Shogun in exchange for land etc. The land-lords (daimyo) were appointed by the shogun as military governors to oversee specific regions. In earlier stages the land-lords didn't initially own the land, but were only granted authority to manage and protect it on behalf of the shogun. And by the late 15th century, the land-lords had become more powerful feudal lords, who controlled larger estates and had significant political and military influence. As their power and influence grew, they began to consolidate more and more control over their territories. Many of them were soon pointed by the Shogun to become the true owners of the lands they were governing. So the land-lords (daimyo) effectively became the de facto rulers of their territories. This gave them even more ownership-like control over the lands. Their authority was based on their loyalty and service to the shogun. The more loyal they were, the most wealth, influence and land they got in return by the Shogun. And I believe this was one of the reasons for their downfall, because later on the Shogunate's rigid social structure and economic policies became increasingly outdated, leading to dissatisfaction among the merchant class and other segments of society.
I am very impressed by this video! You're not trying to make Samurai armour look better than European medieval armours with crappy comparisons, you show a lot of knowledge, and aren't worried about damaging your test armour! Congratulations, I really like your work! However, although it is very clear that armour gets damaged over time, and that it isn't anything bad as long as it protects the wearer, I'm still surprised by the deformations those plates went through...
+Railriderchris Thank you very much. We wanted to keep the video as informative as possible without going into too much detail; as the video is already quite long. We will be making more videos in the future going further into the crafting and repairs. There are of course several types of samurai armor crafting with layering plates differently, etc, but also important to consider sword and armor steel would be different throughout time, regions and clans. Both this sword and armor are crafted from very similar quality in steel to make the testing more "even". If a high quality blade was used on a very low quality suit of armor, there might had been different results and vice-versa. We will be posting more. Please subscribe so you don't miss them.
I'd love to see iron Mountain make more armor patterns beside the ni mai do. Things like go mai do, roku mai awase do, yon mai do, or the various haramaki types. Or even try the tatehagi (vertical riveted plates instead of horizontal)
+xxAntiOtakuxx Thank you. These are the most common armory designs for orders we receive. We craft many types of armor, but do not have them listed all on our webiste. We are trying to post everything but are very busy crafting the armor. Please "like" our FaceBook page to see pictures about our different armor styles and you can also ask us to post pictures of particular styles of armor you would like to see.
Good video, I've often wondered about how well samurai armour would stand up to testing like this. I'm fairly alarmed at how much damage was actually done to it by the weapons used, even if it was just chipping and denting enough of that could cause problem. But as someone mentioned somewhere else in the comments, the armour was made to spec for the battlefield situations it came across. It would have been prohibitively expensive, given Japan's lack of iron, to make it much stronger, and unnecessary because this grade of armour clearly stands up to the weapons used against it. I suppose something to consider also is that feudal Japanese armies, like medieval European ones, were not mostly comprised of the best armoured, best armed people, but the lowly footsoldiers and Ashigaru, who would not have been as heavily armoured or armed, depending on what they could afford.
+heresjonny666 That is exactly correct. Most lords where not very wealthy so the lower rank the samurai or foot soldier the lower the quality the armor and weapon would be. We know that some samurai and ashigaru wore paper armor. The paper was layered thickly and then lacquered to look like real armor and to give protection from the rain. There are records of some lords arming their men with bamboo swords and wooden yari, so they would appear to have weapons when marching and in battle; with hopes they would survive and could pick weapons and armor off of other fallen samurai.
I thought I was the only one alarmed at how much damaged it took from a sword, I admit I’m biased towards European armor but you wouldn’t see that damage in European armor that costs the same
This armor does not look tempered/hardened, is it? I have fought full contact buhurts with my gothic armor with nearly no dents. It was hardened with hrc 45 steel. I'm tempted to buy an armor but i'm gonna need it a little tougher😅
@@raditicat my dude, i used nearly no padding. Just a thin arming doublet. Wasn't asking for historical accuracy, i was asking if it would be able to be made to withstand full contact battles. People who use thick padding at buhurts will be the first to fail.
@@gebroedersvanbrabant7334 ok but then I hope they only use swords, there is a reason why in buhurt they use thick armor, like in medieval tournaments. It's sport not a battle, what is useful in a sport may no t be in a battle and viceversa. the yoroi this people make could and maybe should be 0,5mm thicker.
You guys really deserve more subs, this is very high quality and very enjoyable content. Sorry if i missed something but do you have a reenactment club? If so how does something like that work? Do you train specific martial arts or? Also where can i find one of these clubs?
+Lapiz Bouchaut Thank you for your kind comments and we hope to have more subscribers as we will be posting more videos soon. Muso Shugyo Ryu is a martial arts and living history club dedicated to the Japanese samurai. They are the group which performed the testing of our armor. They are based in the UK. However there are other groups spread out around the world. Some of the martial arts that samurai trained in are: Jujutsu, Kenjutsu, Battōjutsu, Iaijutsu, Sōjutsu, Ninjutsu, Judo, Aikido, budo and many others which originated from Japan (Koryū) For more information on Muso Shugyo Ryu you can visit their facebook page at: facebook.com/muso.shugyoryu/
Discovery channel, national geographic channel, and history channel couldnt make a better documentary than what you guys just did! well done! congratulations.. a remarkably interesting documentary to watch! totally worth my time. *standing applause
+ Fadhli Gaba Thank you very much! We just wrapped up another shoot and will be posting more videos very soon. Please subscribe so you don't miss them.
Hello, I have few questions. Can we still purchase from your website? Also is the Armor wearable for the buyer?. Which TAISHO and DAIMYO Armour (from your website) do you prefer to be the easiest to wear with no complications For beginners. Do we also have to send measurements of our body, for a right fitment?. Do you ship to Türkiye? Last but not least, is the Armor produced in Japan? Thankyou. The reason I asked so many questions is due to how old this video is 😅
Hello. Yes you can still purchase through the website www.Samurai-Armor.com. The armor is wearable and functional, just like you see in the video. We have since advanced in crafting ability and more customizable options. You only need to send sizes if you want your armor custom fitted for you. We ship worldwide including Turkey. Non of the armor is complicated to wear. We provide instructions for displaying and wearing your armor. We moved our armory from Japan to mainland China to reduce costs, so the armor is much more affordable to everyone. It can still be crafted in Japan for 2 to 4 times the price if you prefer. Many of all of this is explained clearly on dealer website www.Samurai-Armor.com It is best to contact sales support via the website for fast response as we do not always respond to messages in the video comments in a timely manner as we do kits always check comments as often as we would like.
+Salafi Bowhunter Yes, very good eye for detail and thank you for paying close attention to our video. (copied from previous response) " Yes, we used 2 different Yumi during the filming. We used a damaged Yumi during fight scenes with target arrows for safety reasons. However when filming the armor test we used the correct Yumi first with a target arrow and after with an arrow head better suited for armor. " We hope otherwise you enjoyed the video.
+Samurai Armor Modern yumi used for shooting paper targets are a fraction of the strength of war bows, and the archer in the video is not drawing full length - Japanese archers draw further back using a thumb draw which gives a longer acceleration of the arrow and a cleaner release. A properly drawn and properly shot yumi - even a lightweight one intended for paper targets - should perform better. Add the strength of a real war bow and I think you'd get very different results.
if you get military equpiment today as in modern and fuse with the japanese iron moutain armory, it would be intresting how strong the armor is. Kevlar replacement, reinforce steel plating (have couple pieces of spartan armors in cuts to fuse with the armor), kevlar's strings, spartan mask and additonally spartan armor helm as in samurai, as you get you have mobled soldier samurai of the future with guns.
+core remix Hello in Japan. Thank you for watching. Yes, the namban-do yoroi or "Southern Barbarian Armor" was copied from the visiting European's armor. The angle of the armor plating would help deflect both musket and arrow shots. It was a great advancement in Samurai armor, which we will test in the future.
+core remix It is our great pleasure learning your history and culture. We feel connected to Japanese history and culture which is why we have great interest and pride reproducing the most authentically crafted samurai armor we able to.
Bought a Gashira Class Yamamoto Kansuke armor set a few days ago. Currently waiting on the mockup to confirm the customisation styles, can‘t wait to finally see and wear it in person! I really love your design for the armors and the website. And overall, I think I must say that from this video, I have learned that these armors are truly a force to be reckoned with. And a question I forgot to ask: How long would you say does it take for the armor to arrive (or be made)? Thanks in advance
Thank you very much and we look forward to welcoming you to our Iron Mountain Clan as a Modern Warrior! We've made improvements since we made this video 8 years ago, which you will see and fee with your new Gashira class samurai armor set! 😀
@@SamuraiArmor im honoured and thanking you for this kind welcoming! I just received the mockup today morning and i must say, it needs some additional changes (which i‘m going to describe with a reply to the original email. There i have painted the laces in the mockup according to my liking and a quick description of what i wanted for my armor to look like) But this has going to wait for a few hours (at time of writing this comment). I look forward to hear from you in the mail. Thanks!
@@SamuraiArmor, I scrapped the idea with editing the mock-up, because it was too complicated for me to describe. So I just simply wrote the changes in the mail. Currently waiting for your response 😁
@@laborion1082 Ok, great to hear you are having a good communication with your armor designer. As sometimes highly detailed customizations can be complicated and take a long time to describe, you can always communicate with them directly on the phone.
@@SamuraiArmor I confirmed the customisation and my armor is ready to be crafted! I an really happy to hear that soon i will own my own samurai armor 😉
This clearly shows that armour and weapons of a nation is based on the type of terrain and envirement they are most likely to fight in, that's why it's really hard to compare them. take a knight and a samurai (classical example) the knight is likely to win in an open field, but combat conditions aren't Always the same, if they were to meet in uneven ground the samurai would have the free movement and agility of his armor to outmaneauvre the knight. so the knight and the samurai are the best at their own terrain and combat situations but aren't comparible to one another.
+Pasha Staravoitau but the armour is heavier making it harder to climb, if the samurai would be on lower ground compared to the knight, well then he's f*cked I guess
+younoobskiller That's what happens when you go by "common knowledge" and not research. Although, there is a thing to be said for how the weight is distributed in each type of armor.
+Pasha Staravoitau I have 3 suits of samurai armor and my heaviest weighs in at 26 lbs, which is about half of what a full plated knights armor would weigh in at. The bulk of the samurai armor hangs off the shoulders and chest; leaving your arms and legs quite free of the extra weight. After walking, climbing, running, fighting, swinging a weapon; every extra pound really starts to wear on you. All that extra armor a knight may have worn also holds in allot of heat. Now samurai could had worn extra armor and chainmail to fill in the gaps, but most didn't (we will talk about that in future videos). Another important fact to remember is not every knight or samurai was a trained, seasoned and good warrior. Most where born into their titles and never deserved being among the warrior class.
+Michael A. I already thought it was inlogical for full plate and samurai armor to be so close in weight, (looking at how much is covered and how many layers of armor) thx!. btw do you do reenactment, what is your favorite weapon when you do them
trying to poke steel armour with a tanto as though you think it is a rag doll, is obviously not going to penetrate... I just wish that these videos that people put up were a little bit more legitimate. Also, the way that you guys stabbed it with the spear was pretty hard to watch, its like, you wouldn't throw a shot like that (week and off point) unless you were aiming for a gap in the armour.
+tom williams Thank you for your comments. This is not a video to teach techniques, it is a video to demonstrate how a typical samurai armor suit would stand up to attacks in combat. The point of stabbing at the armor with a tanto was to show that the tanto can not penetrate armor, which many people believe it can. This test disproved the myth. Yes, stabbing at the gaps is obvious and we all know what happens when you stab a person with a katana, tanto or yari. We will mention it in our future videos though, so it will be more clear to people who are uncertain. As for attacking with the yari, it was meant to show the ability of the armor to resist the strikes and what damage the armor can take. Yes, of course you would want to strike the less protected areas of the armor, but they are difficult to hit when someone is moving and fighting back. However yari strikes will help daze and unbalance your opponent, as well as creating weak spots and gaps in the armor. Thank you for your comments. In future videos we will try to make them more legitimate by better explaining our intentions and reasoning for the strikes more clearly.
I am just trying to say that: For the tanto strike, he could have put a little bit more effort into it. For the katana strike, the way that you strike with a bladed weapon makes all the difference. So the experience of the warrior directly affects the results. For the yari/spear, everything was satisfactory, except for the thrust, it just wasn't a historically accurate/powerful thrust. These tests proove that "opportunity strikes" do not penetrate the armor, but powerful strikes, aimed directly perpendicular, even to the most resistant part of the armor, will penetrate. After all my criticism, I must say I really appriciate the video, and thank you for commenting back.
tom williams Great insights Tom. However when using a tanto, you need to be up close and when thrusting into armor, it really wouldn't had made much of a difference if he hit the armor harder as the tanto tip bent. As for the yari, the suit and dummy weight about 70 lbs and was supported by a back brace in a 45% angle and anchored to the ground. The thrusts where strong enough to push the 70 lbs, anchored target up and over, knocking it down. The thrusts where pretty powerful. I am not sure what kind of thrusts you could suggest are more powerful, accept maybe running at the armor maybe? Please if you could provide us with a video demonstration of a more powerful thrust with a yari, we could possibly reproduce it. Thank you again for your comments and suggestions. We do appreciate them. I am glad you appreciate our video. Please subscribe to see our future videos.
***** Yes, it is very difficult to pierce armor. Different spear tips will have different effects. A more sharp and pointed tip would likely poke holes in the armor, but at the same time the tip would become stuck for a few seconds, leaving the attacker a little vulnerable. A more rounded tip like this yari is meant more for breaking the laminated plates in the armor, while pounding the wearer; trying to knock them off balance and disorientate them. There are pros and cons to every weapon. Nice account you quoted. It demonstrates how effective armor is at protecting the wearer and how a warrior must be more skilled in both weapon and armor to be effective.
You are welcome in this conversation. I just must say, it is not nearly that hard to penetrate armour with weapons, it just depends what weapon you use (as was aforementioned). I believe the account is a possibility, whether true or not, it sounds like something that may truly happen.
+Ryan Ray Thank you. I am glad you share our passion and we where able to help educate you a little more. Please subscribe as we will be posting new videos very soon.
great video guys!!! You probably should of mentioned that the armour you are testing does not represent all styles of armour in Japan so people don't base their understanding of Samurai armour on the suit you tested because some suits offered more protection & some offered less but still well done.
what do you mean samurai would not do that if some one was in a duel and a samurai was in a duel and there friend had a gun they would use it the only honor is to kill as many people as possiblie that is honor even if it was with a gun it just about how to kill some one the most brutal way and how to do it effectively
wow, keep at it. i see this channel growing! subbed. one thing I thought would be awesome. If you could put pressure sensitive (liquid) packets that'd explode to know how much force went through. When your budget went up, maybe real electronic sensors for more data. then maybe i know nothing. anyway, great channel!
Hey iron mountain! Can you tell me where on your site to find the armour on screen at 9:09? I really love what you guys are doing and I think you should continue it!
I like how this video focuses on the Warring States samurai, rather than the usual Edo samurai. And I like you focused on bows, spears and polearms rather than swords. Those are the real battlefield weapons!
Check out Ming Bow vs Chinese Brigandine. They use real warbows and real heavy arrows that go right through armor. The bow used here is not a warbow nor was the arrow heavy enough.
It's not impossible.just hard to do.Japanese chain mail is usually a 1 to 6 and 1 to 8(not exactly sure which is more common) ratio unlike European which is usually a 1 to 4 ratio, making it more tedious and costly but slightly more protective
Yeah, it is allot like when a Caucasian chief cooks a traditional Asian meal. Its like, your white and you shouldn't be involved with other ethnic cultures! We need to build a wall around each country, both physical and cyber. People should stick to their own kind.
I don't understand. Is this supposed to show how tough this armor is? Every hit horribly dents it and breaks it. Like what happened on the face armor. The fuck? Anytime I've seen European armor hit like this it doesn't do shit. i've even seen it tested while being worn.
+Daelkyr Traditionally European armor was crafted with thicker steel because it was required to protect against a variety of weapons. Samurai used lighter armor. There are many different reasons for this, including terrain, fighting styles, body types, different needs, easy to maintain, alter and repair. Samurai wanted their armor to be balanced in all aspects. It is important to know, just because European armor may not get dented when hit, doesn't mean the person inside is fully protected. In many instance the vibration from the strike would stun and wound the knight wearing the armor. Sometimes the gear protecting the knight could be their downfall.
That very much depends on what kind of armours you compare (on both sides). E.G. Knyght Errant and Metatron had a collaboration and the weight difference between their armours and the European one was about 3kg heavier.
This is factually inaccurate. Japanese laminar armour was often closer in weight to 16th Century full-plate (20-25+ kilograms.) and often more than 10 kilograms heavier than many historical 15th Century sets. I also highly doubt parts like the breastplate were any thinner than 16 gauge (which is what you'll see again on later period sets.) The reason Japanese armour was less durable was differences in design and metallurgy however the difference isn't significant enough for it to matter...no sword is going to cut through either, both are all but impervious to thrusts (you might penetrate Japanese lamniar PRIOR to Musket-proof with a warhammer/Bec de Corbin beak or spike but you'd need a good clean shot on a FIXED target to do so.) at some point armour just doesn't really need to be any more durable. The Japanese armourers weren't facing the same weaponry or challenges that their European counterparts were and their armour was perfectly adequate for what was being thrown at them as armour historically has always been. "In many instance the vibration from the strike would stun and wound the knight wearing the armor. " - This is also factually inaccurate and would in fact be a bigger issue with Japanese armour of the same period (however true for neither.) people significantly overrate the energy generated by historical blunt weapons...no you're not a train, you're a man swinging a steel rod. The gear protecting the 'knight' as you put it would only be their downfall if it was faulty (which if often could have been.) and was penetrated and dug into the person wearing it (if for example it were penetrated by an arrow.) You're unfortunately perpetuating the same sort of myths and stereotyps that led people to believe Japanese armour was unprotective and incredibly Light designed entirely for mobility and not at all for protection (which is totally a good reason to wear armour?) There was an undeniable technological gap between those in Europe and Japan during the late medieval period, this gap was slowly bridged during the Renaissance.
Kinetic energy isn't knockback....knockback is actively a reaction a given body can display to mitigate the effects of kinetic energy being transferred to it...something that doesn't 'knockback' and that isn't durable enough to withstand the collision....breaks. If people could 'knockback' every time they were face with a collision to an adequate level they would avoid the effects of BFT almost completely.
We hope to test it against a tagashima teppo one day. If we are able to find someone with a tagashima arquebus that will allow us to test our armor with, we would be happy to do so.
thanks! Always wondered how well the armor performed against the tagashima and what range, since there are recorded instances when it help up against one or two shots.
It could save the life of the wearer at long range, but under 50 m (and there are several sources mentionning it) the bullet had no trouble going through. Almost no armor (also European) could really protect you from a shot fired by most of the 16th century firearms at ranges less than 50 and even 100 m
European armour could protect you against lighter caliber firearms, but you see 16th century firearms were .75 and up in caliber with kinetic energies over 5 kJ (which is about twice of the kinetic energy of a modern 7,62 NATO). This may sound a lot but the aerodynamic properties of balls are... well, balls. 330 gramms of lead balls leaving the barrel at 182 m/s which is really slow compared to modern firearm standards. And well as you can see the weight of the ammunition gives it the kinetic energy it needs. Which is bad, it is easier to decelerate, modern ammo even with lower kinetic energy could pierce contemporary armour a lot easier. Modern 7,62 NATO is 10 gramms travelling at 833 m/s.
There are many styles and remember, this was not a modern Kyudo style. The thumb doesn't work well for quick fire, no glove combat although it was used for hunting and practice.
+Shugyo3302 quoting your above statement: "The thumb doesnt work well for quick fire, no glove combat" You're going to have a very hard time proving any aspect of that sentence to anyone. Elaborate. Should be entertaining. In the video, the archer's skewed arrow flight with the broadhead is a direct consequence of not using the proper draw technique. The arrow didn't bend around the bow properly, so it came off of the string crooked. The broadhead acted like a sail, and that's why the arrow flew practically sideways. If he had used the right draw (or switched the arrow to the left side of the bow), he would have been much better off.
+Shugyo3302 The video you linked to is a bit grainy, but the archers appear to be using the thumb draw, arrow on the right. 11 minute 55 ish, you can clearly see them wrapping the thumb around the string. Japanese form of the "Mongolian" release. Biggest difference between them and modern kyudo is the lack of yugaeri. If there is demonstrable evidence of some Japanese shooting in a more western style, that would be interesting in of itself, but it still doesn't change the fact that the archer in the armor video is making a mistake that is more than just a stylistic difference. Also, the penetration with the skewed broadhead at close range is actually a lot more than one would expect with solid armor. Is the metal heat treated at all? I shudder to think what a high powered longbow or Korean composite could do with a bodkin point.
+ryddragyn For the record I am not an expert archer in any 1 form, but have a fairly decent knowledge of most forms of archery. With that being said; I would venture to say the glove or thumb-ring would aid in drawing and releasing the arrow without torquing the string, causing the arrow's tail to skid when fired. Without either it is difficult to keep the string from torquing (for me at least - and I use a 80 lb Mongolian bow, which I plan to test on armor in the future). As for quick drawing an 80 lbs bow it can be difficult, timely and strenuous when using only a thumb draw, let alone fast. At least for someone who doesn't practice every day or daily. So in respect for the "no glove" comment I would assume, when a shot is a matter of life or death, you choose the style of what works best for what you need at that time. It is much easier to draw a bow with 3 fingers. As you stated from the Peri toxeias, it is more of a matter of practice than it is of specific technique. So with all of that being said, traditionally yes, a thumb draw is way to draw a bow (specifically in Japan). But that is not to say that historically samurai didn't use other techniques while on the field of battler, techniques which worked better for them. This can be easily seen in the different styles of swordsmanship taught at various schools and by various teachers throughout ancient Japan. Although most are consistent there are variations and than you had Musashi which was the shining example of this. Finally, regarding the arrow at 22:44 yes it seems to turn before hitting the armor. One person commented on this being because of the archers form, this would be evident to someone who doesn't understand the science behind archery. The arrow snaked through the air, not because of form but because after hitting armor several times, the stiffness of the arrow (aka spine) was weak. This caused the armor to snake through the air and of course effecting the overall outcome of the strike. Something that we didn't see until post production (when we received comments). At the very least, although the tests where not perfect (much like actual combat situations), they give us a rare insight of how armor would had likely performed in actual combat like situations. And they are more than anyone else have ever done on video before or since (that anyone has ever been able to easily source - please post videos of similar tests if they exist).
Im gonna try to address a seriously reatrded problem people are having here. STOP TRYING TO COMPARE WESTERN ARMOR TO EASTERN ARMOR Western knights had to have much more protective armor since they had to deal with anti armor weapons. The Samurai didnt. DONE! Jesus Fing Christ....
This armor set is now more similar to our Kachi set with standard thickness and tempering. Our current Gashira and Taisho class armor will be stronger and when upgrading either, will be even more durable. The temper / upgrade thickness of .2mm is noticeably stronger and slightly heavier.
+Euanskii It seemed only appropriate as there are many notable female samurai through out the history of Japan. You can research Onna-bugeisha (女武芸者) if you would like to learn more about Female Samurai culture and history.
When you say things like "I think the katana will cut through the chainmail", you start to lose credibility. Chainmail is strongest against cuts and slashes, tachi and katana are desgined for cuting and slashing. It's literally paper covering rock when it comes to that. Also, they should weld the links shut, or better yet do the traditional Japanese chainmail link where the overlap is twisted together to close the link. If they used either method instead of simply clamping them together, the elbow piece would've shrugged off the katana like it was a ripe bannana. And personally, I'd like the armor test to be taken further. It's great armor, period authentic, and affordable. It perfectly represents what a Sengoku soldier would wear. But the Sengoku Era is over, and we have access to weapons from around the world. Let's see the taisho armor hold it's own against a halberd!
+HappySlappy I think he was thinking similar to what you are saying about butted chainmail not being as strong as twisted or riveted. With butted mail being the lowest in protection many people where thinking that the katana would slice its way through. However most people forget that when it is sewn to a textile, especially silk, it become far more durable. We will be doing more testing, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!
+HappySlappy Well you cant blame him. If you look again at the chainmail, its the thinnest/weakest looking chainmail I've ever seen. Personally I thought he really was going to break the chain through sheer blunt force alone. And I was just as surprised to see that the chain actually held together pretty much.
I like how a company trying to sell a product can legitimately show what their product can stand up to instead of sugarcoating it. Kudos to you.
I don't know whether this is sugarcoated/rigged, or genuine.
I would appreciate it very much if it's an independent third party doing the tests.
Search "Deadliest Warriors vs samurai armor"
Sugarcoating instead of lacquer
That armour is garbage
@@simonwilliamnoelmurray9179 Which is is better lol?
Nice video, it clearly demonstrates why both samurai and knights didn't try to penetrate the armour, but went for the gaps.
+SirPilkington the only armour that was ineffective was the armour of WWI....
+SirPilkington Yes, but thanks to media and movies, samurai alway fighting with katana and cut metal armor with ease, lolz.
pirotess2 Unfortunately that's true. Thank goodness for the debunking channels on RUclips.
+SirPilkington I just watched a video about European armor arm getting cut almost all the way through (hanged by little piece of metal) by a katana.
+Hiraeth Ephemral can i have the link to it?
What these people are doing is a wonderful thing. They are keeping alive such a beautiful art from a rich part of history
+Eleanor Carter
Thank you for your kind words. We will continue to keep this art alive. Please subscribe so you can see more videos like this.
why are they not keeping the tradiotion from their own country?
ЦрногорацЛуди because unlike most cultures, Japan does not give a shit with cultural appropriation and will generally like having other cultures take in their culture as long as it is properly taken on and appreciated. That is why.
@TheCrazyKid1381 You literally only speak for yourself. As a westerner that lives in Japan with my Japanese family I have yet to meet a single person that is upset about me owning a suit of Samurai armor or practicing Eikido or Iaido. Most dont care that I'm from America, they only care that I'm willing to help preserve practices and traditions. Also at no point did Europeans try to "destroy" Japanese civilization or culture, Europe has only ever traded with Japan till ww2 and even then the allies had an agreement not to bomb specific cities to help assure the culture isnt destroyed. For someone singing praises of Japanese history, you dont seem to know much about it.
@TheCrazyKid1381 Most are not anti westerner and you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who actually hates westerners. My guess is you're not even Japanese, probably just another guy pretending to be because its "cool"
I always wondered how jiu-jitsu originated as a samurai technique. Makes sense if you're fighting against an armored foe that is highly maneuverable and resistant to your main weapons. Best way would be to grapple, lock your foe, then finish the fight with the tanto in the gaps.
They talk about tanto’s, but the wakizashi would have been the actual dagger that samurai carried in and out of battle. Even in samurai movies, the wakizashi was shown to be used to stab in a samurai’s throat and not through the chest or stomach. the wakizashi would have been a side arm for a samurai and even in places where he was forced to disarm, the wakizashi never left him, so that was the dagger that never left a warrior defenseless.
@@jaypenha5352 Huh, thats actually really similar to Rondel Daggers in european warfare!
8:20 Thank you final someone who understands katana is great but not the best against armour. But hey, when it comes to light armoured infantry and filthy peasants the katana shines.
Not really the katana wasnt a war weapon. a nodachi would be better against peasants😀
Lol
Not even against light armored. There’s a reason it was dedicated as a sidearm kind of weapon.
naginata best weapon bro
nigata has good block and reach
Yep, the katana played a bigger role in Japanese warfare during the sengoku period. The samurai went from a mounted knight status to the ultimate warrior elite that had units that fought on the ground. I will say that the Ashigaru ground infantry did not have the same quality armor, so I’m sure thousands of them were killed by all weapons shown here. peasant spearman infantry probably had mass produced armor made by the lowest bid. The samurai were the officers of the army and navy during this time.
16:50
I like how he didn't stop when it fell, but went and did a follow-up stab.
No mercy! 😆
Lotta old white dudes in Japan all of a sudden...
We are part of the 丸い目 samurai clan.
LOL - Round Eye Samurai Clan?
You dont have to be Japanese to appreciate their history and culture.
But you'll see white people doing this in Japan today whereas 1,000 years ago.. not so many.
You have more and more foreigners in japanese tv shows as well. As other example, there is also Anjin Miura, aka William Adams, who was a real retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu with a fief, married to a woman from a samurai family and all. His real story inspired the Shogun tv serie.
+Jiraiya Sama he was a slave. and became a samurai. that's all I know about him.
Very impressive. I am honestly surprised just how well this armor can protect. And it is easily repairable! Truly master craftsmanship and I would love to buy a set
Thank you. Please feel free to browse our online catalog at www.Samurai-Armor.com
Impressive video! I as an evil European armour fan greatly appreciate the professionality of this video.
To defeat armour as they tested here you can't just attack armour - you get the warrior on the ground and stab the shit out of their .... weak spots :p
BRAVO!
+RyanRyzzo Second Ryan's statement regarding this video (well, done, gentlemen!) as being impressive. One question (to Samurai Armor):Did you try a draw cut when attacking the shoulder padding and just leave it out of the video? When you struck the shoulder padding, a straight, direct blow was used and not a draw cut and I would expect direct strikes to cause very little damage to textile armor compared to draw cuts (I understand that blunt force damage to the person wearing the armor would be a completely different story).Thanks, and keep up the great work!
+Katzbalger001
Thank you. As you can see with the simple downward strike, the padding split. However drawing the blade would had made very little difference because of the kikko inside the padding. It would take several cuts to work your way through the kikko and padding.
After the filming we all took turns attacking the armor using different cuts and there where very little differences in the outcome. The katana was proven fairly useless against any part of the armor other than simply wearing down the softer parts.
+Michael A.
in the end, the best way to kill a samurai is to put him down and stab him? the armor is basically impenetrable, how would a samurai kill another samurai because i find it quite hard to imagine one of them slamming the other one to the floor and stab him? (pardon my grammar, english is not my native language)
and i don't think that going for the gaps will work on a skilled samurai
+Alex Ciubotariu Sure it will, the gaps are quite large. They had blunt weapons as well, that could give nasty conccussions.
Two things stuck out to me. 1) the armor held up beautifully to the yari which is what I thought would damage it the most and 2) that katana did tremendous against such sturdy armor. I fully expected fitings to come loose or a rolled edge on the katana but after hitting steel at full power it was almost unscathed. Both products appear to be top of the line!
Metatron brought me here, one day mark my words I will buy an armor here.
Planning 2 do the exact same... They already freaking showed me a' armor I literally asked for... I asked 1 with purple paint or cords N few days later... Well look what I found.... A nice suit of armor with purple cords... Oh look... 30% discount on top...
Don't have the means 2 get it tho but maybe next year or the year after il try gettn it... No idea how tho lol
@Kaiser Franz von Lappen der 2. Damn, still have no money so I decided to make my own, so far I have only done the right kote and the chainmail, though I have no time for it now since I'm at college and im in quarantine (it's in another house)
@@Demonslayer153 dang at least you'll get it in a year
@@Demonslayer153 personally I'd love mine to be most black with red outlines
BUT THEY STILL DIDNT HAVE SHIELDS
WHY JAPAN
WHY
The Kofun period of Japan had shields
tactic brother
Tactic?
The Japanese mainly used spear formations
Their weapons and fighting techniques made using shields very impractical. So the samurai adapted their armor to deflect arrow attacks. Arrows will glance off the armor if struck from an angle. The brim of the helmet would be lowered to shield their face from falling arrows. The back neck guards and shoulder armor are made so they will deflect arrows away when falling down upon them.
Coming from a background doing European armoured combat, it's very interesting to see how it was done in Japan, in a delightfully weeaboo-free format.
I understand that it is perpetually necessary to remind people that, whatever Hollywood thinks, you cannot, in fact, cut through armour. That said, the elephant in the room for samurai armour is the huge gaps in the armpits and upper face, as well as the exposed fingers.
I had two questions, as well.
1. Is there a unique Japanese fighting style for dealing with armour? European fencing manuals are very explicit in their distinction between fighting in armour vs fighting without. I'm aware of some Japanese literature on unarmoured fighting, but not of any armoured combat treatises.
2. How much does that armour weigh? I realize it will vary depending on the size of the wearer, but a general range would be nice. European armour ranges from about 50 to 65 pounds and can cover the wearer in steel from head to foot, so I would be interested to know if the Japanese gained any mobility for wearing armour with (relatively) less protective qualities.
+MisdirectedSasha +Shugyo3302
I'll let Mike from Muso Shugyo Ryu answer question number 1.
2: Typical samurai armor weighs between 20 and 50 lbs, depending on style and additions. The a traditional Yokohagi Okegawa ni-mai dô weighs:
kabuto 4.2 lbs
Menpo .8 lbs
Kote 1.8 lbs each
Haidate 2.2 ~ 3 lbs
Sode 1.4 lbs
Suneate: 1 lbs each
Do 10.5 ~ 14.2
Just like European armor there are different styles. Some armor has gaps and others leave the samurai fully covered. Samurai could wear chain mail, kikko manchria, manju no wa and/or kikko Tebukuro under their armor to protect the gaps in their armor. Basically gambison with chainmail or iron plates sewn inside. They also had armor plates which would cover gaps in the armor. These where known as "okubyo-ita" (coward's board).
To put it bluntly - Not all knights would wear full armor. Full European armor of course offered great protection, but at the cost of visual impairment, over heating, fatigue, ease (needing help to put on and take off) and comfort.
Warriors must have culture and part of the Japanese culture is to find balance. The samurai applied this principle in their armor, creating armor that offered great protection, with as little negative effects as possible. Quit simply a well balanced suit of armor.
I think the weight questions has been answered in other posts, so would like to answer the first one. Yes, there are different styles of fighting, both in and out of armour as it changes things dramatically. At Our club, we train in principles rather than techniques, which allows one set of movements that would work if no armour was worn to be adapted differently if the opponent was armoured. Makes training very interesting as well as informative. Understanding is key really. Cause and effect in action. This does allow a practical view of history as well. I have found that there are two versions of all history, the romantic and the real. Often the romantic is more popular. Both exist and the understanding of both as a whole is essential. This certainly applies to Japan and the Samurai/Shinobi.
I remember reading in a couple sources that samurai army generally weighed around 35 pounds. I can't speak from a position of expertise, but I'm pretty sure they had a system for going after the gaps in each others armor.
*armor
+Shugyo3302 generally speaking, the real question is how do you change your use of the sword when fighting an armoured man, in eurpean fighting half swording is used to essentially turn the longsword into a short iron spear to better thrust with more power and control, not to mention said swords used by armoured men at arms are usually very thrust centric, the swords are also used a great deal to lever the opponent and assist grappling techniques
what is the japanese reponse to armour using the uchigatana or tachi? seeing as how they are mostly cut oriented.. what role does it usually play?
1:04 -The iconic image of the samurai...
*Pans to white guys marching
Oh no ! A white person is interested in history and other cultures ? Call the police ! Its not like he can help being white? it seems like he has no control over his skin color !
BUTTyPOO Nice name
You do realise Japanese are actually more white than you'd think, not all of them, but a good majority.
あなたわばか。。
わではなく、はですよ！
Listen to their accent. You think Japanese people are just swinging on fuckin trees like apples where they're from?
hidden inside that badass armor and sharp swords are the worlds most loyal soldier of all time. couldnt get enough of samurai movies.
I cannot believe that such a professionally and elegantly made video has so few viewers!
+Chen Alex
Thank you! Please share and subscribe to help others see our current and future videos.
+Chen Alex most people hate eastern culture thanks to medis
Great testing, I'm investing in getting one of the Taisho Class armors when I can, The sword survived well, I can imagine my 1045 sword would most likely break or warp cutting away at armor like you were. the armor has certainly proved it's strength surviving what it did. Great testing!
Did you get it
Yea did you?
believe me, we all going to need this information in the future.
A samurai weaponry video that is not a complete circlejerk?
Nice, twas good.
Great video.This really show me how well Japanese armor fared against Japanese weaponry and the wearer's ability to survive such fierce attacks. Many people(katana fanboy) actually thought the samurai's armor were made from wood and were greatly ineffective against katana , which has been disproved by this video :D
+khai do
Glad our video brought some light to expose those wise tails to be false. We will be posting some more soon, so please subscribe if you want to learn more.
those people are morons. both katana and samurai armor are result of hundreds of years of actual combat against each other.
I'm glad this shows them using spears and bows more. Katanas were rarely used, mostly at times of desperate / last resort scenarios while Naginata were the most dominant weapon along side the yumi with guns.
Swords were not just use in a last resort scenario in some contacts they were actually the preferred weapon.
@@eagle162 I agree, in more confined spaces but in most battles that was never the case.
I’m not sure but I think the pole arms used by samurai in battle are not naginata. I think they were larger than naginata. They look similar though.
I'd like to test western spears, axes, & swords against this armor....all of them properly sharpened too.
I would also like to test eastern spears, axes, & swords against western armor....with full quality steel.
+Michael Groesbeck it wouldnt be any different i dont think. Unless youre talking about western style weapons specifically designed to crack open or crush or bypass the armor plating, it wouldnt have done shit to a warrior wearing it, Eastern OR Western.
Alex flake Well I am being inclusive, but the weapon types I described I am being very specific, but I want them tested against all armor types in a single 3 hour concise video....so that people will stop floating around on youtube looking at this old shit.
+Michael Groesbeck
It would be a very popular video. We will be more than happy to craft the armor for you. Please contact one of our dealers for pricing.
Samurai Armor Oh no, I wouldn't be producing the video. I do not have enough funds to do so. However, I would be happy to be a humble contributor/investor among many, if we can but compile a very rational documentary, with no music & no story.
Thank you. You and your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Please subscribe to our channel so we may keep you updated about future videos and events.
If you guys keep up to this standard of video, you will be popular indeed!
+XPR Mitch (XPRMitch) Thank you. We are planning to release more videos. Please Subscribe to our RUclips and follow us on FaceBook so we can keep you updated with videos, pictures and information.
+Obiarshi WEEABOO! WEEABOO! WEEABOO!
***** Go train in an actual martial art. Then come back and talk to me again. You have demonstrated complete ignorance on the nature of martial arts, especially Asian martial traditions.
+Obiarshi Did you know white Samurai existed? Look up William Adams, he is the first western Samurai.
***** Speaking of black people, there were also a black Samurai. His name is Yasuke and he was Oda Nobunaga's retainer in 1581 and 1582.
I am also a descendant of the samurai. My parents' house has Japanese swords, daggers, large bows, and spears used by their ancestors. In old wars, swords are rarely used to slash each other, and most are bows and spears. You don't play with a sword from the beginning. Also, it is very difficult to stab the end with a sword, and a dagger called Yoroi-doshi is inserted into the gap of the armor to kill it.
Ok thats It. Ubisoft needs to make assassin creed on Japan area. Ninja vs samurai stuff
what makes you think the assassin will be a Ninja in Assassins creed fuedal japan
X Infinity what makes you think it wont be?
Oh yeah nvm, but I wish he is wearing the all black cloak thing
Many Samurai were themselves Ninja, and the Samurai were not exclusive against employing one of their own for assassinations. There were indeed Ninja training schools and dedicated villages, but Ninja were not against becoming Samurai. It wasn't like the Templars vs Assassins in that they were enemies.
So lots of Samurai train in Ninjutsu
12:19 Though it was Darth Vader
Darth Vader's appearance and helmet were actually heavily inspired by samurai armor
The concept of Darth Vader came from samurais...even the jedis...
European armor was made for short combat periods, especially during warmer seasons. Samurai armor was perfect in that regard as it can be worn much easier than full plate, it’s lighter and still offers very good protections agains missile fire and cutting instruments.
You've earned yourself another Subscriber! These are exactly the kind of quality videos I've been wanting to see on RUclips for a long time! Thank you for posting.
+NovaMan 350 Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to make this video and we will be making more.
I can't wait to buy my own suit of armour!
+rein mittendorp We are excited to have you as a client. When you are ready you can order a standard model suit or contact us so we can craft a custom suit of armor for you.
Pleasure to see martial artists putting their craft into practice, very good video
+AB
Thank you. It was a pleasure making this video. Please share and subscribe to watch our future videos we are making now.
With this, now we absolutely know why musket is feared back when it was introduced in Japan. Back before, they had to fight hand-to-hand with skillful techniques of swordmanship to be able to defeat their opponent, but then came gunpowder and lead ball. I remember one book that I read about Sengoku Period, where a musket could easily penetrate enemy armor. Musket might be expensive, but training samurai takes years of masterful discipline and dedications. Musket is expensive but once procured, give it to a man, train him for weeks then he's ready for combat (this sentence however, I read it from Western history).
Good video there, mate. I'm quite surprised that Japanese armors holds better than what I've thought. Part-fiction and part fact, I thought that Japanese armor is penetrable by arrows or massive spear thrust. But now I know more about it :)
Actually wealthy samurais in the 16th century had stuff under the armor that would stop the balls from the old fashioned muskets
That cartwheel at 4:20 was LIT!
THAT TIMING IS CONVENIENT...
Your Yumi, what's the draw strength? In battles, Samurai archers are known to use a stronger Yumi, called the War Yumi, which had draw strength of ~80 pounds, very similar to English Longbows.
It's all fun and games until someone rushes you with a kanabō
Or a yari
Amazing quality. You guys won't stay with so few subs for long! Subscribed.
As for the samurai armour, it really doesn't look like it was designed to act as a shield, unlike european armour, rather like a life-saver in case you make a mistake, but nonetheless it did the job, even as a shield, splendidly.
I was thinking the same thing, it's almost as if more skill was expected from the warrior when compared to their European counterparts.
+XPR Mitch (XPRMitch) +Tork789 I do not know a great deal about European history, but I do know that for the Samurai culture (for roughly 600 years of it) honor was gain through battle and being the best martial artist as you could possibly be. Even the women would train using naginata. For the samurai class it wasn't about expending energy, by swinging wildly in combat or wielding heavy weapons to break through shields and armor, it was about precision. So yes, a great deal of skill was certainly expected of samurai, because if they didn't have it, they wouldn't last very long.
+Tork789 Thank you for your kind words regarding our documentary. We plan to start posting bi-weekly or at the least monthly videos starting in January.
Yes, there is a reason why modern day armor is based off of samurai armor. The laminated plating offers more diverse protection while being light and more maneuverable than plate armor. Like modern armor it focuses protection to your most vital areas. This makes the armor more efficient in design as well as protection; all while fatiguing the wearer far less than full plate armor.
Very hard and direct strikes to the arms where less common. You arm is more likely to be sliced by a katana, than it would be chopped. So more simple protection was only needed. Also, silk in itself is difficult to cut and offers protection from edged weapons. So the combination of silk and mail was very effective.
+Samurai Armor
Well, actually, plate armour is not more fatiguing or even less in case it's tailor-made to fit the wearer. But it also can be a real pain in the ass if it's not.
And that's where the practicality of laminated armor comes in, since it fits to a much wider range of body sizes, and thus makes a more efficient design for the modern day body armor, since you simply can't fit every armor piece to every soldier.
+Tork789 yes, the laminated armor can be bent and manipulated to fit different body types, where thicker plate armor, like you know, either fits you or doesn't. This also helps when rolling around in armor... sometimes getting that little extra flexibility makes all the difference.
Regarding the fatigue part, I was referring to only wearing the plated armor on your vital parts. Having the extra weight (as little as it is) on your arms and legs, especially adding chainmail to soft areas in the armor, really weighs on you in time. Not only in muscle use but in dispersing heat. As you said, if it isn't custom fitted for you, it can also be a real pain. Not to mention trying to breath while wearing a full face mask.
This also brings up the issue of repairing armor. Just about anyone can repair samurai armor, but it takes more skill to repair / mend European plate armor (heating, hammering, etc). With the samurai armor, you can pull the parts needed off a fallen samurai and mend it to your armor quite easily, not worrying so much about custom fitting.
Plate armor does offer superior protection, but just like anything in life, there is a balance of functionality and practicality. There where some spectacular European suites crafted, but they where fewer and far between and if you stack on a few pounds over the winter, your armor won't fit very well come spring.
The one thing I love about European armor is that there is such a large verity of it, between leather, chain and plate, even laminated armor and a combination of all. With such a large verity of styles of armor, it is no wonder there is such a verity of weapons and fighting techniques. It is difficult to compare just 1 or even 5 styles of armor to samurai armor. It is unfortunate that most people instantly think of a heavy suit of full plate armor when they think of a knight's armor.
Intresting. Looks like lammellar armour is stronger than it looks. And woodblock paintings depicting bushi with several arrows sticking from their back while continuing to fight seems true. How is it compared to Nanban armour? Surely there must be a reason why some lords preferred the European style armour from Spain/Portugal?
Indeed it is very effective. Nanban armour was chosen more so for its ability to deflect rifle shots and because it was easier to make it thicker (1.8mm thickness).
Lamellar armor is very strong, the Mongols also used it and spread it throughout the middle east and east europe (where they faced off vs knights in plate). Basically each metal strip overlapping allows multi layer of protection and absorbing the blows, while keeping it very light. A full suit of Samurai metal lamellar weighs around 12kg, half that of the western plate mail which is typically 25-30kg.
Please change your fucking profile picture
The chest plate was not lamellar. It seems to be plate armor. Those appeared around 14-15 century. By then, they would've already used the muskets. And the construction seems to be a "Okegawa-do gusoku" -used by foot soldiers- which means the musket shots would've easily pierced it. About the bow he used: Very disappointed that he did not pull it all the way back. If he did, the arrow would've at least stuck onto the armor.
As explained in the program, the secret of samurai armor is to protect against longbows. Japanese longbows have a long range of 400m and 150m, and are so powerful that their arms and necks fly off when hit at close range. Japanese armor is equipped to protect against this large bow. Chinese and Korean bows are short bows, so their armor is thin. During the war with China and Korea, 50 Chinese shortbows were fired into Japan's armor, leaving almost all of Japan's armor intact. Shoot from a distance that cannot be reached with a short bow, and after annihilating the archery infantry, charge and kill them with a Japanese sword. In Korea, 200,000 Chinese and Korean troops surrounded the 7,000 members of the Shimazu clan who were holed up in a castle.There is a record that the Shimazu clan attacked from the castle and killed 80,000 people before escaping, but the number of Shimazu clan casualties was only two.
please note at 1.40 the bow shown it the picture has been strung the wrong way round (the inside is on the outside ) these were recure bows !
I saw and the guy in the video at a feit, I when I saw the armour for myself it looked tough and really cool, but I never would have though it was that strong.
Me: Samurai on a budget.
I would rock a wooden sword having spent all my budget on the lowest armour
So all the tales of Japanese swords cutting through gun barrels can not be correct! if they can not cut through thin plate. Or am i missing something?
+Ian Ryan no your right it can't cut through gun barrels unless its really crappy metal.
+Ian Ryan
Many stories are exaggerated because they are told by the victor. However some gun barrels where made from iron or soft / low carbon steel. If a blade is made from stronger steel, it could technically cut through the softer metal used to make the barrel. But most of the stories are just Hollywood fantasy and legend.
It's a myth that's all no sword can cut a gun barrel
+HiiPER MaaDMaan And if it somehow did (super crappy gun smith), you'd have to throw away the sword because of the severe damage it takes. And trading a very expensive katana for a musket of shady quality, is not such a good deal at all, even in the case that it happens to work (which is a slim chance, as you rightly said).
yup, it would be one crap gun barrel
For Your Information (FYI): The era of the Samurai and Shogunate was one of the most peaceful, yet very brutal era of Japan. The peacefulness came because of peoples fear of the "Shogunate Laws" (Also known as "Bakufu Laws").
At that time Japan was ruled by a single military ruler, known as the "Shogun". And the "Shogunate Laws" were designed to regulate the behavior of the land-lords (daimyo), Samurai and the general population. The lowest and middle class people like the Peasants and commoners of that time, often faced heavy taxation and strict social controls.
In this case the Samurai only obeyed their so-called "land-lords" (daimyo). They often punished and k1lled to maintain their "land-lords" (daimyo) home and lands. While the Land-Lords (daimyo) worked directly under the Shogun. They provided military service and protection to the Shogun in exchange for land etc.
The land-lords (daimyo) were appointed by the shogun as military governors to oversee specific regions. In earlier stages the land-lords didn't initially own the land, but were only granted authority to manage and protect it on behalf of the shogun.
And by the late 15th century, the land-lords had become more powerful feudal lords, who controlled larger estates and had significant political and military influence. As their power and influence grew, they began to consolidate more and more control over their territories.
Many of them were soon pointed by the Shogun to become the true owners of the lands they were governing. So the land-lords (daimyo) effectively became the de facto rulers of their territories. This gave them even more ownership-like control over the lands.
Their authority was based on their loyalty and service to the shogun. The more loyal they were, the most wealth, influence and land they got in return by the Shogun.
And I believe this was one of the reasons for their downfall, because later on the Shogunate's rigid social structure and economic policies became increasingly outdated, leading to dissatisfaction among the merchant class and other segments of society.
I am very impressed by this video! You're not trying to make Samurai armour look better than European medieval armours with crappy comparisons, you show a lot of knowledge, and aren't worried about damaging your test armour! Congratulations, I really like your work!
However, although it is very clear that armour gets damaged over time, and that it isn't anything bad as long as it protects the wearer, I'm still surprised by the deformations those plates went through...
+Railriderchris
Thank you very much. We wanted to keep the video as informative as possible without going into too much detail; as the video is already quite long. We will be making more videos in the future going further into the crafting and repairs. There are of course several types of samurai armor crafting with layering plates differently, etc, but also important to consider sword and armor steel would be different throughout time, regions and clans. Both this sword and armor are crafted from very similar quality in steel to make the testing more "even". If a high quality blade was used on a very low quality suit of armor, there might had been different results and vice-versa.
We will be posting more. Please subscribe so you don't miss them.
Michael A.
I will subscribe! Thanks for your kind reply! :-9
I'd love to see iron Mountain make more armor patterns beside the ni mai do. Things like go mai do, roku mai awase do, yon mai do, or the various haramaki types.
Or even try the tatehagi (vertical riveted plates instead of horizontal)
+xxAntiOtakuxx
Thank you. These are the most common armory designs for orders we receive. We craft many types of armor, but do not have them listed all on our webiste. We are trying to post everything but are very busy crafting the armor. Please "like" our FaceBook page to see pictures about our different armor styles and you can also ask us to post pictures of particular styles of armor you would like to see.
Good video, I've often wondered about how well samurai armour would stand up to testing like this. I'm fairly alarmed at how much damage was actually done to it by the weapons used, even if it was just chipping and denting enough of that could cause problem. But as someone mentioned somewhere else in the comments, the armour was made to spec for the battlefield situations it came across. It would have been prohibitively expensive, given Japan's lack of iron, to make it much stronger, and unnecessary because this grade of armour clearly stands up to the weapons used against it.
I suppose something to consider also is that feudal Japanese armies, like medieval European ones, were not mostly comprised of the best armoured, best armed people, but the lowly footsoldiers and Ashigaru, who would not have been as heavily armoured or armed, depending on what they could afford.
+heresjonny666
That is exactly correct. Most lords where not very wealthy so the lower rank the samurai or foot soldier the lower the quality the armor and weapon would be. We know that some samurai and ashigaru wore paper armor. The paper was layered thickly and then lacquered to look like real armor and to give protection from the rain. There are records of some lords arming their men with bamboo swords and wooden yari, so they would appear to have weapons when marching and in battle; with hopes they would survive and could pick weapons and armor off of other fallen samurai.
I thought I was the only one alarmed at how much damaged it took from a sword, I admit I’m biased towards European armor but you wouldn’t see that damage in European armor that costs the same
@@anthuan2028ヨーロッパの騎士の鎧もそこまで鉄板が分厚い訳じゃないから、勢いよく切りつけられれば普通に凹むよ。
重量のことを考えれば必然とそうなる。
@@Johannes--evangelium736 I don’t speak that language bro
Finally some legit video on real armor bruh
what is this thing called that looks like a fan? 0:04
It's called a gunbai, a Japanese war fan
This armor does not look tempered/hardened, is it? I have fought full contact buhurts with my gothic armor with nearly no dents. It was hardened with hrc 45 steel. I'm tempted to buy an armor but i'm gonna need it a little tougher😅
buhurt is not real armor, is thicker than historical battle ones, with a lot more padding
@@raditicat my dude, i used nearly no padding. Just a thin arming doublet. Wasn't asking for historical accuracy, i was asking if it would be able to be made to withstand full contact battles.
People who use thick padding at buhurts will be the first to fail.
@@gebroedersvanbrabant7334 ok but then I hope they only use swords, there is a reason why in buhurt they use thick armor, like in medieval tournaments. It's sport not a battle, what is useful in a sport may no t be in a battle and viceversa. the yoroi this people make could and maybe should be 0,5mm thicker.
You guys really deserve more subs, this is very high quality and very enjoyable content.
Sorry if i missed something but do you have a reenactment club? If so how does something like that work? Do you train specific martial arts or? Also where can i find one of these clubs?
+Lapiz Bouchaut Thank you for your kind comments and we hope to have more subscribers as we will be posting more videos soon. Muso Shugyo Ryu is a martial arts and living history club dedicated to the Japanese samurai. They are the group which performed the testing of our armor. They are based in the UK. However there are other groups spread out around the world.
Some of the martial arts that samurai trained in are: Jujutsu, Kenjutsu, Battōjutsu, Iaijutsu, Sōjutsu, Ninjutsu, Judo, Aikido, budo and many others which originated from Japan (Koryū)
For more information on Muso Shugyo Ryu you can visit their facebook page at: facebook.com/muso.shugyoryu/
Anyone else see this video and was interested cause you watched 'For Honour' xD
got me
Yup
This proves that the Katana is not the ultimate sword lol
what do you mean
Katana weebs think that a Katana can sheer through armor like butter, while this video proves it wrong
Very nice! I enjoyed the tests, and if I had money, I'd probably buy some of that armor. Also, loved the Takeda kamon on that armor :P
+Lingering Trees Thank you very much!
Discovery channel, national geographic channel, and history channel couldnt make a better documentary than what you guys just did! well done! congratulations.. a remarkably interesting documentary to watch! totally worth my time. *standing applause
+ Fadhli Gaba
Thank you very much! We just wrapped up another shoot and will be posting more videos very soon. Please subscribe so you don't miss them.
+Michael A. will do sir
Hello, I have few questions. Can we still purchase from your website? Also is the Armor wearable for the buyer?. Which TAISHO and DAIMYO Armour (from your website) do you prefer to be the easiest to wear with no complications For beginners. Do we also have to send measurements of our body, for a right fitment?. Do you ship to Türkiye? Last but not least, is the Armor produced in Japan? Thankyou. The reason I asked so many questions is due to how old this video is 😅
Hello. Yes you can still purchase through the website www.Samurai-Armor.com. The armor is wearable and functional, just like you see in the video. We have since advanced in crafting ability and more customizable options. You only need to send sizes if you want your armor custom fitted for you. We ship worldwide including Turkey. Non of the armor is complicated to wear. We provide instructions for displaying and wearing your armor. We moved our armory from Japan to mainland China to reduce costs, so the armor is much more affordable to everyone. It can still be crafted in Japan for 2 to 4 times the price if you prefer. Many of all of this is explained clearly on dealer website www.Samurai-Armor.com
It is best to contact sales support via the website for fast response as we do not always respond to messages in the video comments in a timely manner as we do kits always check comments as often as we would like.
the yumi was strung the wrong way
+Salafi Bowhunter Yes, very good eye for detail and thank you for paying close attention to our video.
(copied from previous response) " Yes, we used 2 different Yumi during the filming. We used a damaged Yumi during fight scenes with target arrows for safety reasons. However when filming the armor test we used the correct Yumi first with a target arrow and after with an arrow head better suited for armor. "
We hope otherwise you enjoyed the video.
+Samurai Armor Modern yumi used for shooting paper targets are a fraction of the strength of war bows, and the archer in the video is not drawing full length - Japanese archers draw further back using a thumb draw which gives a longer acceleration of the arrow and a cleaner release. A properly drawn and properly shot yumi - even a lightweight one intended for paper targets - should perform better. Add the strength of a real war bow and I think you'd get very different results.
+Samurai Armor how many lb was the bow being used against the armor?
+Alby Johnson
This yumi has an 80 lbs draw.
+Michael A. that's quite high. I'm surprised it didn't punch through
Oh man... jaja, I've been waiting for this for months. Then it came out kind of under my nose. Though, very interesting, I must say.
if you get military equpiment today as in modern and fuse with the japanese iron moutain armory, it would be intresting how strong the armor is. Kevlar replacement, reinforce steel plating (have couple pieces of spartan armors in cuts to fuse with the armor), kevlar's strings, spartan mask and additonally spartan armor helm as in samurai, as you get you have mobled soldier samurai of the future with guns.
I don’t know why I can’t stop watching this Over and over again
The reason they put a lot of the armor on their shoulders was because a enemy commonly attacked the shoulder and neck it usually worked pretty well.
Thank you for this video.
This quality video 👌 just earned you another subscriber ✔
Please keep it up 👊
+Achwaq Khalid Thank you very much. We are currently filming and will be producing more videos soon!
Awesome news 👍
After 16th century, Samurai armor comes equipped with bullet proof against fire arms. It looks old type armor. Greetings from Tokyo, Japan.
+core remix
Hello in Japan. Thank you for watching. Yes, the namban-do yoroi or "Southern Barbarian Armor" was copied from the visiting European's armor. The angle of the armor plating would help deflect both musket and arrow shots. It was a great advancement in Samurai armor, which we will test in the future.
Exactly. Surprised you understand detailed our culture. Thank you very much. Greetings from Tokyo, Japan.
+core remix
It is our great pleasure learning your history and culture. We feel connected to Japanese history and culture which is why we have great interest and pride reproducing the most authentically crafted samurai armor we able to.
Bought a Gashira Class Yamamoto Kansuke armor set a few days ago. Currently waiting on the mockup to confirm the customisation styles, can‘t wait to finally see and wear it in person!
I really love your design for the armors and the website.
And overall, I think I must say that from this video, I have learned that these armors are truly a force to be reckoned with.
And a question I forgot to ask:
How long would you say does it take for the armor to arrive (or be made)?
Thanks in advance
Thank you very much and we look forward to welcoming you to our Iron Mountain Clan as a Modern Warrior! We've made improvements since we made this video 8 years ago, which you will see and fee with your new Gashira class samurai armor set! 😀
@@SamuraiArmor im honoured and thanking you for this kind welcoming!
I just received the mockup today morning and i must say, it needs some additional changes (which i‘m going to describe with a reply to the original email. There i have painted the laces in the mockup according to my liking and a quick description of what i wanted for my armor to look like)
But this has going to wait for a few hours (at time of writing this comment).
I look forward to hear from you in the mail.
Thanks!
@@SamuraiArmor, I scrapped the idea with editing the mock-up, because it was too complicated for me to describe. So I just simply wrote the changes in the mail.
Currently waiting for your response 😁
@@laborion1082 Ok, great to hear you are having a good communication with your armor designer. As sometimes highly detailed customizations can be complicated and take a long time to describe, you can always communicate with them directly on the phone.
@@SamuraiArmor I confirmed the customisation and my armor is ready to be crafted! I an really happy to hear that soon i will own my own samurai armor 😉
I feel like I'm watching a commercial for Iron Mountain Armory.
Must damage: katana
Must efectivity: yumi (arrow)
This clearly shows that armour and weapons of a nation is based on the type of terrain and envirement they are most likely to fight in, that's why it's really hard to compare them. take a knight and a samurai (classical example) the knight is likely to win in an open field, but combat conditions aren't Always the same, if they were to meet in uneven ground the samurai would have the free movement and agility of his armor to outmaneauvre the knight. so the knight and the samurai are the best at their own terrain and combat situations but aren't comparible to one another.
+Pasha Staravoitau but the armour is heavier making it harder to climb, if the samurai would be on lower ground compared to the knight, well then he's f*cked I guess
well then i give up the knight wins
+younoobskiller That's what happens when you go by "common knowledge" and not research. Although, there is a thing to be said for how the weight is distributed in each type of armor.
+Pasha Staravoitau
I have 3 suits of samurai armor and my heaviest weighs in at 26 lbs, which is about half of what a full plated knights armor would weigh in at. The bulk of the samurai armor hangs off the shoulders and chest; leaving your arms and legs quite free of the extra weight. After walking, climbing, running, fighting, swinging a weapon; every extra pound really starts to wear on you. All that extra armor a knight may have worn also holds in allot of heat. Now samurai could had worn extra armor and chainmail to fill in the gaps, but most didn't (we will talk about that in future videos).
Another important fact to remember is not every knight or samurai was a trained, seasoned and good warrior. Most where born into their titles and never deserved being among the warrior class.
+Michael A. I already thought it was inlogical for full plate and samurai armor to be so close in weight, (looking at how much is covered and how many layers of armor) thx!. btw do you do reenactment, what is your favorite weapon when you do them
trying to poke steel armour with a tanto as though you think it is a rag doll, is obviously not going to penetrate... I just wish that these videos that people put up were a little bit more legitimate. Also, the way that you guys stabbed it with the spear was pretty hard to watch, its like, you wouldn't throw a shot like that (week and off point) unless you were aiming for a gap in the armour.
+tom williams
Thank you for your comments. This is not a video to teach techniques, it is a video to demonstrate how a typical samurai armor suit would stand up to attacks in combat.
The point of stabbing at the armor with a tanto was to show that the tanto can not penetrate armor, which many people believe it can. This test disproved the myth. Yes, stabbing at the gaps is obvious and we all know what happens when you stab a person with a katana, tanto or yari. We will mention it in our future videos though, so it will be more clear to people who are uncertain.
As for attacking with the yari, it was meant to show the ability of the armor to resist the strikes and what damage the armor can take. Yes, of course you would want to strike the less protected areas of the armor, but they are difficult to hit when someone is moving and fighting back. However yari strikes will help daze and unbalance your opponent, as well as creating weak spots and gaps in the armor.
Thank you for your comments. In future videos we will try to make them more legitimate by better explaining our intentions and reasoning for the strikes more clearly.
I am just trying to say that:
For the tanto strike, he could have put a little bit more effort into it.
For the katana strike, the way that you strike with a bladed weapon makes all the difference. So the experience of the warrior directly affects the results.
For the yari/spear, everything was satisfactory, except for the thrust, it just wasn't a historically accurate/powerful thrust.
These tests proove that "opportunity strikes" do not penetrate the armor, but powerful strikes, aimed directly perpendicular, even to the most resistant part of the armor, will penetrate.
After all my criticism, I must say I really appriciate the video, and thank you for commenting back.
tom williams
Great insights Tom. However when using a tanto, you need to be up close and when thrusting into armor, it really wouldn't had made much of a difference if he hit the armor harder as the tanto tip bent.
As for the yari, the suit and dummy weight about 70 lbs and was supported by a back brace in a 45% angle and anchored to the ground. The thrusts where strong enough to push the 70 lbs, anchored target up and over, knocking it down. The thrusts where pretty powerful. I am not sure what kind of thrusts you could suggest are more powerful, accept maybe running at the armor maybe? Please if you could provide us with a video demonstration of a more powerful thrust with a yari, we could possibly reproduce it.
Thank you again for your comments and suggestions. We do appreciate them. I am glad you appreciate our video. Please subscribe to see our future videos.
***** Yes, it is very difficult to pierce armor. Different spear tips will have different effects. A more sharp and pointed tip would likely poke holes in the armor, but at the same time the tip would become stuck for a few seconds, leaving the attacker a little vulnerable. A more rounded tip like this yari is meant more for breaking the laminated plates in the armor, while pounding the wearer; trying to knock them off balance and disorientate them. There are pros and cons to every weapon.
Nice account you quoted. It demonstrates how effective armor is at protecting the wearer and how a warrior must be more skilled in both weapon and armor to be effective.
You are welcome in this conversation. I just must say, it is not nearly that hard to penetrate armour with weapons, it just depends what weapon you use (as was aforementioned). I believe the account is a possibility, whether true or not, it sounds like something that may truly happen.
One day my friends. Don`t you dare go away within the next 5 years. You have a guaranteed customer sitting here for some high quality Taisho Armour.
Thanks for the video
Wow! I just lost $20 to my girlfriend because I said the arrow would easily go through. Impressive!
Amazing video! I love the Japanese samurai culture this video has stretched my knowledge about the traditional amours. 👍
+Ryan Ray
Thank you. I am glad you share our passion and we where able to help educate you a little more. Please subscribe as we will be posting new videos very soon.
+Mark Anthony Bulaon sorry what?
Damn imagine if samurai and knights were allies in the fudel ages
Eastern crusade?
Knights obsolete samurai are super mobile
@@killermachine6454 European full plate armor allowed for great mobility. Very little restriction in the movement.
Killer Machine Say that when a mace bonks you on the kabuto
@@kaijuslayer3334 lol
deserve like buttons!!! amazing armor test.
Can this be shipped in the Philippines? 😮
Yes, you can find dealers at www.IronMountainArmory.com
great video guys!!!
You probably should of mentioned that the armour you are testing does not represent all styles of armour in Japan so people don't base their understanding of Samurai armour on the suit you tested because some suits offered more protection & some offered less but still well done.
They mention the suit classes multiple times.
4:15 *WITHOUT HONOR!*
what do you mean samurai would not do that if some one was in a duel and a samurai was in a duel and there friend had a gun they would use it the only honor is to kill as many people as possiblie that is honor even if it was with a gun it just about how to kill some one the most brutal way and how to do it effectively
Literally watched this in my history class
What about the samurai kanabo against samurai armor?
Japan has the most fascinating history in the world honestly
Gotta love the heart shapes in the arrow. If you're gonna kill em, make sure they know you still love em :P
dang that's a very long advertisement
wow, keep at it. i see this channel growing! subbed.
one thing I thought would be awesome. If you could put pressure sensitive (liquid) packets that'd explode to know how much force went through. When your budget went up, maybe real electronic sensors for more data. then maybe i know nothing. anyway, great channel!
+Benjamin Kham
Thank you for your suggestion. Maybe one day we will have a dummy that records impact pressure.
Hey iron mountain! Can you tell me where on your site to find the armour on screen at 9:09? I really love what you guys are doing and I think you should continue it!
That is most likely custom made, they offer custom made suits for extra if you want it.
I like how this video focuses on the Warring States samurai, rather than the usual Edo samurai. And I like you focused on bows, spears and polearms rather than swords. Those are the real battlefield weapons!
+thecomradered
Thank you!
I dont care much about test I just want to have one of those awesome armor :))
+Sindshost To go to a grocery store? lmao
just run up while they're testing the armour and yoink a set.
Pff, you just throw a pommel to that armor and can you say that you ended rightly.
not really
but in movies, it seems the samurai armors are useless, the blades and arrows always penetrate with ease. thanks to this video!
Check out Ming Bow vs Chinese Brigandine. They use real warbows and real heavy arrows that go right through armor.
The bow used here is not a warbow nor was the arrow heavy enough.
Why so many dislike? Its a very nice video to showcase the strength of the samurai armor
At 0:34 what are those things are his shoulder?
It was a "utility" type belt which samurai and ashigaru would store their rice, medicines and other items.
I dont know what kind of chainmail samurais use buth cuting medieval europian chain mail and even roman chain mail is inposible
It's not impossible.just hard to do.Japanese chain mail is usually a 1 to 6 and 1 to 8(not exactly sure which is more common) ratio unlike European which is usually a 1 to 4 ratio, making it more tedious and costly but slightly more protective
They used butted mail.
Butted mail makes it MUCH easier
+Cuzmonaut Suckmeov also makes it much easier to repair after a long battle.
+Darius 99
It's not riveted, and it's also a much looser weave than european. Much less metal used overall and rings don't overlap a lot.
Surprisingly informative video: I did not realise how Caucasian the Japanese were in historical times.
Yeah, it is allot like when a Caucasian chief cooks a traditional Asian meal. Its like, your white and you shouldn't be involved with other ethnic cultures! We need to build a wall around each country, both physical and cyber. People should stick to their own kind.
Someone seems to be bitter that they are too low in intelligence to understand the concept of a joke.
Mixing ethnicity and cultures is no joke.
I don't understand. Is this supposed to show how tough this armor is? Every hit horribly dents it and breaks it. Like what happened on the face armor. The fuck? Anytime I've seen European armor hit like this it doesn't do shit. i've even seen it tested while being worn.
+Daelkyr
Traditionally European armor was crafted with thicker steel because it was required to protect against a variety of weapons. Samurai used lighter armor. There are many different reasons for this, including terrain, fighting styles, body types, different needs, easy to maintain, alter and repair. Samurai wanted their armor to be balanced in all aspects.
It is important to know, just because European armor may not get dented when hit, doesn't mean the person inside is fully protected. In many instance the vibration from the strike would stun and wound the knight wearing the armor. Sometimes the gear protecting the knight could be their downfall.
Yeah, no armor will protect you from kinetic energy (i.e. knock back).
That very much depends on what kind of armours you compare (on both sides). E.G. Knyght Errant and Metatron had a collaboration and the weight difference between their armours and the European one was about 3kg heavier.
This is factually inaccurate. Japanese laminar armour was often closer in weight to 16th Century full-plate (20-25+ kilograms.) and often more than 10 kilograms heavier than many historical 15th Century sets. I also highly doubt parts like the breastplate were any thinner than 16 gauge (which is what you'll see again on later period sets.)
The reason Japanese armour was less durable was differences in design and metallurgy however the difference isn't significant enough for it to matter...no sword is going to cut through either, both are all but impervious to thrusts (you might penetrate Japanese lamniar PRIOR to Musket-proof with a warhammer/Bec de Corbin beak or spike but you'd need a good clean shot on a FIXED target to do so.) at some point armour just doesn't really need to be any more durable.
The Japanese armourers weren't facing the same weaponry or challenges that their European counterparts were and their armour was perfectly adequate for what was being thrown at them as armour historically has always been.
"In many instance the vibration from the strike would stun and wound the knight wearing the armor. " - This is also factually inaccurate and would in fact be a bigger issue with Japanese armour of the same period (however true for neither.) people significantly overrate the energy generated by historical blunt weapons...no you're not a train, you're a man swinging a steel rod. The gear protecting the 'knight' as you put it would only be their downfall if it was faulty (which if often could have been.) and was penetrated and dug into the person wearing it (if for example it were penetrated by an arrow.)
You're unfortunately perpetuating the same sort of myths and stereotyps that led people to believe Japanese armour was unprotective and incredibly Light designed entirely for mobility and not at all for protection (which is totally a good reason to wear armour?) There was an undeniable technological gap between those in Europe and Japan during the late medieval period, this gap was slowly bridged during the Renaissance.
Kinetic energy isn't knockback....knockback is actively a reaction a given body can display to mitigate the effects of kinetic energy being transferred to it...something that doesn't 'knockback' and that isn't durable enough to withstand the collision....breaks.
If people could 'knockback' every time they were face with a collision to an adequate level they would avoid the effects of BFT almost completely.
I can’t wait to get mine !!!
Samurai used the tagashima arquebus very frequently as well, how well the armour survived against that?
We hope to test it against a tagashima teppo one day. If we are able to find someone with a tagashima arquebus that will allow us to test our armor with, we would be happy to do so.
thanks! Always wondered how well the armor performed against the tagashima and what range, since there are recorded instances when it help up against one or two shots.
It could save the life of the wearer at long range, but under 50 m (and there are several sources mentionning it) the bullet had no trouble going through. Almost no armor (also European) could really protect you from a shot fired by most of the 16th century firearms at ranges less than 50 and even 100 m
European armour could protect you against lighter caliber firearms, but you see 16th century firearms were .75 and up in caliber with kinetic energies over 5 kJ (which is about twice of the kinetic energy of a modern 7,62 NATO). This may sound a lot but the aerodynamic properties of balls are... well, balls.
330 gramms of lead balls leaving the barrel at 182 m/s which is really slow compared to modern firearm standards. And well as you can see the weight of the ammunition gives it the kinetic energy it needs. Which is bad, it is easier to decelerate, modern ammo even with lower kinetic energy could pierce contemporary armour a lot easier.
Modern 7,62 NATO is 10 gramms travelling at 833 m/s.
ramsay bolton is the narrator of this video
Ramsay liked his armors
At 17:49, the archer appears to be using a pinch grip instead of a proper thumb draw.
There are many styles and remember, this was not a modern Kyudo style. The thumb doesn't work well for quick fire, no glove combat although it was used for hunting and practice.
+Shugyo3302 quoting your above statement: "The thumb doesnt work well for quick fire, no glove combat"
You're going to have a very hard time proving any aspect of that sentence to anyone. Elaborate. Should be entertaining.
In the video, the archer's skewed arrow flight with the broadhead is a direct consequence of not using the proper draw technique. The arrow didn't bend around the bow properly, so it came off of the string crooked. The broadhead acted like a sail, and that's why the arrow flew practically sideways. If he had used the right draw (or switched the arrow to the left side of the bow), he would have been much better off.
+Shugyo3302 The video you linked to is a bit grainy, but the archers appear to be using the thumb draw, arrow on the right. 11 minute 55 ish, you can clearly see them wrapping the thumb around the string. Japanese form of the "Mongolian" release. Biggest difference between them and modern kyudo is the lack of yugaeri.
If there is demonstrable evidence of some Japanese shooting in a more western style, that would be interesting in of itself, but it still doesn't change the fact that the archer in the armor video is making a mistake that is more than just a stylistic difference.
Also, the penetration with the skewed broadhead at close range is actually a lot more than one would expect with solid armor. Is the metal heat treated at all? I shudder to think what a high powered longbow or Korean composite could do with a bodkin point.
+Shugyo3302 apologies, I meant shoot with the arrow on the right
+ryddragyn
For the record I am not an expert archer in any 1 form, but have a fairly decent knowledge of most forms of archery. With that being said; I would venture to say the glove or thumb-ring would aid in drawing and releasing the arrow without torquing the string, causing the arrow's tail to skid when fired. Without either it is difficult to keep the string from torquing (for me at least - and I use a 80 lb Mongolian bow, which I plan to test on armor in the future).
As for quick drawing an 80 lbs bow it can be difficult, timely and strenuous when using only a thumb draw, let alone fast. At least for someone who doesn't practice every day or daily.
So in respect for the "no glove" comment I would assume, when a shot is a matter of life or death, you choose the style of what works best for what you need at that time. It is much easier to draw a bow with 3 fingers. As you stated from the Peri toxeias, it is more of a matter of practice than it is of specific technique.
So with all of that being said, traditionally yes, a thumb draw is way to draw a bow (specifically in Japan). But that is not to say that historically samurai didn't use other techniques while on the field of battler, techniques which worked better for them. This can be easily seen in the different styles of swordsmanship taught at various schools and by various teachers throughout ancient Japan. Although most are consistent there are variations and than you had Musashi which was the shining example of this.
Finally, regarding the arrow at 22:44 yes it seems to turn before hitting the armor. One person commented on this being because of the archers form, this would be evident to someone who doesn't understand the science behind archery. The arrow snaked through the air, not because of form but because after hitting armor several times, the stiffness of the arrow (aka spine) was weak. This caused the armor to snake through the air and of course effecting the overall outcome of the strike. Something that we didn't see until post production (when we received comments).
At the very least, although the tests where not perfect (much like actual combat situations), they give us a rare insight of how armor would had likely performed in actual combat like situations. And they are more than anyone else have ever done on video before or since (that anyone has ever been able to easily source - please post videos of similar tests if they exist).
Im gonna try to address a seriously reatrded problem people are having here.
STOP TRYING TO COMPARE WESTERN ARMOR TO EASTERN ARMOR
Western knights had to have much more protective armor since they had to deal with anti armor weapons. The Samurai didnt. DONE! Jesus Fing Christ....
+Alex flake There were blunt weapons designed to crack the samurai armor so...
One word kanabo and areabo I’m not sur if I spelt the last one wrong
Yeah Samurai had blunt weapons too. They're like giant clubs sometimes Studded and other times Spiked.
Yes the reason why it is worse because they did not have high quality materials
@@steelydan3263 They were still definitely good weapons, even then the weapon matters the least if a person doesn't know how to use it
I have to, at the very least, commend you for your enormous amount of patience in dealing with asshats writing arrogant comments..
Subscribed!
+Zack Dumbledore
Ha, thank you.
Where can one get an affordable/good quality yumi bow? And was the armor tested temper/upgraded to the .2mm thickness as offered on the website?
This armor set is now more similar to our Kachi set with standard thickness and tempering. Our current Gashira and Taisho class armor will be stronger and when upgrading either, will be even more durable. The temper / upgrade thickness of .2mm is noticeably stronger and slightly heavier.
Though to be fair, samurai didn't wear armor most of the time.
+WittowBudduh
Yes, very good point. We will be doing videos on samurai clothing in the future.
Its about the warrior
They wore it in combat almost all the time which is what mattered. Any warrior in history was the same thing.
Lol why was there a female samurai in this video
+Euanskii
It seemed only appropriate as there are many notable female samurai through out the history of Japan. You can research Onna-bugeisha (女武芸者) if you would like to learn more about Female Samurai culture and history.
Samurai Armor oh well I stand corrected haha thanks
+Euanskii wtf? someone got corrected on the Internet and reacted like an adult?!? you don't belong on the Internet sir
Joppe Van Stiphout haha nice one :)
+Dusty Ytsud lol I feel like I need to start learning more things xD
When you say things like "I think the katana will cut through the chainmail", you start to lose credibility. Chainmail is strongest against cuts and slashes, tachi and katana are desgined for cuting and slashing. It's literally paper covering rock when it comes to that. Also, they should weld the links shut, or better yet do the traditional Japanese chainmail link where the overlap is twisted together to close the link. If they used either method instead of simply clamping them together, the elbow piece would've shrugged off the katana like it was a ripe bannana.
And personally, I'd like the armor test to be taken further. It's great armor, period authentic, and affordable. It perfectly represents what a Sengoku soldier would wear. But the Sengoku Era is over, and we have access to weapons from around the world. Let's see the taisho armor hold it's own against a halberd!
+HappySlappy
I think he was thinking similar to what you are saying about butted chainmail not being as strong as twisted or riveted. With butted mail being the lowest in protection many people where thinking that the katana would slice its way through. However most people forget that when it is sewn to a textile, especially silk, it become far more durable.
We will be doing more testing, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it!
+HappySlappy Well you cant blame him. If you look again at the chainmail, its the thinnest/weakest looking chainmail I've ever seen. Personally I thought he really was going to break the chain through sheer blunt force alone.
And I was just as surprised to see that the chain actually held together pretty much.