Samurai Armor
The Full Story
Samurai warriors ruled Japan for nearly a millennium, from the twelfth through the nineteenth century. They followed a code of idealized behavior known as bushido, the “way of the warrior,” focused on seven virtues: honesty, courage, respect, benevolence, rectitude, honor, and loyalty. Bushido also prescribed acceptance of death, so much so that samurai preferred to commit ritual suicide rather than seem disloyal or suffer a stain on their character or family name. Samurai were expected to train their bodies and hearts for war and their minds for intellectual pursuits.
Samurai armor provided not only protection but also a sense of individual identity. Elaborately decorated armor distinguished higher-caste warriors from lower-ranking ones, while more standardized armor helped with group identification.
Constructing the armor was a labor-intensive process. As a prized household object, armor was traditionally passed from generation to generation. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), however, many former Samurai households that were hard-pressed for funds sold their armor to western collectors, which is possibly how the Lewis B. Parsons family happened to acquire this suit of armor.
They eventually donated it to
Parsons College, where it was
displayed in the museum on
the second floor of the Bible
Building along with many
archaeological, historical, and
ethnological objects brought
back to the states from Parsons
graduates who had either
traveled the world or served as
Presbyterian missionaries in
such countries as China, Japan,
India, and Africa. When Parsons College closed in 1973, the armor was given to the Carnegie Museum.
The armor on display here is incomplete, comprising only the upper portion. It is of a type that would have been created sometime before 1543, at which time guns were introduced to Japan, forcing a change in the way armor was made. Judging by its lack of elaborate ornamentation, this armor belonged to a lower-ranking warrior.
The armor also lacks its sword, which would have always been at the Samurai’s side. The sword in this display was made in another Asian country, possibly China, but we have chosen to include it with the armor to emphasize the importance of swords to the Samurai.
