LAMELLAR ARMOR AND HORSE BARDINGS IN YAMATO AND KOGURYO AND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH CHINA

Abstract

Influences of Chinese armor manifested themselves twice in the Japanese archipelago, firstly in the fourth century, when the small lamellar plate jackets and helmets of Chinese style were copied, and secondly in the early fifth century, when long lamellar suits of armor were introduced by the Koguryo. This article examines the data, focussing on Koguryo and assessing China's influence on that horse-riding tradition and its successive transmission of horse-rider armor to Yamato in Japan.