Sangu (armour)

Sangu is the term for the three armour components that protected the extremities of the samurai class of feudal Japan.

Description

Traditional Japanese armour had six main components (hei-no-rokugu, roku gu, or roku gusoku), the dou or dō (chest armour), kabuto (helmet), mengu (facial armour), kote (armoured sleeves), sune-ate (shin armour), and the hai-date (thigh armour). The sangu was composed of the suneate (shin armour), kote (armored sleeves), haidate (thigh armour). These armour components were a combination of a cloth backing and various types of armour that was attached to the cloth backing. On an original authentic suit of Japanese armour (gusoku) the cloth backings, edgings, decorations etc. and the armour elements would all be matching to each other.

Sangu

Parts of the sangu

Kote

Kote (armored sleeves). These sleeves are usually of textile material, often silk brocade, padded, laced with the small cords upon the inside of the arm and covered with chainmaile, small metal plates of various size and shape, or quilting having small plates of metal or hide sewn inside each quilt. Gauntlets (tekko), or covers of metal plates for the back of the hand, are attached to the kote. There are many varieties of kote such as ubu-dzutsu, bishamon (having sode (shoulder guards) attached, shino-odatsugi, ainaka-gote, and others including aigote (in which the two sleeves are connected), kigote which is a general term for the kote extended or completed by the addition of erisuwari (padded collar), kata-ate (shoulder pads) and wakabiki (armpit protectors), jubangote ( kote with shirt), tominaga kote (named after its inventor), kusari kote (chain armour), kote haramaki ( kote that cover even the belly), kogusoku-kote (armor-like kote ), han kote (half kote gauntlets).