Chinese Amour VS Japanese Armour

What types of armour did they use in Ancient China? How different was it from the sort of armour used by Ancient Japan?
Images used info
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Yprpyqp - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Yprpyqp - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Qiushufang - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
An armour (spelled armor in the US) is a protective covering that is used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual, or vehicle by weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action.
The word "armour" began to appear in the Middle Ages as a derivative of Old French. It is dated from 1297 as a "mail, defensive covering worn in combat". The word originates from the Old French armure, itself derived from the Latin armatura meaning "arms and/or equipment", with the root armare meaning "arms or gear".
Armour has been used throughout recorded history. It has been made from a variety of materials, beginning with rudimentary leather protection and evolving through mail and metal plate into today's modern composites.
Significant factors in the development of armour include the economic and technological necessities of its production. For instance, plate armour first appeared in Medieval Europe when water-powered trip hammers made the formation of plates faster and cheaper.
Well-known armour types in European history include the lorica hamata, lorica squamata, and the lorica segmentata of the Roman legions, the mail hauberk of the early medieval age, and the full steel plate harness worn by later medieval and renaissance knights, and breast and back plates worn by heavy cavalry in several European countries until the first year of World War I (1914-15). The samurai warriors of feudal Japan utilised many types of armour for hundreds of years up to the 19th century.
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#Metatron #Armor #Versus

[@gabrielinostroza4989]

That's a LOT of Rhinos, surprised they still exist

[@metatronyt]

*rhinos appreciate

[@MrBottlecapBill]

They don't.........not anywhere near china anymore. This is why lol. Skins and horn..........hunted to extinction in the immediate area.

[@Tacticaviator7]

@Ninja Crackpot Well I sure don't care if mankiller bunnies or dragons went extinct, would be hard to deal with.

[@walangchahangyelingden8252]

@@metatronyt We have a shield in my house, a Parma Nepali made from Rhino skin and an iron boss, and leather Enarmes. We use it for ceremonies and I remember first holding it, it's not in the best condition right now but it's a part of our traditions.

[@kesuya]

Chinese people are still hunting rhinos (and elephants) in Africa

[@cajunguy6502]

Not to nitpick, but that's an American buffalo. However, that doesn't take away from the overall video, which is absolutely wonderful. Great job!

[@metatronyt]

Ahah so true, my mistake :)

[@leafpratt]

To nitpick your nitpick America doesn't have Buffalo it has Bison

[@cajunguy6502]

@@leafpratt buffalo is an acceptable common name for the creature, used throughout history. Yes in terms of taxonomy, it's a Bison, but Buffalo is accepted as an informal term, and it also the reason it's in the video. It's like calling a tardigrade a water bear. Yes, it's Technically not a bear, but the term is acceptable for informal use.

[@leafpratt]

@@cajunguy6502 that's why I said nitpick

[@cajunguy6502]

@@leafpratt fair point

[@user-lu6hp8nx1j]

A few points to add: 1) Chinese lacquered their armours too. 2) Rhino actually went (mostly) extinct relatively early in China , although the name "Rhino leather armour" stuck for much longer to refer to other types of leather armour. 3) Like elsewhere, scale armour was actually quite rare in China due to its obvious inferiority to lamellar. 4) Some Chinese lamellar armours have backing.

[@owo5869]

How’s scale inferior?

[@LLAALALA]

@@owo5869 It's less cost-effective, scale takes a long time to make comparisons to lamellar while the extra protection it offers does not justify mass production.

[@user-lu6hp8nx1j]

@@owo5869 Scale is easier and faster to made, but much less protective than lamellar. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5mcfItoq7V2mrM&ab_channel=scholagladiatoria

[@owo5869]

Obvious inferiority sounds so harsh

[@user-lo2dn6hi5e]

5)코로나는 중국에서 유래했다

[@dimitisphot6118]

Please Do a vid about Byzantine weapons and armor because I cant find a lot of info on the internet

[@aitorrodriguez9070]

One of yogur best vídeos, I completelly agree on a video about byzantine weaponry but I also suggest to include persian stuff

[@edi9892]

I´ve seen Byzantine armour and martial arts on YT. It´s a while ago, maybe you find it.

[@CrowBag]

edi I didnt have any interest in them until I played tomb raider and did a tiny bit of research. Now I cant find enough on their military lol!

[@cihatduman2162]

Check out Byzantine Armies 1168-1461 AD. It has great illustrations like all of McBride's books.

[@omariscovoador7486]

Yes, maybe persian and arab armors too, its really cool to see other cultures approachs on armor, we tend to look too much only in the european ones.

[@zedz4397]

In Ming and Qing dynasty China actually had a kind of armor called 布面甲 which basically looked like a giant coat with pieces of metal underneath it. The coat was meant to prevent the gunfire or something.

[@dbuyandelger]

I think this is brigandine

[@dongf2618]

It was widely used throughout Europe and Asia and it's called brigandine type in English.

[@zedz4397]

@@dbuyandelger Yes you are right I search the word on Baidu and it gave me the false translation

[@zedz4397]

@@dongf2618 yes

[@zedz4397]

@WithAStick AngryWhiteMan yea they do

[@TheXanian]

You forgot to mention brigandine armor, which was commonly used in China from the Ming Dynasty onward (14th century onward). They largely replaced the lamellar armors of early eras. Mail had never been popular in China for some reason (though there’re some who speculate that the so-called mountain-pattern armor might actually be an artistic representation of mail armor).

[@linshitaolst4936]

There are sculptures of military generals wearing mountain pattern armors in China.The mountain pattern armor is thick mail armor

[@ReviveHF]

Don't forget about Brigandine, both Chinese and Japanese used them in large scale during 17th century.

[@trentweston8306]

What the heck are you doing here?!

[@michaelterrell5061]

I think even before that

[@m4xs0ng66]

True, most people think brigandine is a exclusively European amour

[@kddiodox]

@@m4xs0ng66 yeah? Weird because cotton isn't even a european thing

[@agig3288]

Japanese was bamboo armor

[@HS-su3cf]

Metatron: Do you prefer Chinese or Japanese armour. Me: Yes.

[@shadowdeslaar]

No. ROMAN

[@lorddio1558]

Mongolian armour

[@HappyGM-R]

Just use a gun

[@thedragonborn9027]

@@shadowdeslaar early English, very stylish

[@xanthousjeremiah5046]

Super in depth and informative, I would definitely love to see more videos of this format.

[@bodatotalitarian7278]

Nice vid, but you missed one of the most commonly used armor in Chinese history "brigandine" or "Coat of Plate". First introduced in Ming Yongle period early Chinese brigandine came in long coat style later developed into seperate style with independent upper body protection and leg protection. during Jiajing period almost every Nine Garrison troops of Ming border troops equipped brigandines, battle armor during Jiajing period usually has an extra layer of protection on the chest area. Also the Roman Persian style Manica arm guards were commonly used from 14 to 17 century. Average mid Ming style brigandine can weighted around 30 pounds according to military book " 四镇三关志" ，Average late ming & early Qing 17 century style seperate brigandine can weight up to 40+ pounds. Early Qing heavy infantry "Bayara Units" wear up to three layers of protection (gambeson+ mail + brigandine). Also there is another type of less known Chinese armor "steel ball armor" where the armor is constructed with hundreds of thousands or millions of tiny steel balls, both Wanli and Qianlong emperor own such armor. One of the surviving Qing period steel ball armor is located in Beijing palace museum. Book recommendations for studying Chinese armor: 《武经总要》，《武备志》，《四镇三关志》，《满洲实录》，《皇朝礼器图》

[@bodatotalitarian7278]

Late Ming/ Early Qing style brigandine of Nurhaci and Hong Taiji （noticed classic "manica" style arm guards commonly used in Ming and Early Qing period） www.dpm.org.cn/collection/defense/234699.html?hl=%E9%93%A0%E7%94%B2 cul.qq.com/a/20160915/027890.htm?pc

[@wchi8391]

面BiangBiang I was about to post this! The height of Chinese armor was full suit of brigantine with partial plate for chest and leg.

[@2008davidkang]

Can you post a picture on the armour with balls of steel?

[@bodatotalitarian7278]

@@2008davidkang I posted a link on Qianlong emperor's steel ball armor on top.

[@dianapennepacker6854]

Wow that is one beautiful set of armor! Curious on how much that type of armor weighed and how expensive it is. The Brigadines... Was all the weight on the shoulders or did they have some way to balance the weight out over the entire body? That is one thing people forget - even a simple belt or how armor is spread can really make all the difference. It is like when people think medieval knights were slow brutes. No they could run and jump and most men at arms were probably athletic and trained in it. I guess it doesn't help when people look up ceremonial or jousting armor and weapons though. Just like those myths of Chinese heroes wielding 100 pound polearms.

[@user-ym2zv5ou6i]

as chinese ，your explanation about Chinese armor is very correct, most of Chinese don’t know these, you really surprised me

[@googlehatesblackpeople8876]

During the cultural revolution a lot of historical records were lost, this coinciding with schools at the time seizing to teach students about ancient Chinese history are part of the reason why sadly a lot of the history of your country is unknown to most people

[@SpyFromMarsZeus]

@@googlehatesblackpeople8876 You only spoke half of the fact, culture destruction happens every time in China history when a new dynasty rises, it's a sign of cleansing the old past.

[@warren5037]

@@googlehatesblackpeople8876 well it's not like the majority of Europeans would know about the different kinds of knight armour either

[@crushingjay]

@@googlehatesblackpeople8876 this contradicts very much with reality and is just absolutely wrong. The party puts a huge focus on Chinese identity and therefore teaching Chinese history in an elaborate way.

[@Despotic_Waffle]

@@crushingjay only recently, read up on the cultural revolution, what he said was true especially during Mao's era

[@sidstjames]

This helped me so much with my research for an armor I am working on. Thank you for this video!

[@Mifey05]

any Mount And Blade: Warband player remembered the "Strange Set"(Shogun looking armor and weapons)?

[@spajkilza1992]

Nah, I just downloaded Feudal Japan mod, so yeah - I remember plenty of samurai armors

[@merlin1464]

I was just thinking about Chinese Armor, Thanks Metatron!

[@davidsnoek8686]

lol

[@radoslavkosil7450]

Japanese armour is better but more expensive. Because the Chinese had to arm the giant masses of soldiers.

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

Radoslav Kosil Not really, Chinese armour had long skirts that protected the entire leg, this feature is generally unseen in Japanese armours.

[@radoslavkosil7450]

@@hwasiaqhan8923 this is not entirely true. complete samurai armor protected every part of the body. and a very long skirt slightly restricts movement. (parts that cowers legs are called Suneate, Haidate and Kusazuri) Like this one i.pinimg.com/originals/6e/04/f0/6e04f07e601ec889357aec0df036ae67.jpg

[@papercat2599]

Radoslav Kosil not at all almost all later Chinese dynasty has complete protection armor. Chinese high officials armor is just as good as Japanese samurai armor. They don’t give foot soldiers good armor that’s true. Hell katana and samurai armor were hugely influenced by chinese armor. Look at tang, song and Ming armor they look very well protected

[@white-noisemaker9554]

Great video Metatron! I am loving your historical videos, especially ones that highlight the oft-inaccessible lore of Imperial China, a vast swath of history and culture that gets less representation and coverage than Japanese. Please do keep these up!

[@sheep1ewe]

Thank You for uploading! This was a genuinly interesting analysis. If You wish i would be more than happy if this would be continued, i am particulary especialy interested in armour and armour smithing, both Asian and European types. But there are very little to find on KZbin when it come to more in depth analysis and cronologic explanations.

[@RedmarKerkhof]

Great video, man. Thanks! I'm currently building a Ming Dynasty mountain scale armour. By hand. It might take a couple of years. It's held together with educated guesses and artistic interpretations. So just like all archeological evidence, really.

[@jackl2257]

Make a vid when you finish it

[@masufame]

I think the usage of mountain pattern chainmail was a more effective way to protect the warriors from spears or thrusting/stabbing compared to regular chainmail

[@manofculture467]

Great video mate. Would you do a video on Chinese swords next? I love the channel and information given.

[@sylvanstrength7520]

I honestly love both Chinese and Japanese armors. My favorite Chinese style is the Ming style brigandine. I think my favorite Japanese armor is dosei gusoku

[@camrendavis6650]

Me too. Mid to late Ming Armor looks so cool to me.

[@sylvanstrength7520]

@@camrendavis6650 Absolutely! And I find that I actually prefer liuyedao and yanmadao over katana, which is surprising to me

[@camrendavis6650]

@@sylvanstrength7520 I've seen modern reproductions of Liuyedao that are beautiful. That saber's got sexier curves than a katana. Plus I prefer a one-handed saber so I could wield a rattan shield in the other.

[@sylvanstrength7520]

@@camrendavis6650 I love the S curve as well as the balance for one handed use. And the potential for back edge cuts.

[@camrendavis6650]

@@sylvanstrength7520 I. Want. One.

[@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929]

4:51 Small tip, but when drawing 3d overlapping shapes going around a spherical object at a corner angle, always make the farther ones smaller than the closest ones. And in this situation the bottom of the armour should show a bit of a curve, instead of just a straight line. I'm not a teacher, so I don't know if that makes sense. But most people who draw something usually don't notice their errors until critiqued. I'm aware this isn't like a drawing channel, but I felt I should give my two cents.

[@metatronyt]

Thank you for the TIPS!

[@jilleshoedemaker1954]

Really high quality video! Great job.

[@metatronyt]

Thank you Kind sir

[@jankorinek2397]

👍😊👍 Thank you for this amazing video in these difficult times. Greetings from Prague!

[@danielyoung633]

I've tried on the Japanese tosei gusoku and saw immediately how difficult it would be to fight wearing one of these. I'd love to try out a Chinese set of the same time period to compare mobility.

[@DaraEhteshamzadeh]

This video inspired me to re-download the gekokujo mod for Mount and Blade Warband, because all of the Sengoku Jidai period armor you mentioned are in there!

[@chanjiayang9595]

For the song dynasty, there were some crazy weight armor(步人甲） for the heavy infantryman (which about 30kg) and the crazy weight halberd-like weapon called 掉刀(diao dao/Zhao dao) which was similar the weapon of a Taoism deity called deity erlang( 二郎神) who is a heavenly general with a hound

[@-Zevin-]

Thanks for sharing i love learning about Chinese history, weapons and armor.

[@chanjiayang9595]

@@-Zevin- but they always have one of the highest casualty number as they were usually team up with pikeman to deal with the cavalrymen(if they're not in the ‘defensive mode’ inside the fortress or the castle as during the northern song dynasty time, they were severely lack of horse especially fighting against the cavalrymen

[@dongf2618]

@@chanjiayang9595 Actually, it is complicated. Prior to most military failures, there were always some food shortages due to not having enough transportation animals, and it is more complicated than that. Let's just put it simply, the Northern Song often attacked too deep into enemy territory and often stretched their offensive too thin by forking their attacks into several prongs, but their overall win/loss ratio was pretty good.

[@dongf2618]

@UCIXmkerDLgP6wghI-D1RAcA I don't know about that. I think it had less to do with armor than the actual tactics. Northern Song emperors liked to command the army from the capital, and they always divided the army up without giving a central command. In this way, the Song emperors can ensure the army doesn't turn against itself; however, it also means all the military operations were chaotic. Song dynasty soldiers were always on rotation across the country, and many of them fell ill and died on the march. The society, in general, looked at the soldiers with disdain, and the soldiers only treated this profession as a way to make a living. That was their military system at that time. As I had aforementioned, prior to all the major blunders, there were severe food shortages, and sometimes this was coupled with the cold winters, debilitating the armies to a point that they can no longer fight. The military training was lax as well, even though they were professional soldiers. Some contemporary texts talked about how the military was trained only in crossbows but not with wielding short weapons so when the enemy closed in for a close-quarter fight, the crossbowmen can't fight at all. The army composition at that time was 70% crossbow and 15% polearms and 15% swords and shields, meaning when facing a cataphract charge, they probably couldn't stop it. The armors at that time were heavy, and that is probably for deflecting arrows, and I think it is the right thing to do since they are more focused on infantry.

[@rayray6490]

Wearing heavy armor and wielding heavy weaponry, along with long marches. It makes sense that heavy infantry is disadvantaged in faraway campaigns against cavalry. I believe the Southern Song benefited more once they settled on naval warfare along the Yangtse and defensive strong points like XiangYang and DiaoYu fortresses, when heavy infantry can focus on what they do best. I don’t know about you guys, wearing a 60+ lb armor, carrying another 30lbs of weaponry/equipment, marching 25-30 mile per day. I won’t be able to have much fight left in me.

[@belalabusultan5911]

congratulations on the new haircut, and great informative video as usual.

[@trenthobson2756]

Great video, those shots of you outside in your armour look so epic!

[@FedericoMalagutti]

This video is one of your top ten best videos, at least, in my opinion ;-)

[@metatronyt]

Thanks!

[@Dinoenthusiastguy]

Damn, your armour + nodachi look so badass. Need to get me some of that!

[@JinzoTK]

Really liked the editing.

[@chenoaholdstock3507]

Love the drawing!

[@TheMightyPALADIN]

best video I've seen in a while

[@metatronyt]

Glad to hear

[@leonardomafrareina7634]

I was expecting to see the Iron Pagoda armor of the Jin dinasty...

[@waynejohnson2894]

Love your historical content.

[@aceteek5002]

bam! insta sub after the vid! that was just amazing!! so much info coveid in such a nice way! Really nice and super informing vid!

[@joshg8053]

Generally, Chinese armor design is more geared toward mass production with little tailoring. It is also usually had more simple and all around better design, while Japanese design is often more specialized with more small components with different specific functions. Later Japanese is more similar to European plate that it is to Chinese armor. Early Japanese armor is more similar to Chinese armor than armor from Heian Perion onward. Classic Japanese armor after the Heian could be further divided into 3 parts: O-yoroi (Heian-Kamakura), Transitional (Nanbokucho-early Muromachi) and Tosei Gusoku (Sengoku Period onward). Compared to this type of Japanese armors, the Chinese have generally better armor design compared to the O-yoroi, but the O-yoroi had been designed very meticulously for horse archery so it might be better in that area. For transitional armor, they are probably equal. Japanese armor of these periods had full body coverage unlike Heian-Kamakura ones, but they are still mostly lamellar, so they didn't had any advantage against Chinese armor of the same period. While 16th century Ming armor in comparison to the Tosei Gusoku, lack rigid torso armor. This does not mean that Ming brigandine is inferior because there are accounts of Ming armor capable to resist bullets. In complexity, there is just no comparison that the period Ming brigandine coat + manica suit or Chinese lamellar suit is just too simple compared to the Tosei Gusoku. Even Qing armors which are more complex are still simpler than the Tosei Gusoku.

[@joshg8053]

@kizz Yes, that's why I wrote simpler and all around better design. The Japanese serve as mercenaries in as far as Siam and Indonesia. Their equipment work fine in there. They are still untested in desert and the steppes, though. The Chinese also wear lamellar most of the time just like the Japanese. I do understand that being complex or simple by itself doesn't make an armor good. Japanese armor construction is very possible to be made simpler. You might want to read the Gunbai Military History blogspot for detailed info on Japanese armor and weapons. I had a discussion with the writer and we conclude that all those exposed laces and gaps in Japanese armor are consciously left that way and it is possible to make Japanese armor without a lot of laces exposed. There are several armor where the laces are hidden behind the plates. Overall, here is my short opinion on Chinese vs Japanese armor: - For most of their history, Chinese armor cover more, made in larger number and proven against various types of terrains and climates. - Japanese armor design peaked in 4th-6th century and 14th-17th century. Outside of these period, Chinese armor is likely superior to Japanese ones. - In 4th-6th century and 14th-15th century, Japanese armor is comparable to Chinese. - In the 16th century, Japanese armor had solid cuirass and Japan is possibly the only polity beside European kingdoms to equip basic soldiers with plate cuirass. Chinese soldier at this period wear brigandine. - Complete Japanese armor set of the late 16th century should be far superior to contemporary Chinese armor, but may not be superior to Chinese armor from before 16th century. Those are my current conclusion, I say current because I keep finding new things on both Chinese and Japanese armor. There is a lot of surprisingly unknown things about Japanese armor especially in the period between the peaks of Japanese armor design.

[@DBT1007]

Thanks for your info, Armor smith.

[@joshg8053]

@Di Di Even with the increased use of firearms in China we coul still see armor with good design. For example, Manchu armor in their conquest in Korea and China were said by Korean and Chinese source to be bullet proof, so that Korean and Chinese soldier had to aim for the hand and eyes. Late Ming armor is tested against bullet before they enter service.

[@joshg8053]

@Di DiWe have videos of lamellar armor made of 2 mm stainless steel resisting bullets, if an armor is made with good steel and sufficient thickness, it can resist musket bullets. Late Ming Dynasty Chinese is still large enough that they should have win against the Manchu, the ptoblems are not only corruption, but also internal rebellion and incompetent emperors.

[@joshg8053]

@Di Di The Manchu bullet proof armor is described by both Chinese and Korean record.

[@dick_richards]

The Greasy Italian Samurai!

[@yoursexualizedgrandparents6929]

@Ulfhedinn Tyr A little? He bathes in olive oil and whine all day, if he fell over he'd slide a mile.

[@Halfdanr_H]

It helps him slip away after a fight

[@davidcrisp3832]

He does look a little "コサノストラの大名" ( Daimyo of La Cosa Nostra ), LOL...

[@jmc9137]

How dare you he is Sicilian

[@dick_richards]

@@jmc9137 fair enough...... The Greasy Sicilian Samurai..... lol

[@TheSteyrguy]

Another great video Metatron, thank you

[@tolosa.provincia]

Thank you, nice video😊 from Japan☺️☺️

[@ironwolf2244]

I prefer Chinese armor. I also like the armor of the Norsemen. In particular, I like Lamellar because it allows good mobility, and is easier to manufacture when compared with other armor types, like plate as you noted yourself. And it's modifiable, allowing you to add what you need to it. I think the Cord and Plague is a efficient system, I'd have Lamellar mostly, then a chest plate cover, maybe some shin guards. Though I will say the Kikko armor is efficient, more so than Brigandine in my opinion (which is a preference of mine as well). I'm thinking of trying out my own design, using triangular pieces. Lastly, the Mountain armor design seems very interesting, as far as I know not much is known about it, and the only examples we have of it are from paintings or statues, unfortunately no functional examples seem to exist, and attempts to reproduce it have failed. But it's intruiging that an armor would be made with parts that have a similar appearance to a letter in their alphabet. I wonder if that'd work with other languages. It'd certainly be an exciting project.

[@AKRex]

Chinese mountain pattern for me probably out of these, looks really cool and stylish :)

[@Kirtahl]

This was a great video man. Thanks

[@metatronyt]

Thank you :)

[@Treisiess]

Well this was informative. I'll be sure to apply it to my writing as one of my characters is a 12th century samurai who serves as a retainer to my MC.

[@taidordz]

You misspelled armour in the title! It says "Amour"

[@FlinnGaidin]

Chinese love beats Japanese armour.

[@MaxRavenclaw]

He used the spelling in Traditional English. You must be thinking of 'armor', which is simplified English.

[@luckyblockyoshi]

@@MaxRavenclaw reread the comment.

[@FlinnGaidin]

@@MaxRavenclaw and reread the title of the video.

[@MaxRavenclaw]

Oops. My joke falls short then.

[@leroidethunes3913]

great that you mentioned nanban gusoku, as not many know about western influence on late medieval Japan, not even the japanese themselves, besides, for anyone interested there's nanban art (european style art) made by the japanese from that period too, also, I know this is sudden, but here's some trivia for you, nanban translates to "southern barbarian", that's japanese pride alright, a bit like the romans and their "barbarian tribes"

[@metatronyt]

So true about the translation ahah

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

Sadly it seems to be one of the constants of human history that people can dislike foreigners while simultaneously wanting to steal all their best ideas.

[@ErebosGR]

@@calamusgladiofortior2814/videos Yeah, because the foreigners simply wanted to bring Japan all their "best" ideas, like sugar, guns and Christianity...

[@dewaeryadi7776]

And now korea and china stealing their culture and technology, its all come full circle

[@charlottewalnut3118]

ErebosGR how did sugar hurt them and they crucified hundreds everyone back then were assholes

[@thepunisher4507]

Fascinating, great video

[@TheOfficalHappyGold]

Fantastic video, straight to the point, entertaining, and factual

[@metatronyt]

I'm glad you liked It

[@TheOfficalHappyGold]

@@metatronyt thank you for making it

[@zainy_inc154]

Thanks, I finally understand the difference 🙏🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@FortuneFavoursTheBold]

A video discussing Chinese armour! An instant thumb-up! Very nice research and breakdown. However, you neglected the Chinese brigandines very popular during the Ming and Qing dynasty. Their constructions are shockingly similar to that of European coat-of-plates, brigandines and later jack-of-plates used from the 13th-16th century. They were at first issued or custom made for ranking officers in Ming Dynasty ruled by Han ethnics, and later became even more prevalent in Manchurian armies. They probably completely replaced the iconic Chinese lamellar armour.

[@camrendavis6650]

Did the Mongolians invent brigandine? Or some early form of the coat of plates?

[@IvanHreshko]

love this video, great work

[@metatronyt]

I'm glad

[@EnglishRoyalist]

Great video, mate. GOD bless.

[@FlippableFlappy]

Have you seen the chinese armor in the show longest day in changan? Ive been told that its very accurate tang dynasty armor.

[@camrendavis6650]

It is.

[@stevej1235]

Yeah, it pretty accurate, the show I think is one of most history accurate both in armor, clothes, culture and even the gesture of Tang peoples greeting each other are also pretty accurate

[@camrendavis6650]

@@stevej1235 I thought the hand gesture was cool too. To be honest, I was the one thing in the entire series that's stuck out to me. I just thought that all dynasties after the Han did the same salute

[@papercat2599]

Yes as an armor fans. I’m telling that entire show is extremely accurate to Tang Dynasty

[@mcRydes]

i'd like to hear more about armor of china in the Ming and Qing dynasty. It's a subject i think get's overlooked!

[@riza-2396]

Well they use Brigandine, with compressed cloth(use water to soak 8 kilograms of cotton and make them dry so they stick together) out side and metal inside

[@betawarier346]

Your videos are well researched

[@ANDREA-em2dx]

very interesting and good video, thank you!

[@shannont6764]

Perfect pronunciation!!

[@metatronyt]

Thanks!

[@dirremoire]

Except it’s pronounced scArce, not scAHrce. Other than that, good job.

[@frankl9951]

@@dirremoire he has a British accent

[@mrmoth26]

@@dirremoire no

[@camrendavis6650]

I like the Chinese armor more. I think it's more stylish and unique and variation and functionality over time

[@-Zevin-]

I agree, google "iron pagoda armor" for some really great Chinese armor he didn't show in this video. China is such a large place with such a vast history there is a ton of interesting styles and armors.

[@camrendavis6650]

@@-Zevin- the armor used by Jurchin? Those things are so cool. The definition of *"tank"*

[@-Zevin-]

@@camrendavis6650 Yeah i think they where used by the Jurchin, and were part of a elite cavalry force during the Jin dynasty. I honestly think that armor would have protected you as well or better than any European plate armor. It's always just taken as gospel that plate was the best and not really questioned, but i am really skeptical. Physics wise lamalar has a mechanical advantage with padding underneath of never denting or breaking but flexing with impact.

[@camrendavis6650]

@@-Zevin- and that's why I love Chinese armor over most other types of armor. Since the Qin they knew that flexible armor was the way to go. All the way up to the Ming, when brigandine became more popular (though I feel brigandine is also underrated). Plus, the ancient Chinese could form massive armies, and depending on what dynasty were talking about, that means you're going to need a lot of metal. Luckily, lamellar and scale were easier to manufacture as well as mass-produce, easy to repair when damaged, and could be tailored to fit any body type.

[@hwasiaqhan8923]

Camren Davis The Jurchens used the same armours the Chinese used, both nation field these armours in large quantity, the iron pagodas were famous because they are a massive army of heavy cataphracts usually operated in numbers from 8000-10000, which was very devastating to their enemies.

[@CraigLYoung]

An excellent summary!

[@ericwang8570]

Great content, very helpful to me. Also as a Chinese, I have to say you chinese pronunciation is impressive!

[@M6nst6r6]

Truly a great video, but I do have one question left! Where did they got Rhino skin on such big scale in China at that time?

[@dongf2618]

That's why rhinos are now extinct in China.

[@vilx1308]

U didn’t mention the coat of plates in Ming and Qing Dynasty and the rim- arm armor that goes with it!!!!

[@slinky6481]

Very nice drawings! Consider me impressed.

[@LucianoSilvaOficial]

Good work Rafaello!

[@potus2582]

I liked it I'd like to see more and anything on Philippines

[@dreysantillan]

Same

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

We don't have much info but from what I can tell they used Mail armor especially the lower Islands of Mindanao though generaly its a status symbol only affordable to the chiefs and Sultans, they would also have probably used wooden armor though I think the most likely is that they just relied on Shields.(which is the most depicted armor that the Tribes used.) Most of them are likely on foot as from what I can tell horses were introduced after the Spanish conquered it.

[@collinnicolazzo2065]

Hey metatron i have a question can you do video on the Chinese miaodao/dandao

[@collinnicolazzo2065]

Oh and when and if you do a video on the maiodao can you do the differences between it and the nodachi

[@baronvonboomboom4349]

I love this video, i love chinese armour but its soo hard to find. Keep up the awsome videos!

[@grim3329]

a hole load of information and stuff to think about thank u

[@metatronyt]

My pleasure, thanks for watching

[@edi9892]

Could you also compare average life in medieval Europe with Japan? Timber frame houses and Japanese folk houses have quite some similarities, though it certainly depends on time, region and status.

[@dongf2618]

according to the Chinese record, the Japanese were very clean people who lived very long lives since ancient times. I don't know if Europeans were like this in the Medieval period. If not, then, I won't say Europeans lived as well as the Japanese.

[@edi9892]

@@dongf2618 I think this is quite an exaggeration. Medieval people did bathe too, even though the church was strongly against bathing together. For a time those fools saw bathing as vanity. BTW: I left church for multiple reasons. One of them was that they wanted an F-load of money when I was broke and they were the very opposite of conpassipnate... Plus, they insulted my mother saying that once she dies, she can lie next to the Jews! (saying that word as an insult).

[@IronKurone]

@@dongf2618 which record excatly?

[@theentertainmentnation4694]

@@dongf2618 Western Europe was more advanced and richer than backwards Japan manly in the 12th century onwards

[@GreoGreo]

@@theentertainmentnation4694 Wrong

[@gunthersunshine9418]

10:23 the armor is smiling 100 times :D

[@sneakillysneak2388]

That is quite an interesting topic for me. Thank you for this video. Everybody talks about katanas and occasionally other weapons of the East, but nobody talks about protection. Generally speaking I thought all samurais wear light lamellar armor. I hope in the next video to see any eastern armor stuff - its such a terra incognita for me.

[@dongf2618]

samurai armors are heavy as hell. Lamellar armor was usually heavier than chain maille or plate armor because they were small metal pieces that overlap each other.

[@aur-1998]

Thanks for the information

[@feketeputty]

When I play For Honor and we discuss armour realism and accuracy with my friends and someone disaggrees with me I always bring the ultimate reasoning card "I watch Metatron" (In case of sword fight, moves and stances, it is "I watch Skallagrim"😂)

[@Dachnik228]

In case of fantasy designs I watch Shad

[@austincummins7712]

@@Dachnik228 In case of penetration and context: "I watch Matt Easton"

[@theghosthero6173]

Argument of authority using a non professional source as your basis is one of the worse arguments possible

[@feketeputty]

@@theghosthero6173 nitpicking a non serious comment is one of the most chicken shit thing ever.

[@2008davidkang]

@@feketeputty So basically diarrhea?

[@caocao4731]

Basically the difference between a society that relies on soldiers, and a society that relies on warriors.

[@caesarmendez6782]

Very concise as always.

[@sigutjo]

Nice video, but it is a lot of information in a very short amount of time. Maybe you could stretch it out a little next time or focus on less stuff at a time.

[@gustavoargumanis1863]

Love your channel Metatron. But I miss your long hair Let it grow back!

[@metatronyt]

I actually am lol

[@Xiraia]

Awesome :D!! How much research did it have to take for this video O_O Even less known chinese and japanese armors nod nod

[@Xiraia]

AND MORE !!! Korean too :D

[@metatronyt]

About 3 weeks and a couple of books but I loved doing the research and I'm glad you liked It

[@DG-jq7il]

Awesome video Rafael

[@TamagoSenshi]

I'd love to see weapons comparisons

[@user-mi8rd4oq5m]

Major error in your video. I don't know if it was intended or not but the photo used at @3:00 is not from Han dynasty of China. The photo is part of a wall painting at Anak Tomb No.3, which is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo (Korea) kingdom. I noticed this because of the unique neck guards that was only used in the Korean kingdoms. The tomb was built in year 357 so it's not even close to the era you're trying to represent. Here's a link to wiki page that has more details of the tomb and the wall paintings. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anak_Tomb_No._3

[@dongf2618]

I don't know if this is purely out of ignorance, or if it is some kind of psychological complex, I have seen so many Korean people arguing this and that is Korean in every video I've seen talking about East Asia as a whole. In fact, the whole of Asia is culturally linked in so many ways. The neck guard you mentioned probably first appeared in Central Asia or Western Asia, it could be found throughout Asia, including China, since the Warring States period, and the Steppes nomadic cultures. The same thing happens to Tong-Ah or Pyeonjeon. So many Koreans claim this is a secret weapon of Joseon, and I've seen Koreans claiming this thing is invented by the Koreans so many times online. They even left comments down on videos of "Majra," the western Asia version of Tong-ah claiming it's a Korean weapon, but this device appeared in Byzantium records during the 6th century and later in the Tang dynasty record in China as well. The same thing goes for the Korean horn bow. In a Korean documentary, the Korean bowyer claimed Korean bows use 6 unique materials, fish glue, mulberry tree skin... however, those materials are not uniquely Korean either. He also claimed the Korean bows were the best in the world. And so many other things. What is with this madness? Is this some new-found cockiness?

[@user-mi8rd4oq5m]

@@dongf2618 What in the world are you talking about? This has nothing to do with cultural similarities of asian countries. If the video was talking about east asian armor in general, yeah it's fair games. However, the video specifically mentioned "Han" China which is almost 200 years prior to the armor shown in the video and was not even used by the Chinese in any period. Those neck guards are unique to the three kingdom periods of Korea. It's like showing a picture of a Renaissance armor made in Italy when talking about the armors used by the Crusaders in medieval ages. Your comment sound so dumb and out of place. So I don't even know how to explain the difference between cultural similarity and unified singular culture.

[@user-dl6ll4qj8i]

​@@dongf2618 Chinese autism knows no bounds

[@matthewjay660]

Metatron, I’m surprised that you didn’t include capes on Samurai armor. It’s been proven that capes defended well against arrows while riding on horseback. 🐴🐎

[@kazukashizero9896]

Cause it blocks the vision of the archer and can always miss cause it doesnt know where the body is

[@keithstone8693]

I can’t tell if this is a joke or not lol

[@matthewjay660]

@@keithstone8693 Hello 👋🏻 Keith. On the History Channel, there was a video where the samurai wore capes to supposedly ward off arrows when being chased on horseback. The capes help deflect arrows when riding on a horse 🐎 🐴 . 🙆🏻‍♂️ Am I remembering this next part right? I think* 🤔💭 the Mythbusters* did some myth busting on this (?), and they found capes deflecting arrows on horseback to be “very plausible.” And if it wasn’t the Mythbusters, then SOMEONE tested this hypothesis and found the results to be very plausible.

[@roadfox808]

@@matthewjay660 Indeed, the Samurai used a cloak-like device called a 'Horo'. It had a cage-like frame that could be inflated to provide some protection from stones and arrows from behind when mounted. From the Muromachi period onwards, its use shifted to decoration and as a marker rather than for practicality. It was probably a hindrance as the emphasis on fighting on foot rather than in mounted combat increased. They were rarely used anymore. During the Sengoku period, it was used as a status symbol by the elite, the liaison cavalry samurai. It was a sign of being a liaison officer, and only a few dozen cavalry out of tens of thousands of legions were allowed to equip themselves.

[@canuckpatriot1735]

Can you also do a video about the Mongols, since I would like to see what your take on it would be like, ither than that the video was amazing.

[@Thecando]

That was a very well done presentation. One characteristic that I did not hear was using flattened bamboo or reeds for scales and lamellar plates. Could you shed some light on that? My hypothesis is that they were commonly used due to the abundance of the plants as a building resource.

[@DanyTheRedAnger]

#teamchinesearmour

[@MykolaSternenkoDroneBoyHoleMan]

#teamhonkongarmour

[@-blank-4766]

#Teamplotarmor

[@viet_cong_momiji2324]

#teamnoarmourbestarmour

[@ineshvaladolenc6559]

Team naked, anyone? We fight and die like real men.

[@Kameeho]

Have you ever heard of the legend of the Gajin Samurai who eternally guards the Pasuta no Jinja. High up in the snowy mountains.

[@kingkuroneko7253]

Great video metatron.

[@annedebroeck2451]

I would've loved to have seen the paper armor which was first introduced during the Tang dynasty and worn up to the 19th century. But a great video nonetheless!

[@RyuFireheart]

Nice video. Now i want to see more about Chinese helmets XD

[@camrendavis6650]

Oh, there is a lot to mention

[@user-zu4nl7bm9e]

Remember the mongol boi's heavy armor is from the 11C chinese armor.

[@trentweston8306]

"Did you like this VS video?" I like all of your videos!!!

[@gugi444]

Great research and videos from Japan

[@Ainomato]

Honestly all I'm thinking here is Warriors orochi xD but cool comparison

[@lmaoasian2518]

Sorry but i am tiandi

[@ThortheGodly]

Here's an idea for you: Kevlar lamellar armor. How viable do you guys think this would be?

[@retardcorpsman]

The dragon scale vest project kinda proved that this is a bad idea, even worse than dragon scale actually because lamellar doesn't intersect the way the dragon scales did.

[@Machinationstudio]

Thanks for taking the effort of getting the pronunciation right.

[@caedenkniep3528]

I like the armour that you are wearing in the video👌

[@ducontra666999]

Personaly i think the japanese armor is more beautifully builded and is iconic, make a pretty pice to have in any living room. As well the swords from kamakura and heian jidai

[@kongqiyiwang]

因为日本绝大多数士兵都不穿铠甲，穿得起铠甲的都是贵族。 而中国铠甲是大规模生产的

[@dewdfwe5696]

Amour and Armor, Chinese vs Japanese it sounds like a good love story 😀

[@12max77]

08:47 its a high ranking Mongol officer from Qing Dynasty . The painting was draw by Giuseppe Castiglione in A.D. 1755

[@rdreher7380]

I found it funny how you said that in its own period, 大鎧 (ō-yoroi) would have been called "yoroi." よろい, as you may realize, is only the modern Japanese form of the word. A quick glance at my koten-dictionary reveals that the classical Japanese reading for 鎧 is よろひ (from the verb 鎧ふ 'to put on armor') and at the start of the Heian period that ひ is thought to have been pronounced with a [ɸ], ie the F-like sound in modern Japanese ふ [ɸɯ] (all of the ハ行 was pronounced with that sound at that time), meaning 大鎧 may have been originally called "yorofi." However, as time went on, intervocalic /ɸ/ was merging with /w/, changing a words like よろひ from "yorofi" to "yorowi." It seems this transition was completed around the 11th century. Then, at the end of the Heian period and into the Kamakura period, came the transition from Early Middle Japanese to Late Middle Japanese, which is when よろひ began taking on its modern pronunciation of "yoroi" (Kana spelling reform to modern よろい, reflecting the actual pronunciation, came with the post-war orthography reforms, which I'm sure you're familiar with). 大鎧 was used from the 10th century onward, all throughout the Kamakura period, before eventually being supplanted in the Muromachi period. Thus "in the period in which ō-yoroi was used" it may have been "yorofi," "yorowi," or "yoroi" at different times, though certainly "yoroi" for much of that time. Of course, I think your general point was that it was just called "armor" in its own time, and that point still stands. This is is not a criticism by any means, but I do find that minor simplification/omission, glossing over the fact that Heian era Japanese was different from modern Japanese, an amusing thing to point out.