On 9 August 1543, Japanese warfare changed forever. Portuguese traders landed on the island of Tanegashima, bringing two arquebus muskets with them. Within months the first Japanese copies were being made. Within decades, Japan had more firearms than any European nation.<\/p>\n\n
T\u014dsei Gusoku<\/em> (\u5f53\u4e16\u5177\u8db3 \u2014 “modern complete armour”) is the umbrella term for the modern plate armours of the Sengoku and Edo periods, which replaced the lamellar systems of the \u014c-Yoroi. The decisive feature: solid iron plates instead of small lamellae. Whereas the \u014c-Yoroi consisted of hundreds of small lamellae joined by cords, the T\u014dsei Gusoku used larger, often one-piece plates \u2014 horizontally stacked strips (Yokohagi Okegawa<\/em>) or vertical half-plates (Tatehagi<\/em>) \u2014 joined by hinges or flaps.<\/p>\n\n Absolon describes the engineering advance: the hinges made it possible to firmly join solid plates to one another without sacrificing mobility.<\/p>\n\n The most important innovation of the T\u014dsei Gusoku was the Tameshi Gusoku<\/em> \u2014 the bullet-tested armour. The Tameshi<\/em> (bullet test) was a proofing procedure: the smith fired an arquebus at the finished breastplate and documented the result on the inside. If the dent was small and the plate held, the bullet-test stamp was applied: date, place, distance, result. Absolon describes these stamps as the most honest certificates of quality that an armour could bear.<\/p>\n\n The armour in display case C16V bears something unusual: black bear fur on the breastplate. In the Sengoku period, when battles increasingly took place amid smoke, dust and chaos, recognisability became a matter of survival. Unusual materials \u2014 bear fur, deer antlers as helmet crests \u2014 made commanders unmistakable on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n The bear fur signalled strength and rawness \u2014 a deliberate provocation: I am the one you should be afraid of. In practical terms it also protected the underlying metal structure from direct rain.<\/p>\n\n The My\u014dchin school began as helmet specialists in the Heian period and developed into generalists for all armour components. In the Sengoku period, My\u014dchin armours were so renowned for their quality that patrons commissioned them from all over Japan. Their characteristic hallmark: the Suji-Kabuto<\/em> (ribbed helmet) with clearly visible ridges between the plates.<\/p>\n\n A common misconception: that Japanese armour was much lighter than European armour. Absolon corrects this with data: a complete T\u014dsei Gusoku could weigh 20 to 25 kilograms \u2014 comparable to European field armour of the 16th century. The difference lay in the distribution of weight: European plate armour concentrated the weight on the shoulders and chest; the Japanese construction with hip armour and hinge technology distributed the weight more onto the hips and allowed better mobility.<\/p>\n\n Okashi Gusoku<\/em> \u2014 loan armour from the lord’s arsenal \u2014 was issued to ashigaru (foot soldiers). This armour was more simply constructed, but similar in its essential protective functions. This democratisation of armour protection was one of the profound changes of the Sengoku period.<\/p>\n\n Along with the trade that brought the arquebus to Japan came another armour design: the Nanban D\u014d<\/strong> \u2014 the “Southern Barbarian cuirass”. Japanese smiths copied the characteristic central ridge of European breastplates and developed from it a breastplate that combined both the Japanese craft tradition and the European principle of deflection.<\/p>\n\n The Kawari Kabuto<\/strong> \u2014 the “extraordinary helmet” \u2014 is the most theatrical element of the T\u014dsei Gusoku aesthetic. Deer antlers of leather or wood, gilded shell shapes, enormous fan-shaped crests, animal motifs of lacquered paper \u2014 the Kawari Kabuto of the Sengoku period are the most intense expression of the Basara<\/em> aesthetic. The purpose was pragmatic: recognisability on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n One of the most revealing armours of the Samurai Museum Berlin is found in display case C05H: the d\u014d of Obata Nobusada (1540\u20131592), a feudal lord from K\u014dzuke Province who served under Takeda Shingen. This breastplate may indeed have been worn in actual battles. The crackling in the lacquer surface is either a sign of ageing or genuine wear from combat use.<\/p>\n\n Literally “modern complete armour” (\u5f53\u4e16\u5177\u8db3). The term denotes the modern plate armours of the 16th and 17th centuries, which replaced the lamellar systems of the \u014c-Yoroi.<\/p>\n\n Primarily through the introduction of the arquebus (1543): lamellar armour offered insufficient protection against lead bullets. At the same time, warfare changed from mounted individual combatants to mass infantry \u2014 which required a lighter, more mobile construction.<\/p>\n\n Bullet-tested armour. The smith fired at the finished breastplate and documented the result on the inside. The bullet-test stamp was the most honest certificate of quality that an armour could bear.<\/p>\n\n 20 to 25 kilograms \u2014 comparable to European field armour. The distribution of weight through hip armour and hinge construction, however, allowed better mobility than that of European counterparts.<\/p>\n\n Display case C16V of the Samurai Museum Berlin shows a complete Sengoku-period T\u014dsei Gusoku with black bear fur \u2014 solid iron plates, hinge construction, an armour concept for the age of firearms. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Auguststra\u00dfe 68, Berlin-Mitte.<\/p>\n\n \u2192 Tickets & Opening Hours<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n \u2192 All Exhibitions at a Glance<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n \u00a9 Samurai Museum Berlin \u2013 All rights reserved<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The T\u014dsei Gusoku replaced the \u014c-Yoroi after 1543. How iron plates and hinges answered the arquebus. With original exhibits at the Samurai Museum Berlin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":51790,"template":"","wissen_category":[34],"class_list":["post-52582","wissen","type-wissen","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wissen_category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wissen\/52582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wissen"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wissen"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wissen\/52582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wissen_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wissen_category?post=52582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/span>The Answer to the Arquebus: Tameshi Gusoku<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>The Bear Fur: More Than Decoration<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>The My\u014dchin School and the T\u014dsei Gusoku<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Weight and Mobility: The Comparison with Europe<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Okashi Gusoku: Armour for the Masses<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Nanban D\u014d: The European Influence<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Kawari Kabuto: The Helmet of the T\u014dsei Gusoku<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Obata Nobusada and the Genuine Marks of Combat<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
<\/span>Frequently Asked Questions about the T\u014dsei Gusoku<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
What does T\u014dsei Gusoku mean?<\/h3>\n\n
Why was the \u014c-Yoroi replaced by the T\u014dsei Gusoku?<\/h3>\n\n
What is Tameshi Gusoku?<\/h3>\n\n
How heavy was a T\u014dsei Gusoku?<\/h3>\n\n
<\/span>Visit the Samurai Museum Berlin<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
Related Articles<\/h3>\n\n
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<\/span>List of Sources<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
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