Armor types - Yoroi and Kabuto

Yoroi and kabuto are two major types of old Japanese armors which were worn during battles.
They developed from more simple ones made of leather, to more durable ones made of metal plates, usually with leather.

Do-maru or haramaki is a yoroi for lower class samurai warriors, while higher class samurai wore o-yoroi.
O-yoroi was desiged for easier riding and arrow shooting.
On the head, hoshi-kabuto which was made of metal plates were worn together. It was called hoshi-kabuto, because of the nails that held the metal plates. The nail heads seen on the surface of the plates were called hoshi.
Kabuto was worn to display one's achievements, and many different types of kabutos were made during the Sengoku period

During Kofun period, tan-kou, a short yoroi that protected the upper body, was used. Kake-Kou, which came from Korea, covers the whole body.

O-yoroi and hoshi-kabuto were worn by higher class warriors during Heian and Kamakura periods.

Later in Kamakura period, during Mongol attacks, do-maki and hara-maki were worn, which allowed more movement. During Nan-boku-cho through Muromachi period, higher class samurais began wearing do-maki and hara-maki armor. Kabutos with metal wires became more popular than hoshi-kabutos.

In Azuchi-monoyama period, gusoku or foot protector made of metal plates appearred due to spread of guns. Hinges were used to connect the sides of yorois, and kusazuri changed into having 7 to 8 flaps to make walking easier. These armors were common until around the beginning of EDO period.

Before the Edo period, bow and spear were used in combat more than swords.