Kikko are small iron or hardened leather, hexagon shaped armour plates used in the construction of Japanese armor worn by samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

 and ashigaru

Ashigaru

The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...

 (foot soldiers) of feudal Japan.

Description and use

Kikko refers to the shell of the tortise or turtle which is formed from small hexagon plates. Individual kikko armour plates were attached to armour by sewing the kikko to a cloth lining through holes drilled in the center or edges of the kikko. Kikko could be sewn between two layers of cloth and hidden from sight. The kikko could be attached to each other by links of chain (kusari) through holes drilled in the edges of the kikko. Kikko armor was made for every class of samurai or soldier, high or low.

George Cameron Stone referred to kikko as "brigandine" when he said "in Japan brigandines were often used". He further described this "brigandine" as "small hexagons", "the plates [being] of steel or hard leather", and that "occasionally they covered the whole body".

Use

Kikko were used in the construction of traditional Japanese armour, suneate

Suneate

Suneate are a type of armored shin protection worn by the samurai class during the feudal era of Japan. Suneate first started being used in the 12th century.-Description:...

 (shin guards) and tate-eri (shoulder pads) often incorporated kikko in their design. Haidate (thigh guards) and kote ( sleeves) could also be partially or completely armoured with kikko. Lightweight portable folding armour (kikko tatami gusoku) would have a kikko tatami dou (dō) (folding chest armour) , and auxiliary armour items such as wakibiki

Wakibiki

Wakibiki are a Japanese armour component that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Wakibiki are a form of arm pit protector, that along with the manju no wa and manchira were auxiliary forms of armored clothing worn underneath the chest armor for protection of certain areas of the...

, manchira and manju no wa could be armoured with kikko. kabuto

Kabuto

A kabuto is a helmet used with traditional Japanese armour as worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan....

 (helmets) could have a neck guard (shikoro) made with kikko plates sewn to a cloth backing.

Ian Bottomley pictures a forehead protector ("hitai ate") with a kikko hood, and calls the kikko chest armor ("kikko gane do") a form of "tatami", or folding armor.

See also

• Tatami-dō
  Tatami-dō
  A Tatami dou , is one part of a Tatami dou gusoku ,which is a full suit of lightweight portable folding Japanese armour worn during the feudal era of Japan by the samurai class and their foot soldiers ashigaru...
  
  
• Brigandine
  Brigandine
  A brigandine is a form of body armour from the Middle Ages. It is a cloth garment, generally canvas or leather, lined with small oblong steel plates riveted to the fabric....
  
  
• Chainmail
  Chainmail
  Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
  
  
• Plated mail
  Plated mail
  Plated mail is a type of mail with embedded plates. Armour of this type has been used in the Middle East, Japan, China, Korea, Central Asia, Greater Iran, India, Eastern Europe, and by the Moors.-Types of plated mail:In Russia there are three known varieties of this armour...
  
  
• Japanese armor
• Japanese chainmail