Жапондық самурай қаруы: Кабуто шлемі

Japanese combat helmet

Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the Japanese language, the word kabuto is an appellative, not a type description, and can refer to any combat helmet. Every year on Children's Day, May 5, Japanese households display miniature kabuto and samurai armor in keeping with the tradition of Tango no Sekku. In feudal times, real samurai armor, kabuto, and tachi were displayed.

Japanese helmets dating from the fifth century have been found in excavated tombs. Called mabizashi tsuke kabuto (attached visor helmet), the style of these kabuto came from China and Korea. They had a pronounced central ridge. Kabuto, now known as samurai helmets, first appeared in the 10th century Heian period with the appearance of ō yoroi. Until the early Muromachi period, kabuto were made by combining dozens of thin iron plates. Generally, only daimyo and samurai at the rank of commander wore kabuto ornaments called datemono (立物), which were shaped like a pair of hoes. In the middle of the Muromachi period, as the number of large group battles increased, ordinary samurai wore datemono in the shape of a hoe, the sun, the moon, or their flag on their kabuto to show their courage or to distinguish friend from foe. In the Sengoku period in the 16th century, when the scale of war increased and the guns called [[Tanegashima (gun) became popular, the armor styles called ō yoroi and dō maru became outdated. As a response to the popularity of tanegashima, the armor style of tosei gusoku (当世具足) was created. Tosei gusoku kabuto were made by combining three to four pieces of iron plates. These were more bulletproof than the conventional style and could be mass produced. The tatemono became more eccentric and huge. Some were made of iron, but for safety reasons on the battlefield, they were often made with molded, lacquer coated paper. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period, tosei gusoku kabuto had a simple, bold design in accordance with the popularity of Momoyama culture. Ornamental kawari kabuto ("strange helmet") were made during this time that had "figures of animals, [kami], or various other objects mounted on top of them". Kabuto during this time were made "from materials including iron, gold copper alloy, lacquer, leather, silk, wood, gesso, bone[,] and gesso binder". Kabuto wo nugu (lit. "to take off the kabuto") means "to surrender".

Suji bachi kabuto is a multiple plate type of Japanese helmet with raised ridges or ribs showing where the helmet plates come together; the rivets may be filed flat or they may be left showing, as in the hoshi bachi kabuto.

Hoshi bachi kabuto (star helmet bowl) with protruding rivet heads, have large rivets (o boshi), small rivets (ko boshi) and a rivet with a chrysantemoid shaped washer at its base (za boshi). Hoshi bachi kabuto could also be suji bachi kabuto if there were raised ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates came together.

Hari bachi kabuto is multiple plate Japanese hachi with no ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates come and the rivets are filed flush.

The zunari kabuto is a simple, five plate design.

A great number of simpler, lightweight, folding, portable armours for lower ranking samurai and foot soldiers (ashigaru) were also produced. These were called tatami armour, and some featured collapsible tatami kabuto (also called choshin kabuto), made from articulated lames. Tatami kabuto did not use rivets in their construction; instead, lacing or chain mail was used to connect the pieces to each other.

Kaji kabuto were a type of helmet worn by samurai firemen.

Jingasa were war hats made in a variety of shapes, worn by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and samurai, which could be made from leather or metal.

During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design of three or four plates, lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in harikake (papier mâché mixed with lacquer over a wooden armature), though some were constructed entirely of iron. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarves, Ichi no Tani canyon, and axe heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel.