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Bamboo Lamellar armour?
#1
Greetings,
wandering around a store the other day, I stopped and looked at what resembled some lamellar armour on a shelf .. (well, wouldn't you?)
When I pulled it out, it turned out to be place mats made from solid bamboo scales .... was there actually Eastern armour made from bamboo scales ?
regards
Arthes
Cristina
The Hoplite Association
[url:n2diviuq]http://www.hoplites.org[/url]
The enemy is less likely to get wind of an advance of cavalry, if the orders for march were passed from mouth to mouth rather than announced by voice of herald, or public notice. Xenophon
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#2
Quote:Greetings,
wandering around a store the other day, I stopped and looked at what resembled some lamellar armour on a shelf .. (well, wouldn't you?)
When I pulled it out, it turned out to be place mats made from solid bamboo scales .... was there actually Eastern armour made from bamboo scales ?
regards
Arthes

I believe Japan's and China's armor was made of black lacquered leather plates, but if you’re a peasant with a war waging on around you, I suppose you’d use anything you could get your hands on.
Steve
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#3
Agreed. It is a myth that the Japanese used bamboo armour, but that doesn't stop re-enactors from making it.
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
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#4
I saw a set of bamboo "armor" in a museum in Tokyo, when I was living in Yokohama, back in the 1960's. Maybe it wasn't used by Samurai, but it is not exactly a "myth". I don't know who used it, i just thought it was interesting. Of course, in Japan, all sorts of things are made from bamboo, from houses to food to protection from the elements, to shoes.... or at least they were, before the modern industrial age.....
Caius Fabius Maior
Charles Foxtrot
moderator, Roman Army Talk
link to the rules for posting
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#5
Hmmmmh.....any idea of the time periods involved....and would anything similar have been worn by the Steppes warriors...?
The 'scales' are about 1.5" by 1" and about a quarter inch thick, slightly curved and polished .....I had another look today...!
Being short of cash, I wondered if an acceptable looking, cheap set of armour could be made by modifying these 'mats' but wouldn't want to look out of 'place' :lol:
regards
Arthes
Cristina
The Hoplite Association
[url:n2diviuq]http://www.hoplites.org[/url]
The enemy is less likely to get wind of an advance of cavalry, if the orders for march were passed from mouth to mouth rather than announced by voice of herald, or public notice. Xenophon
-
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#6
A steppe nomad might well have worn armour of laquered hide lamellae, but bamboo is in short supply on the steppes Big Grin . The scales you describe sound a little too short to make plausible lamellae, though.
Felix Wang
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#7
Quote:Hmmmmh.....any idea of the time periods involved....and would anything similar have been worn by the Steppes warriors...?
The 'scales' are about 1.5" by 1" and about a quarter inch thick, slightly curved and polished .....I had another look today...!
Being short of cash, I wondered if an acceptable looking, cheap set of armour could be made by modifying these 'mats' but wouldn't want to look out of 'place' :lol:
regards
Arthes

Near the bottom are links talking about armor inlcuding lamellar.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/3505/
Steve
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#8
I've seen japanese bamboo armor, but it's made for kendo and other fencing sports where the weapons are bamboo as well.
Pecunia non olet
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#9
Yep, japanese yoroi was either lacquered water buffalo hide (almost 1/4 thick!), and/or metal "scales" which in some cases closely resembled segmentata girdle plates, except they were rivted together directly.

John is correct, the only areas that I know of bamboo being used is in kendo for the bogu, specifically areas of the body, and the shinai (practice sword).
____________________________________________________________
Magnus/Matt
Du Courage Viens La Verité

Legion: TBD
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#10
Indian police used banboo riot shields for a period. Not sure if they still do.
Indian and Malay forrest rangers used to wear some form of bamboo armor against leopard or tiger attacks in the mid 70s. Again not sure if they still do.
Kind regards.
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#11
Hey Stefanos, any chance of a pic of the Indian/Malay bamboo armour?
Author: Bronze Age Military Equipment, Pen & Sword Books
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#12
For the bamboo riot shield I will try to get some i-net pictures.
For the Malay rangers the same because I had seen only a few brief shots
in a documentary.
Kind regards
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