Kusari (Japanese mail armour)

[2] Kusari was used in samurai armour at least from the time of the Mongol invasions of Japan (1270s) but particularly from the Nanboku-chō period (1336–1392).

Most common parts of samurai armour could be made with kusari as the main armour defence as well as many types of garments including jackets, hoods, gloves, vests, greaves, pauldrons, thigh guards, even kusari tabi socks.

According to George Cameron Stone, "Entire suits of mail were worn on occasions, sometimes under the ordinary clothing".

While large battles were a thing of the past, revolts, peasant uprisings, clan conflicts, individual duels, assassination attempts, and the like ensured that samurai still needed some kind of armour protection.

[4] Edo-period samurai police officers (machikata doshin) wore kusari garments for protection when making an arrest,[5] and Ian Bottomley in Arms and Armor of the Samurai: The History of Weaponry in Ancient Japan[6] shows a picture of kusari armour and mentions kusari katabira "chain jazerants" with detachable arms being worn by samurai police officials during the Edo period.

Its invention is credited to Fukushima Dembei Kunitaka, pupil, of Hojo Awa no Kami Ujifusa, but it is also said to be derived directly from foreign models.

Shikoro (neck guards) on kabuto (helmets) and hachigane (forehead protectors) could have kusari as defence.