Simply beautiful and thank you for posting it here.
I have to think that in Japanese armor the epitome of intimidation was reached in the civilized world, with the unfortunate person facing the Samuri almost certain to think we was being approached by a demon or even death itself, whle a trend along these lines can also be seen in some Indonesian armors/war coats as well.
I am often fascinated by the fact that the katana, often touted as the "ultimate sword" (at least by afficianadoes) was accompanied by laquered wooden and laminate armor, as opposed to the heavy plate armor of the west, with mobility obviously considered at least as important as protection.
The armor in Japan, by the way, remained in use longer because their isolationism kept the firearm from having an effect far longer than in the west.
Simply beautiful.
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