As a knitter and a weaver, I was so struck by how much handwork there was involving knotting, netting, and the interlacing of reeds, braided threads, slivers of metal, and leather in the making of the various armor plates covering the chest, back, top of the hips and arms. While relatively light to wear compared to the European armor forged in iron, it could still repel arrows (mostly) and sword thrusts. Anyone who has seen the final images of Kurosawa's Throne of Blood can never forget Toshiro Mifune as the Japanese MacBeth with twenty or more arrows dangling from the chest piece. These are close ups of that work -- exquisite in the dynamic designs and color choices. Every detail is a work of textile art combined with metal ornamentations, some of them in Sanskrit to call on the power of the Fudo, the God of War, for success. (All of these pieces were in an exhibit of Samurai armor at the Phoenix Art Museum.)
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
