Samurai Shin Guard

Left, splint-style, samurai shin guard (shino-zuneate or shino-suneate), one of a pair. The base of the shin guard is of blue silk with gold brocade in a complex geometric and flower pattern. The cloth is edged with blue leather. 13 vertical, slightly curved, iron splints (shino) are painted with brown lacquer and sewn to the cloth. The six inner splints are half-length to account for an unarmored panel (abumi-zure). The abumi-zure is a square of gold-painted leather attached to the lower, inner section of the shin guard to prevent abrasion to and from the stirrups. Seven narrow, horizontal bands of mail (kusari) connect the splints to one another. The entire shin guard is edged with a trim (fusegumi) of decorative white, black and green thread sewn in a herringbone pattern.

At the upper edge of the shin guard, three overlapping panels of brigandine (tateage) protect the knee. Hexagonal iron plates (kikko) are sandwiched between layers of fabric with a top layer of blue cloth. Orange thread sewn through the kikko creates a pattern of orange squares where the armor plates sit. Green thread is then sewn around the kikko to create a visible honeycomb pattern. Two long, purple, cloth ties are attached to the splints with blue cloth at the top and bottom and serve to tie the shin guard behind the leg. The ties themselves are blue but in poor condition so a purple mesh has been sewn around them for protection. The reverse is of undecorated blue cloth.