Men-yoroi
{{Short description|Facial armour worn by Japanese samurai}}
{{redirect|Mengu|the Burmese village|Meng-u|the emperor known as Mengu|Möngke Khan|the Turkish name|Mengü}}
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{{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}
File:Face Guard (Shirohige Ressei-menpo).jpg. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.]]
{{nihongo|Men-yoroi|面鎧}}, also called {{nihongo|menpō|面頬}} or {{nihongo|mengu|面具}},[https://books.google.com/books?id=csUrAAAAYAAJ&q=men-gu+armor Arms and armor of the samurai: the history of weaponry in ancient Japan], Authors Ian Bottomley, Anthony Hopson, Contributor Anthony Hopson, reprint, Publisher Crescent Books, 1993, Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized August 26, 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-517-10318-0}} P.77,178, 186[https://books.google.com/books?id=8APyY3eIONcC&dq=mengu+armour&pg=P234 The Watanabe Art Museum Samurai Armour Collection (Kabuto & Mengu, Volume I] Trevor Absolon (Author), Brian Snoody (Illustrator), Barry Till (Preface), Anthony J. Bryant (Editor), Trevor Absolon & Dave thatcher (Photographer), Ian Bottomley (Introduction), Ian Bottomley & Anthony J. Bryant (Foreword) Publisher(Toraba), 2011 P.234[https://books.google.com/books?id=IQ3FAZG94ZsC&dq=mengu+armour&pg=PA138 Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior], Author Clive Sinclaire, ,Publisher Globe Pequot, 2004, {{ISBN|978-1-59228-720-8}} P.30,138 are various types of facial armour that were worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. These include the sōmen, menpō, hanbō or hanpō, and happuri.
Description
The men-yoroi, which covered all or part of the face, provided a way to secure the top-heavy kabuto (helmet). The Shinobi-no-o (chin cord) of the kabuto would be tied under the chin.[https://books.google.com/books?id=TPw7m2qrRloC&dq=menpo&pg=PA28 Samurai 1550-1600], Anthony J. Bryant, Angus McBride, Osprey Publishing, 1994 p.28 Small hooks called ori-kugi or posts called odome located on various places would help secure the chin cord. The men-yoroi was constructed from iron, leather, or a combination of both. It had a lacquered or rusted type of finish and included a variety of facial details, such as a moustache, fierce teeth and a detachable nose.[https://books.google.com/books?id=IQ3FAZG94ZsC&dq=mengu+armour&pg=PA138 Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior], Author Clive Sinclaire, Publisher Globe Pequot, 2004, {{ISBN|978-1-59228-720-8}} P.30,138he Watanabe Art Museum Samurai Armour Collection (Kabuto & Mengu, Volume I) Trevor Absolon (Author), Brian Snoody (Illustrator), Barry Till (Preface), Anthony J. Bryant (Editor), Trevor Absolon & Dave thatcher (Photographer), Ian Bottomley (Introduction), Ian Bottomley & Anthony J. Bryant (Foreword) Publisher(Toraba), 2011 P.234] With the exception of the happuri, a men-yoroi had a small hole underneath the chin for sweat drainage.
History
Face armour in Japan begins with the happuri, which is depicted in Heian- and Kamakura-era yamato-e paintings{{ref|a}} and is thought to have appeared during the 10th or 11th centuries.[https://books.google.com/books?id=BaDMDAAAQBAJ Oriental Armour] Robinson, H. R. United States: Dover Publications. 2013 pp. 194 It is depicted as being worn with or without a helmet by both mounted warriors and foot retainers. By the 14th century, the hōate appears, and according to Tom Conlan,[https://books.google.com/books?id=piJ1AAAAMAAJ&q=state%20of%20war%20conlan State of war : the violent order of fourteenth century Japan] Thomas Conlan. United States: Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2003 pp. 65 this development is behind decreased facial wound statistics. However, others, such as Yamagishi Sumio, believe that the hōate was not widespread at that time,[https://books.google.com/books?id=xPInAAAACAAJ Nihon Kachu no Kisoteki Chishiki] Yamagishi, M., Miyazaki, M. Japan: 雄山閣. 1997 pp. 118-20 as it—and the later menpō—restricted the vision of the wearer. Hōate are also portrayed in art and literature of the period, most notably the Aki no yo no Nagamonogatari scroll{{cite web |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/65122 |title= Unidentified artist | A Long Tale for an Autumn Night (Aki no yo nagamonogatari) | Japan | Muromachi period (1392–1573)|website=www.metmuseum.org |access-date=August 2, 2021}}{{title missing|date=May 2022}} and Taiheiki. The menpō (half-mask with detachable nosepiece) and the sōmen (full face mask) are believed to have been introduced around the mid to late 15th century, and the hanbō (chin guard) in the second half of the 16th century.
Types of ''men-yoroi''
=''Sōmen''=
Sōmen covered the entire face.
File:Somen, Japanese (samurai) full facial armour 1.jpg
File:MAP Expo Somen Muneakira 02 01 2012.jpg
File:MAP Expo Somen Edo 01 01 2012.jpg
File:MAP Expo Somen 02 01 2012.jpg
=''Menpō''=
Menpō covered the face from the nose down to the chin.
File:Menpo 2.JPG
File:Antique Japanese (samurai) menpo 2.jpg
File:Menpo 3.JPG
File:Menpo 6.JPG
=''Hanbō'' (''hanpō'')=
Hanbō covered the lower face from under the nose to the chin.
File:Japanese neck guard SF Asian Art Museum.JPG
File:Kusari menpo.JPG
File:Menpo hanpo.JPG
=''Happuri''=
Happuri covered the forehead and cheeks.
File:Happuri.JPG
File:Happuri 1.JPG
=Parts of the ''men-yoroi''=
File:Odome.JPG|Odome, an attachment post for securing the chin strap of a kabuto (helmet)
File:Ori-kugi.JPG|Ori-kugi, an attachment hook for securing the chin strap of a kabuto (helmet)
File:Ase nagashi no ana (menpo drain hole).JPG|Ase nagashi no ana, a drain hole (or tube) for perspiration located under the chin of various mengu
File:Yodare-kake 3.JPG|Yodare-kake, throat guard on various mengu
See also
Notes
:1.{{note|a}}See http://digital.princeton.edu/heijiscroll/ or Heiji monogatari.
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
{{Commons category|Mengu (facial armour)}}
- [http://www.artsofthesamurai.com/ Samurai Arms and Armor]
- [http://www.sengokudaimyo.com Anthony Bryant's online Japanese armour manual]
{{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment}}