Korean armour

A cheonwang (Heavenly King) in lamellar armour, Silla, 8th c.

Korean armour was mainly dedicated to protect against missiles, since the mountainous terrain made field battles either rare or very hazardous in comparison to many other countries; generally for historical Koreanic countries, the defense or the taking of fortifications was the typical way of warfare.

The earliest variants of armour used by Proto-Koreanic tribes appeared during the Bronze Age and were likely made of animal skins, bone or wood. The earliest findings of iron armour were from Gaya and Goguryeo, while bone armour could be found in Baekje.[1]

Metallic armour was relatively widespread during the Three Kingdoms period due to constant warfare, but its usage declined once Korea was unified and Japanese pirates or steppe nomads became the main concerns. Following the collapse of United Silla in the 10th century and its takeover by Goryeo, the warfare style more common type to the Central and Northern parts of Korea along with the use of lighter armours took over. This resulted in the general abandonment of the heavy armours typically used by the southern states.

The first known use of iron plate mail in Korea was used by the Gaya Confederacy between 42 and 562 AD. A large number of iron and steel artifacts, including iron armour, iron horse armour such as helmets and bits, and smaller iron ingots (often used as money), have been found in the Daeseong-dong tombs in Gimhae. Gimhae (김해, 金海) literally means "Sea of Iron", as if the city's name symbolizes the abundance of iron in the area. Surviving examples are currently on display at the Gimhae National Museum in South Korea.[2]

Korean warfare was often based on harsh terrain and the firepower imposed on the enemy from high ground usually in the form of composite bows and later gunpowder weapons, while cavalry superiority was favored against the constant Jurchen raids during the Joseon dynasty. Fighting against the much more numerous forces of China and Japan, Koreans favored mobility and ranged tactics which limited the reliance upon vastly armoured units despite a strong inclusion of melee training.

During later periods, Korean armour also included forms of brigandine, chain mail, and scale armour. Due to the cost of iron and steel equipment that were often too high for peasant conscripts, helmets were not always full steel and stiffened leather caps were not uncommon.

Korean armour pieces, from top to bottom, typically consisted of a helmet or a cap, a heavy main armour coat with pauldrons or shoulder and underarm protection, leg coverings (supplemented by the skirting from the main coat), groin protection, and limb protection. In terms of armament, Korean militaries employed heavy infantry equipped with swords or spears along with shields, pikemen, archers, crossbowmen, and versatile heavy cavalry capable of horse archery. Korean naval warfare saw large deployments of heavy wooden shields as a means of protecting personnel on the top decks of Korean ships.

After the rise of the Joseon Dynasty, Korean combat armour saw change once from mainly using chainmail, plated mail and lamellar to mostly brigandine. By the time of the Mid-Joseon Dynasty, provincial troops were equipped with padded armour while the central units could afford metal-made armour.

Korean armour during the Korean Three Kingdoms Period consisted of two major styles: the 'Chalgap' lamellar armour similar to the ones used by the equestrian steppe nomads and Sinitic empires to the west and plate armour, found in the Gaya Confederation and Silla. The lamellar often consisted of bronze, iron, bone, or stiffened leather; plates were always of iron, steel, or bronze.[1] The best-preserved armours from the three kingdoms period originate almost exclusively from the Gaya confederacy. The armour from Gaya is the best example of plate armour from ancient times, rivaling those of the Mediterranean basin from the same period. These Gaya-style plate armours are categorized into three types- one is made by joining vertical steel bands to form a single plate, another by joining horizontal bars, and the other by putting small triangular steel pieces together. The first type is found in Gaya and Silla, while most examples for the other two are located in Gaya, and some have been found in northern Baekje. Similar styles have also been found in Kyushu and Honshu, Japan.

Goguryeo armour was primarily of lamellar armour, made of small steel plates woven together with a cord. Ancient tombs of the Jjoksaem District of Hwango-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, uncovered the first example in 2009. Goguryeo murals found in North Korea also shed light on what Goguryeo's armour looked like.

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  Goguryeo soldier
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  Korean armour from Goguryeo, worn by cavalry
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  Gaya horse armour
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  Shilla plate armour
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  Gaya armour
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  Gaya armour
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  Gaya armour and helmet (5th century)
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  Gaya confederacy armour
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  Gaya helmet

During the Goryeo-era, a unique type of armour, called Durumagi (

Hangul: 두루마기, Hanja: 逢掖) emerged as the main armour for the Korean armies up until the early Joseon period in the 15th century. The opponents of Goryeo weren't heavily armoured soldiers of other Koreanic states anymore. The trend shifted towards armour that made units mobile and responsive to a conflict with nomadic Mongolic or semi-nomadic and sedentary Tungusic tribes to the North. The Durumagi is a simple overcoat or robe with scale armour inside forming dots on the outside. Commonly these scales are made from leather, or iron, but some of them are shaped like leaves or coated with mercury or black lacquer.[3]

It is suggested that during a period of rule under the Mongol Empire, Korea (then under the late Goryeo Dynasty) began to see a number of changes to its military. Japanese paintings of Korean/Mongol warriors during the two Mongol invasions of Japan (1274 and 1281 AD) show the invasion forces made up largely of Mongols, Korean naval infantry, Tungusic allies and Chinese conscripts with shields and Mongol-style armour elements. The shields do not appear to have lasted as an influence, but examples of Joseon-era Korean armour often show adoptive influences from the Mongol period, such as the helmet with the wide brim.

General Chonji wore the gyeongbeongap (경번갑/鏡幡甲).

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  Helmet presumably from the Goryeo Dynasty.
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  A Goryeo Soldier wearing a durumagi.
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  Chain Mail and helmet.
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  Mail shirt with metal plates attached, Goryeo, 14th c.
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  Mail and plate armour and helmet.

Armour from the Joseon dynasty can be classified into roughly two time periods, the early dynasty (c.15~16th centuries) and the late dynasty (c. 17th~19th centuries). The exact transition point from the early to late dynasty armour remains unresolved. Still, it appears to be around the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) and the Manchu invasion of Korea, the two and only total wars that Korea faced during the Joseon Dynasty. Throughout both periods, however, padded armour (eomshimgap,

Hangul: 엄심갑, Hanja: 掩心甲) was popular among the common soldiers, as Joseon required peasant conscripts to provide their equipment and the armour offered body protection at a low price. Sets of leather armour are called Pigabju. Metallic armour was largely seen within units stationed in the capital, which formed the main striking power of the Joseon land forces.[4]

In the early dynasty, the Joseon Army and Navy wore chain mail and plate armour from the late Goryeo dynasty. In contrast, lamellar armour, the traditional form of Korean armour, also persisted with some influences from the Mongols received during the 13~14th centuries. A complete metallic armour set was composed of a helmet bearing much resemblance with regards to European kettle hats with attached neck defenses of mail or lamellar, a body armour reaching down to the thighs or knees, and a set of shoulder guards which protected the upper arm as well.

In the late dynasty, brigandine or Dujeong-gaps became the primary Korean armour and often reached below the knees when worn, and the helmet assumed a conical shape. The elite soldiers wore the brigandine with metal plates, the Pengbaesu, and the cavalry, the Gabsa, while peasant soldiers wore them with leather plates. The rest did not change much as the dynasty did not experience any war after the Manchu invasions. In the mid-19th century, however, there was an attempt to develop anti-ballistic armour called Myeonje baegab. It was made by sewing sheets of textiles and cotton and combining them into a thick vest to respond to the overwhelming firepower of rifles fielded by Western powers such as France and the United States. Although this attempt was partially in line with the current method of producing anti-ballistic vests, it does not appear to have proved effective.

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  Helmet, Joseon, 17th-18th c.
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  Helmet, Joseon, 16th-19th c.
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  Lamellar armour of Joseon
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  Brigandine armour, Joseon
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  Helmet, Joseon
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  Armour displayed at the Battle of Danghangpo memorial site.
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  Sets of armour worn by peasant conscripts

• Korean sword
• Korean knife
• Korean martial arts
• Plated mail - armours similar to Gyeongbeon-gap (경번갑/鏡幡甲)

• Silk Road Designs Armoury --Brigandine
• Silk Road Designs Armoury --Armours of Scales
• Armour from Goryeo Dynasty
• Iron Armour
• about Korean plated mail (lang. Korean)
  • 몽고습래회사(蒙古襲來繪詞)^[Usurped!]
  • 정지(鄭地1347~1391)장군 경번갑(鏡幡甲)^[Usurped!]