Belly warmer - belly warmer

A style of medieval Japanese armor. However, the belly warmers described in medieval records and war tales were of the right-side split style. Later, confusion arose over the name, and the name was changed to armor with a split back (sewari) that was previously called domaru, and the right-side split style came to be called domaru, and the back split style came to be called belly warmers. Therefore, the belly warmers discussed in this article refer to armor with a split back style, following the current designation. Belly warmers appeared later than oyoroi and domaru. It is assumed to have originated around the end of the Kamakura period because it does not appear in old paintings such as the Heiji Monogatari Emaki, it appears in descriptions in the Shosho Gofumu Gosho, said to have been written in 1276, the Jukaizu, Raigoji Temple, Shiga Prefecture, and the Shui Kotokuden, Jofukuji Temple, Ibaraki Prefecture, and there are no remains from before the Kamakura period. It is light and highly functional, with a backrest that allows for gaps. In principle, it does not have a helmet or sleeves, and the stand-up is made up of two sections on the front and back, and four sections on the long side, but the pressing board is divided into two pieces on the left and right because of the split back. The shoulder straps are long and thin, made of leather, commonly called vine shoulder straps, and do not have the apricot leaves seen on the domaru. The kusazuri (striped skirt) is one ken less than the domaru and is generally seven ken long, with a five-step sagage being the norm. However, the long side of the tsutsumi belly wrap is often three steps long and has five ken kusazuri, and in later versions, nine or eleven ken kusazuri are also seen.

Early belly wraps were generally crudely made and were worn mainly by foot soldiers who fought with striking weapons such as spears and naginata. In addition, wrapped belly wraps were made of Iyo-zane or furukozane wrapped in leather or cloth. These generally have a torso made of Iyo-zane and furukozane with furukozane on the skirting, wrapped in black leather, smoked leather, twill, etc., and decorated with diamond stitching. In the "Twelve Emaki Scrolls," they are depicted as clothing for foot soldiers, and relics include a leather wrapper at Kongo-ji Temple in Osaka Prefecture and a twill wrapper at Hyozu Taisha Shrine in Shiga Prefecture. In the latter part of the Muromachi period, when katachi-dachi (standing on one foot) combat became more popular, the lightness of the haramaki (belly warmer) met the demands and preferences of high-ranking samurai, and it was used to complete the helmet and sleeves. Combined with the use of moriage honkozane (raised small metal plates) and decorative metal fittings, the construction became similar to that of a domaru, and it became an elaborate, beautiful, and elegant item suitable for the wearer of a general. The helmet that was attached to this was a suji helmet, and the high-ranking samurai were prized for their unique shape of a fully covered suji helmet called akodanari. The shikoro was mainly a three-paneled hat, and was often used in various dignified ways. In addition to the o-sode (large sleeves), tsubo-sode (small sleeves) with tapered hems, which were advantageous for katachi-dachi (battle combat), and occasionally wide-sode (wide sleeves) were added.

Thus, the belly warmer reached its height in the late Muromachi period, but as battles became increasingly close and more hand-to-hand, a back plate was devised to close the gaps at the back. The back plate was also called a cowardly plate, as the warrior style considered it shameful to turn one's back to the enemy. In response to increased demand and consumption, simpler versions of the belly warmer, called Mogami belly warmer and Kana belly warmer, appeared, made of iron plates with plain armor. However, the belly warmer fell into decline during the great transformation of armor from the end of the Muromachi period to the beginning of the early modern period, and Tosei Gusoku came into being. A relatively large number of belly warmer remains remain. There are many excellent examples in old shrines and temples such as Kongoji Temple in Osaka Prefecture, Oyamazumi Shrine in Ehime Prefecture, and Taisanji Temple in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as in private collections. The manner in which the garments were worn can be seen from the detailed descriptions in the aforementioned "Twelve Emaki Scrolls," "Illustrated Tales of the Long Autumn Nights," "Illustrated Tales of the Battle of Yuki," and the "Portrait of Dainagon Saito Masayoshi" owned by Joon-ji Temple in Gifu Prefecture.

[Motoo Yamagishi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本の中世甲冑(かっちゅう)の一様式。ただし中世の諸記録や軍記物語などに記述されている腹巻は、右引合せ様式の甲冑であった。のちに名称に混乱がおこり、胴丸(どうまる)ととなえられていた背面を引合せ（背割(せわ)り）とする甲冑と名称が交替し、右引合せ様式を胴丸、背面引合せ様式を腹巻と称するに至った。よって、本項で述べる腹巻は現在の呼称に従い背面引合せ様式の甲冑をさす。腹巻は、大鎧(おおよろい)、胴丸より遅れて出現した。『平治(へいじ)物語絵巻』などの古画にみえないこと、建治(けんじ)2年（1276）の著といわれる『種々御振舞御書』の記事や、滋賀県来迎(らいごう)寺所蔵『十界図』、茨城県常福寺所蔵『拾遺古徳伝』などの描写にみえること、鎌倉時代以前の遺物のないことなどから、鎌倉末期ごろの発生と推測される。軽快で機能性に優れ、引合せを背面に設け、しかもすきまのできることを特色とする。原則として兜(かぶと)と袖(そで)を具さず、立挙(たてあげ)は前後とも二段、長側(ながかわ)四段に構成するが、背割りのため押付板(おしつけいた)は左右の2枚に分かれる。肩上(わたがみ)は革製の細長い、俗に蔓(つる)肩上とよばれるもので、胴丸にみる杏葉の設けはない。草摺(くさずり)は胴丸より一間少なく七間を原則とし、五段下がりを普通とする。ただし、包(つつみ)腹巻には長側三段、草摺五間が多く、時代の下ったものには、九間、十一間の草摺もみられる。

　初期の腹巻は一般に粗製で、おもに槍(やり)、長刀(なぎなた)などの打物(うちもの)をとって戦った徒(かち)の下卒に着用された。また、伊予札(いよざね)や古小札(ふるこざね)を韋(かわ)や布帛(ふはく)で包んだ包腹巻もつくられた。これは一般に胴を伊予札でつくり、草摺に古小札を用い、黒韋、燻(ふすべ)韋、綾(あや)などで包み菱綴(ひしとじ)を施した。『十二類絵巻』には下卒の料として描かれ、遺物は韋包みが大阪府金剛(こんごう)寺、綾包みが滋賀県兵主(ひょうず)大社に伝来する。室町時代の後期、徒立(かちだち)の打物戦がいっそう盛んになると、腹巻の軽快性が上級武士の要求と好みにかなって用いられることとなり、兜と袖が具され、盛上本小札(もりあげほんこざね)や飾り金物などの使用と相まって、その製作は胴丸に近似し、将帥の着用にも堪える精巧美麗、かつ品位の高いものとなった。これに具した兜は筋(すじ)兜で、上級武士には阿古陀形(あこだなり)という特異な形状の総覆輪筋兜が賞用された。(しころ)はおもに三枚下がりの笠(かさ)で、色々威(いろいろおどし)が多く行われた。袖は大袖のほか、打物戦に有利な裾(すそ)つぼまりの壺(つぼ)袖や、まれに広袖が添えられた。

　かくて、腹巻は室町後期に全盛を極めたのであるが、戦闘がしだいに接近しての白兵戦的様相を呈するに及び、背面にできるすきまをふさぐための背板(せいた)が考案された。背板は、敵に背を向けることを卑しむ士風から臆病(おくびょう)板ともよばれた。また、需要と消耗の増大に応じて、鉄板札素懸威(てついたざねすがけおどし)の簡略な最上(もがみ)腹巻、金(かな)腹巻と称するものが現れた。しかし、腹巻は室町末期から近世初めにかけての甲冑の大変革期に衰退して、当世具足の成立をみることとなった。腹巻の遺物は比較的多く残る。大阪府金剛寺、愛媛県大山祇(おおやまづみ)神社、兵庫県太山寺(たいさんじ)などの古社寺のほか、個人の所蔵品にも多数の優品がある。着装のようすは、前記『十二類絵巻』『秋夜長物語絵詞』『結城(ゆうき)合戦絵詞』および岐阜県浄音(じょうおん)寺所蔵「斎藤大納言正義(まさよし)画像」の詳細な表現によってうかがわれる。

［山岸素夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例