Great Ming Military

Introduction of brigandine to China It is generally accepted that Chinese armies adopted brigandine armour due to Mongol influence, althoug...

  This is a companion article to my Japanese armour Patreon post, exploring various lesser-known auxiliary armours of the Qing brigandine. ...

  This article is a continuation of my previous  armour comparison blog post , exploring various gaps and weakness of Japanese armour. The a...

Left: An unnamed commander or guard in Chinese-style "Cataphract" armour. Middle: Wu Dao Jiang Jun (五道將軍), one of the Chinese ...

UPDATED NOVEMBER 10, 2022 Left: An unnamed Ming Jin Yi Wei (錦衣衛, lit. 'Brocade-clad guard') in parade gear. Middle: Fu De (富德), ...

For most of China's history, lamellar armour and, to a much lesser extent, scale armour were the most widely used armour types in Chines...

Mail armour, from 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

Mian Jia (棉甲, cotton armour) Section of one of the pages of 'Rui Xi Xian Sheng Nian Pu (《瑞溪先生年譜》)', depicting a horseman wearing ...

Bamboo armour A Qing period bamboo hat helmet, probably used by the militia. (Source: Trocadero ) Ming army never made use of bamboo bo...

Qi Jia ( 緝 甲, lit. 'Quilted armour') and Zhi Bi Shou (紙臂手, paper armguard) Drawing of a Qi Jia, from 'Ji Xiao Xin Shu (《紀效新...

UPDATED DECEMBER 1, 2023, minor update OCTOBER 11, 2024 The Quan Tie Jia (全鐵甲, lit. ‘Full iron armour’) was an interesting and one-of-a-...

Pi Jia (皮甲, leather armour or hide armour) Pi Jia, from 'Wu Bei Yao Lue (《武備要略》)'.