The Armour Archive

I'm currently working on an aluminum breast and back, and I have run into a question I never even thought about. When breast and back meet at your sides, should they just meet? Overlap? Or what?

With most plate suits the back goes inside of the breast. Even those with a hinge on one side tends to have the other side back under front also.

Hope this helps.

For European armor. Japanese armor overlaps back on top of front.

Remember to take the overlap into account when you attach straps. I have a gorget which gaps because I didn't remember that. Basically, offset them away from the edge.

Indeed, think of the rationale for why. A knight facing you is presenting a target. He logically wants to maximize all glancing surfaces; thus in reverse, a backplate over a breastplate could concievably catch a weapon. Some swords were flexible enough that they could, again concievably push through by curving and while probably not causing life threatening stab wound...would hurt like hell, presuming no mail existed. This potential gap could also allow for a prying action, but Im less included to believe a conscious plated man would....heh, stand for it. Either way, the front over back technology is reflected in greaves, legs, etc. So too are shoulder caps over lames. Try to think about how and where the weapon COULD go, within reason. Occularia is that kind of exception.

I understand the logic of the back under the front, but then why would the Japanese stuff overlap the opposite way? I know little of japanese fighting styles but it would seem that thrusting would come into play at some point. Though I do admit that most Japanese armour that I've seen doesn't go for glancing surfaces in the way that say 15th and early 16th cent Euro stuff does.

I'd assume it was a holdover from the o-yoroi where the right side was completely seperate. The left side was more important to defend, as it was facing the enemy when you used a two handed sword or a bow.

That's pure conjecture, ask Effingham.