Egawa no Okegawa Do Gashira

Egawa no Okegawa Dō is a Gashira Class Dō (chest armor) crafted after the ni-mai (2 piece chest) style which was popular in the late 1400s to early 1500s.  This Dō features egawa (or an artisan style of printed leather) on the upper plates (Muna ita / Oshitsuke ita / Waka ita) which we offer in several styles. Choose from either white or Fusube Gawa (smoked brown) leather style.  

This style of Dō also has the optional fukurin (applied, decorative metal trim) along the edge of the plates for extra embellishment. This Gashira Class gendai okegawa yokohagi Dō  is a “tube sided” horizontal plated, two-piece chest design, and joined together with a hinge, making it a “clam shell” style of armor.  This style of Dō has horizontal, overlapping plates that are riveted together. This technique creates an incredibly strong, shock absorbing, layered chest-plate, which was more economical, comfortable, low maintenance and more reliable in battle than any previous designs.  This is why the Okegawa yoroi had become the most common style of armor used by all levels of samurai and their ashigaru during the 16 century.   The full name for this traditional Dō is: “Egawa no Yokohagi Okegawa Gendai Ni-Mai-Dō “.

The Dō features a traditional pin hinge under the left armpit, which can be removed, to make a simple ni-mai-Dō  to accommodate those with a larger or smaller chests.  The ita-mono style of construction utilizes some spot welding to strengthen the design for safety & maintenance reasons.  It also comes with a removable Tate-Eri (shoulder padding with kikko plating), for added comfort and protection.

Features:  Traditional design. Gashira Class.

• Full sized and fully functional.
• Various paint, cotton odoshi, accessory, customization and sizing options available.
• Optional kawa koshi tsuke (removable gasen / kusazuri).
• Removable Tate-Eri.

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CHEST MONS: This Samurai Do can be ordered with a Mon painted onto the front plate. For an extra fee, you can select one from our list of Standard Mon’s, or have your own Crest applied for an additional fee.

To have your own Mon painted: #1:  Select the “Custom Mon” option. #2: Complete the purchase through our Shopping Cart. #3: Send a high quality image of the Mon / Logo to the confirmation email you receive from us.

Note: we hand-paint these Mon’s, and they can only be simple “Clip-Art” style designs in a single color. If you would like a Mon but select a “Suna” type paint color, your Mon image may turn out blurry due to the paint texture.)

Ordering Tips:Iron Mountain Armory recommends that you order one size larger AND, in most cases we suggest one size shorter than the size required, it is better to err on the small side than over-sized. The armor is close fitting.  It can close into itself if too big, or be a little uncomfortable if fitted too tall. If you’re planning on wearing a yoroi hitatare or a kikko gane Dō under the armor, we suggest adding 10 cm to your chest size when ordering.  The Okegawa-Do features a pin hinge under the left armpit, which can be removed and a cord attached to make it a traditional Ni-Mai style Do.

To have your own Mon painted: #1:  Select the “Custom Mon” option. #2: Complete the purchase through our Shopping Cart. #3: Send a high quality image of the Mon / Logo to the confirmation email you receive from us.

Note: we handpaint these Mon’s, and they can only be simple “Clip-Art” style designs in a single color. If you would like a Mon but select a “Suna” type paint color, your Mon image may turn out blurry due to the paint texture.)

To see the class differences, please view Kachi Vs. Gashira.

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References:  “Samurai Armour: Volume I: The Japanese Cuirass” by Trevor Absolon  /  “Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868″ by Kazutoshi Harada, Metropolitan Museum of Art