Sode (shoulder armor), are rectangular plates which hang from the shoulder to the elbow, acting as “shoulder shields” for the samurai. The Sode design varied from period to period. It typically got smaller as the years progressed and as mounted combat became less common. Iron Mountain Armory has chosen to focus their reproductions on the most common styles:
O-Sode, are large, shield-like shoulder guards and were favored during the early years of the samurai, when fighting on horseback was the traditional form of combat. It was around mid Muromachi (~1450) when the samurai started fighting more on foot, that the sode shrank in size.
Chu-Sode are medium sized shoulder guards that allowed for more ease of movement when fighting on foot. These are the sode seen on many of our suits and are most common to samurai armor sets.
There are several variations of the Sode, despite these transformations, they were always in use and part of what gave samurai armor its distinctive appearance.
All our sode are crafted from rectangular steel plates, laced together with odoshi (lace) and backed by linen or leather. The sode attach to the sode kohaze (sode toggle) on the watagami (shoulder strap).
To learn more about the unique history and development of Sangu armor like the Sode, you can read more in our blog article “About Sangu and Sode Armor Parts.”
Features: Gashira Class Sode
- Traditional Design.
- Sold as a set.
- Optional paint color, odoshi, designs, plate styles and sizing.
| Our skilled katchû-shi (armorers) at the Iron Mountain Armory will need at least 1 to 2 weeks, depending on options selected, and other scheduled orders, for the custom handcrafting of this item. |
Sode Designs and Styles:
- 01A – Ita-Mono: Solid rectangular plates without design
- 01B – Ita-Mono: Solid plates with a wave pattern along the bottom plate
- 02A – Kiritsuke Kozane: Solid plates with simulated narrow scale plates
- 02B – Hon-Kozane: Narrow scale plates woven together for very flexible & durable armor
- 03 – Kiritsuke IyoZane: Solid plates with simulated wide scale plates
- 04A – O-Sode Ita-Mono: Large shield like design with solid plates and no simulated scales
- 04B – O-Sode Kiritsuke Kozane: Large shield like design with simulated narrow scale plates
| For more information, please review our Order Options Explained, Glossary Terms or FAQ Pages. You can also Contact Us directly. We are always happy to be of service. |
References: Secrets of the Samurai: The Martial Arts of Feudal Japan – By Oscar Ratti, Adele Westbrook
These just arrived yesterday in the mail two days earlier than expected and I could not be more happy with the finished product! A book by Trevor Absolon I recently purchased goes into some depth on the patterns of lacing used in ancient sets (I.e. 10th-14th century) of Yoroi and I have to say these o-sodé I purchased are wonderfully accurate! Quality you can feel and amazing history you can touch. 10/10 will buy again! (All the lacing patterns available on the o-sodé makes for a dangerous addiction)
Just got them, but my o-sode seem very well made.
These gashira class sode are well built, nicely finished and cleanly assembled. The overall quality is unmatched anywhere else in the yoroi market. Well done,as usual Iron Mountain.
Beautiful craftmanship
I have bought and used a full set of armor parts from helmet to shin guards and after having used them extensively for combat oriented larps here’s my review of the various parts of the armor.
For the Sode, it looks good, works good and maintains itself pretty well. I have slightly bent some of the metal over use but nothing too much. The cloth underneath the metal appears to be sewn together in some place and just glued in other. The glue appears to have very quickly disappeared while the sewing stays good.
Also the paint is still perfect after all this use so that’s great !