ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kusari (Japanese mail armour)

Hi there! Do you know what armour is? It's like a suit that people wear to protect themselves from getting hurt. Kusari (which is a Japanese word) is a type of armour that is made by connecting small metal rings together. Imagine a necklace made of lots of small rings, but much bigger and stronger!

Kusari was first used in Japan a very long time ago, when people were fighting with swords and other weapons. They would wear kusari as a way to protect themselves from getting cut or stabbed. The rings are very small, so they can move with your body and don't feel too heavy. The kusari pieces are connected together so they make a sort of shirt, with sleeves and a skirt that covers the legs.

There are different styles of kusari. Some have larger rings in certain areas, like the shoulders or chest, to give extra protection. Others might have different kinds of metal rings mixed together, like iron and brass or silver, to make them look fancy. Sometimes, people would even add decorations to their kusari, like silk or cotton thread woven through the rings in pretty patterns.

Does that all make sense? Basically, kusari is a special kind of armour that's made by lots of little metal rings connected together. It's like a mini-metal shirt that people wear to protect themselves from getting hurt in battle!