Chapter 47 Section 6 Military Uniforms

There are two types of military clothing in the Ming Dynasty: one is the armor, battle coat, battle clothes or battle robes worn by soldiers; the other is the clothing worn by guards of honor and guards of honor.The body armor of soldiers in the Ming Dynasty included iron helmets, body armor, covering arms, lower skirts and guard feet.It is roughly similar to Song and Yuan, but more advanced, and most of them are made of steel.During the grand ceremonies such as court celebrations, guards wear phoenix-winged helmets and chain mail, Jinyiwei generals wear gold armor, other generals have red helmets and gold armor, red leather helmets, gold armor and silver armor, etc., and hang gold medals , hold bows and arrows, sabers, gourds, forks, guns, etc.This weapon is more decorative.The battle jackets in the early Ming Dynasty were made for border guards. They were made of thick linen. All the flag bearers, guards, and wrestlers wore red looped [pan] jackets, and the rest of the guards wore looped jackets of other colors.The looped jacket is knee-length, cross-collared, and has narrow sleeves. In winter, it is filled with cotton and has loops. It is a military uniform to keep out the cold. Red, purple, blue, and yellow are used to distinguish troops.Some have two colors on the outside and inside, which are easy for soldiers to change and wear, to represent the new military title, and are called mandarin duck battle jackets.The lower trousers have loops, which are called bare (衤八) trousers.In addition, there are hoods.The overcoat is a kind of double-breasted coat with a round neck, sleeveless or short sleeves, left and right slits to the waist, and the length of the garment varies from the waist or knees, with patterns of nails embroidered or painted on it.When wearing it, it is covered outside the robe and jacket, so it is called "cover armor".According to records: "The system of hooded armor is slightly longer than armor and shorter than draped jacket. It was created in Zhengdejian (1506-1521 A.D.) by Wuzong. Nearly scholar-bureaucrats have clothes" (Li Yi's "Jie'an Old Man Essays").But both soldiers and civilians are forbidden to wear purple flower armor.There is also a vest, which is shorter than the hood.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, soldiers and warriors wore large-sleeved civilian clothes and yellow cloth vests, which were called "uniforms".