UNDERPINNINGS: BASIC STEPS IN SELF DEFENSE

A COTTON BREECHCLOUT that extended up over the chest tvas the basic undergarment of a samurai's costume.

A SHORT-SLEEVED KIMONO. Or "armor robe," was tied snugly at the waist with a special knot (lower right).

A samurai's first duty was to die fighting for his lord. "If you think of saving your life," one legendary hero is supposed to have said, "you had better not go to war at all." Nevertheless, Japanese warriors still took the precaution of wearing elaborate, extremely effective armor in order to protect themselves from their opponents' swords.

The procedures for putting on the armor were complicated and timeconsuming. The first steps, shown here, consisted of donning a series of undergarments; a special loincloth, a kimono of fine linen or brocade, and baggy trousers. These layers of cloth acted as padding over which the armor itself was strapped.

A warrior's next defense was his skill at fighting, acquired through years of rigorous training designed to build strength of character as well as physical prowess. Future samurai were apprenticed to masters of archery and swordsmanship, who toughened their bodies and spirits with extended fasts and barefoot treks through the snow. These hardships were to be endured without complaint, for as a character in a Japanese epic explains, if a man is a samurai, "when his stomach is empty, it is a disgrace to feel hungry."

BILLOWING PANTALOONS, worn over the armor robe, fitted loosely in the legs to allow freedom of movement.