Cuirass A cuirass ( ; , ) is a piece of armour , formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material , which covers the front of the torso . In a suit of armour this important piece was generally connected to a back piece and " cuirass " could refer to the complete torso - protecting armour . Description . The musculature of the male torso was idealized in Hellenistic and Roman times in form of the muscle cuirass or " heroic cuirass " ( in French the " cuirasse esthétique " ) sometimes further embellished with symbolic representation in relief , familiar in the Augustus of Prima Porta and other heroic representations in official Roman sculpture . As parts of the actual military equipment of classic antiquity , cuirasses and corslets of bronze and iron or some other rigid substance were habitually in use . While some special kind of secondary protection for the breast had been worn in earlier times by men - at - arms in addition to their mail hauberk s and their coats armed with splints and studs . It was not until the 14th century that a plate armour became an established part of medieval armour . History . The Roman Emperor Galba donned a cuirass just before he went to his death . Suetonius records in _ 12 Caesars _ , " Galba " that , " As he was offering sacrifice on the morning before he was killed , a soothsayer warned him again and again to look out for danger , since assassins were not far off . Not long after this he learned that Otho held possession of the Camp , and when several advised him to proceed thither as soon as possible — for they said that he could win the day by his presence and prestige — he decided to do no more than hold his present position and strengthen it by getting together a guard of the legionaries , who were encamped in many different quarters of the city . He did however put on a linen cuirass , though he openly declared that it would afford little protection against so many swords . " The latter portions of the 14th century saw the cuirass gradually come into general use in connection with plate armour for the limbs until , at the close of the century , mail was phased out amongst the nobles ( e . g . , knight s ) except in the camail of the bascinet and at the edge of the hauberk . The cuirass was almost universally worn covered throughout its lifespan as a form of armour . Thus , the globose form of the breast - armour of the Black Prince , in his effigy in Canterbury Cathedral , 1376 , intimates that a cuirass ( as well as a hauberk ) is to be considered to have been covered by the royalty - emblazoned jupon of the prince . The cuirass was always made long enough to rest on the hips . If it had been suspended by the shoulders , its weight would have likely exhausted ( and chafed ) its wearer . Early in the 15th century , plate armour , including the cuirass , began to be worn without any surcoat ; but in the concluding quarter of the century the short surcoat , with full short sleeves , known as the tabard , was in general use over the armour . While the surcoat was being phased out , small plates of various forms and sizes ( and not always made in pairs , i . e . , the plate for the sword - arm often being smaller and lighter than its the one for the off - hand ) were attached to the armour in front of the shoulders , to defend the otherwise vulnerable points where the plate defenses left a gap . About the middle of the century , the breastplate of the cuirass was made in two parts ; the lower adjusted to overlap the upper , held together with a strap or sliding rivet in order to add flexibility to the advantages plate armour had over mail . In the second half of the 15th century , the cuirass was occasionally superseded by the brigandine jacket , the medieval forerunner of the flak jacket . In essence , the brigandine jacket was constructed of metal plates sewn into a fabric jacket . The fabric was generally a rich material , and was lined throughout with overlapping scales of metal which were attached to the jacket by rivets , having their heads , like studs , visible on the outside . About 1550 , the breast - piece of the cuirass was characterized by a vertical central ridge , called the tapul , having near its center a projecting point . Somewhat later , the tapul was moved lower on the breast . Eventually , the profile of the plate began to resemble a pea pod and , as such , was referred to as the peascod cuirass . Corslets provided with both breast and back pieces were worn by foot - soldiers in the 17th century , while their mounted comrades were equipped in heavier and stronger cuirasses . These defenses continued in use longer than any other single piece of armour . Their use never altogether ceased and in modern armies mounted cuirassier s , armed as in earlier days with breast and back plates , have in some degree emulated the martial splendour of the body armour of the era of medieval chivalry . Both the French and German heavy cavalry wore cuirasses in parade leading up to World War I . In the early part of that conflict , they painted their cuirasses black and wore canvas protection covers over the neo - Roman style helmets . Some years after the Waterloo , certain historical cuirasses were taken from their repose in the Tower of London and adapted for service by the Life Guards and the Horse Guards . For parade purposes , the Prussian Gardes du Corps and other corps wore cuirasses of richly decorated leather . The Japanese Cuirass . Cuirasses were manufactured in Japan as early as the 4th century . " Tankō " , worn by foot soldiers and " keikō " , worn by horsemen were both pre - samurai types of early Japanese cuirass constructed from iron plates connected by leather thongs . During the Heian period ( 794 to 1185 ) the Japanese cuirass evolved into the more familiar style worn by the samurai known as the " dō or dou " . Japanese armourers started to use leather ( " nerigawa " ) as a material and lacquer to weather proof the armor parts . By the end of the Heian period the Japanese cuirass had arrived at the shape recognized as being distinctly samurai . Leather and or iron scales were used to construct samurai armours , with leather , and eventually silk lace ( " odoshi " ) used to connect the individual scales ( " kozane " ) . The introduction of firearms to Japan in 1543 soon led to a new type of cuirass being developed , solid iron plates replaced individual leather and iron scales as bullets replaced arrows and spears . The use of the samurai cuirass lasted until the 1860s when a national army using conventional uniforms was established . Samurai armour ( and cuirasses ) were last used in 1877 during the Satsuma rebellion .