In 1368, the Ming Dynasty replaced the Yuan Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang established a feudal regime with a Han majority. Sadly, the Ming Dynasty was the last regime of Han ethnicity in ancient Chinese history. 276 years later, the Ming Dynasty did not escape the collapse of the dynasty.
While the Ming Dynasty no longer exists, it had left behind a fascinating and colorful history. Just to take the Ming armor as an example, there is no other dynasty that has been studied by as large a number of people as the Ming Dynasty.
Research on the history of the Ming Dynasty armor exposes the development of combat protective equipment. Ming Dynasty history enthusiasts will not only be able to learn from this history what kind of armor the Ming Army was equipped with, but also be able to glimpse into the dynasty. The gradual weakening of military power.
When the supply of armor for the underlying soldiers was insufficient, or even the quality of it was problematic, it was a sign that the economy of the Ming Dynasty had begun to a problem. So we can’t analyze the history of the Ming armor in isolation but have to make connections with economic and political history. In this way, you will be able to achieve a 1+1>2 learning effect.
Ming Armor and Warfare
Ming armor is closely related to the needs of combat. The protective properties of armor would change with the combat demands. Since the Ming was a dynasty in the transition from the cold weapons era to an era of mixing cold weapons and firearms, this led to the Ming armor style of Change.
In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, warfare was still based on the use of cold weapons. Therefore, the armor worn by soldiers was mainly lamellar armor. In close combat with the enemy, the lamellar armor could provide strong protection.
But as time passed, the types of weapons available to the Ming Dynasty army were multiplying. By the mid to late Ming Dynasty, gunpowder became a huge consumable material for warfare. After the widespread use of firearms in warfare, the armor of Ming soldiers shifted from lamellar armor to lightweight cloth armor and chain mail mainly. During Qi Jiguang‘s battle against the wokou, a large amount of cloth armor was used in the battle.
But that didn’t mean that those old-fashioned armor had lost their value. On the contrary, the Ming army’s cavalry was still equipped with thick and sturdy metal armor. Therefore, the type of armor the Ming army equipped was based on the needs of the battle. In addition, the protective type and aesthetics of the armor was closely linked to the rank. The higher the rank of the officer, the better the performance of their armor.
Armor of the Central and Local Armies
The Ming Dynasty’s military resources were limited, especially after its economic condition was in trouble. In fact, both when the Ming Dynasty was just born and when it was in decline, the treatment of the central and local armies was completely different. The difference in treatment only seemed so awkward when the Ming Dynasty was having economic problems.
What nature of army equipped with what type of armor was decided by the imperial court. Since the central army of the Ming Dynasty was responsible for protecting the capital of the Ming, these armies were always provided with the best armor.
The difference in treatment only seemed so awkward when the Ming Dynasty was having economic problems.
What nature of army equipped with what type of armor was decided by the imperial court. Since the central army of the Ming Dynasty was responsible for protecting the capital.
On the other hand, the local armies or those who were assembled temporarily from the localities did not receive any financial support from the central government. On the contrary, what armor the local armies were equipped with was entirely determined by the economic strength of the local area.
Take Qi Jiguang’s army for example, his army belonged to the local army. Therefore whether it was a general or an ordinary soldier, their armor was very ordinary. Ordinary soldiers could only get basic armor like cloth breastplate. Although the weaponry of Qi’s army was plain, they still defeated the Japanese invaders. Evidently, armor was not the deciding factor in winning a battle either.
The Manufacturer of Ming Armor
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the dynasty did not have an institution dedicated to the manufacture of combat equipment. At that time, the supply of armor and other equipment for the army was managed by the institution responsible for minting coins.
It was only in 1380 that the Ming court set up two institutions, the Military Weapons, and the Bridle and Saddle, which were responsible for the manufacture of Ming army weapons and equipment. When the Yongle Emperor gained the throne, these two institutions were moved to Beijing. Afterward, the Bureau of Bridle and Saddle was merged into the Bureau of Military Weapons.
In 1427, the Bureau of Military Weapons added two departments, respectively, the Armor Factory, which was responsible for the manufacture of armor, and the Wang Gong Factory, which was responsible for the manufacture of gunpowder.
The Armor Factory was located in the southeast corner of the Ming capital while the Wang Gong Factory was located in the southwest corner of Beijing. It is noteworthy that after the explosion of the Wang Gong Factory it was rebuilt and renamed An Min Factory on the north side of Xizhimen Street in Beijing. Since then, these two factories became the two most important factories for manufacturing military weapons in the Ming Dynasty.
In Conclusion
In addition to the armor commonly used for combat, the Ming Dynasty also had a kind of armor used for ceremonial performances. Compared to combat armor emphasis on protective performance, ceremonial armor is much more beautiful.
But this kind of ceremonial armor of the Ming army rarely appeared. Only when the dynasty was holding a major event such as a military parade, these armors would appear.
