---
node: garment_jinbaori
type: garment
slug: jinbaori
title: "Jinbaori"
lead: "The jinbaori is a sleeveless surcoat that samurai wore over their armor from the Sengoku era. Often made of imported wool and boldly decorated, it announced a warrior's rank and taste on the battlefield."
published: 2026-08-09
updated: 2026-08-09
image_file: jinbaori.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surcoat_(Jinbaori)_MET_DP701231.jpg"
image_author: "The Metropolitan Museum of Art"
image_license: "CC0"
---

## Overview

A jinbaori is a short, open, usually sleeveless coat put on over a suit of armor. Practical against wind and rain, it was above all a display piece, and surviving examples use imported wool, velvet, and gold to striking effect.

## How it is worn

It was slipped over the armor and left open or fastened at the chest, its back panel offering a large field for a commander's crest or a bold device. Generals used dramatic shapes and colors to be recognized amid battle and to project authority.

## History

The jinbaori flourished in the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods, when contact with European traders brought wool and new dyes into elite dress. In the peace of the Edo period it lost its battlefield use and became a formal and ceremonial garment for the samurai class.