Kote

Japanese: 籠手 (kote)

Kote are a piece of Japanese armor which protects the lower arm.

Prior to the 12th century or so, warriors typically wore protection only on their left forearm, protecting it from the warrior's own bowstring. This left the right arm more unencumbered, and freer to nimbly load and fire arrows, or handle other weapons. By the end of the 12th century, however, it became more standard to wear protection on both arms, and this remained standard through the Edo period, and into martial arts practices today.

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References

Gallery labels, SAMURAI exhibit, LACMA, Jan 2015.[1]