tekkō 手甲

Also tekō, yubitsugai 指番. A protective piece of leather or metal used to protect the back of a soldier's hand. That was part of the gauntlet *kote 篭手. Early example, called namazu tekkō 鯰手甲 (catfish hand-plate) consisted of a single, rounded plate. From the late Muromachi period, two pieces of iron were used to cover the thumb and another to cover the fingers. These pieces were joined together with chain-mail. Loops were attached to the back of the tekkō into which the thumb and middle finger were placed.