Japanese Armor

[toli]

For instance, in many armies the quality of armor was directly tied to status.  I don't mean how fancy the armor was, I mean who's got a shield and helmet, who's got a full suit of mail, and who's got his mail augmented with plate pieces.  

Very true.  To some extent the "kit" the person had defined class.  I believe (if I remember correctly) that in the early middle ages (when social structure was somewhat fluid) what was to become the knightly class, the miles, was defined by their equipment (mail shirt + horse) not a particular social class class...and horses have always been the symbol of nobility, since they (the horses) were so expensive to keep....