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SOG DonationsOld school armor. 
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Is that samurai armor?
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Yes, Menpo (meaning “face and cheek”) is a type of samurai facial armor (known generally as Men-yoroi or men-gu) that covers from the nose down to the chin. This example is of the “furious power” (or ressei men) subtype with wrinkles, teeth, whiskers, and a savage expression. On the sides are attachment hooks (ori-kugi) for securing the chin strap of a helmet (kabuto). Attached is a throat guard, or yodare-kake. Edo period (1603-1868).
I also collect Tsuba, or samurai sword mountings.
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A sort of armor, in that it helps prevent your fingers from being removed by your opponent. Which would be bad.
A tsuba in the style of the Yokoya School (founded by Yokoya Soyo, 1700-1779). Yokoya Sôyo worked for the Shogunal Court at Yedo in the classical Goto style. However, his successor Yokoya Somin (1669-1733) broke away in the latter half of the Edo (1603-1868) period and introduced the katakiri-bori technique of engraving which imitates the brush strokes of sumi-e painting. Somin’s style and designs were influenced by his friend and painter Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724). The goal of ink painting was to capture the spirit, rather than the mere appearance, of its subject. Useless details were eliminated, and each brush-touch was charged with meaning. Tonality and shading were achieved by varying ink density, ink load, and pressures applied within a single brushstroke. In katakiri-bori, correspondingly, a hammer and triangular-pointed chisel was used to form the design, with the angle of the chisel being varied to create different depths and thicknesses of line. The influence of Yokoya Somin and Hanabusa Itcho are both evident in the execution of this example.
A work of Itcho for comparison/reference.
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Do you train in any of the arts that use katanas? I use to spar with kendo guys when I was more into Eskrima, interesting art. The real blades are beautiful and real works of art.
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Long ago. I’m not in the same shape I was then. 
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Cool stuff though, got any blades?
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No national treasures. Mine are just for tatami mats and zombies.
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Take a look prepper10
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I dont know much about Japanese blades , who made that and what kind of steel is it?
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pretty nice ryū tsuba - at least it isn’t a cast chinese copy. Anyone date it - my guess middle Meiji to Taishō
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There’s a name under the handle of the maker. I don’t read Japanese unfortunately.
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Bet your smart phone has an app 
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Looks neat, how old is it?
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Handsome! You’ll never have trouble opening a package again!
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I will forever opt for body armor I don’t care that it adds extra weight, I love that it adds extra time to my life.
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I agree. But, in the words of Rabbi Twerski, “The best armor is to keep out of range.” 
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That’s a good point! However, you should be careful on over doing it. You don’t want a full SWAT suit if you have to cover 20 miles a day.
That’s the problem. “If they’re in range, you’re in range!”
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Might suggest some ideas and possibilities.
Rapid response rig: Grey Ghost Gear Minimalist plate carrier, level III front and back plates, Glock with Safariland holster mounted on Blackhawk STRIKE CQC platform, extra magazine (15 round), flashlight, fixed blade knife (Extrema Ratio Pugio), trauma kit.
Discreet/gray man option: Level IIIA AR500 hybrid soft armor, front and back, in Safariland CORTAC CTAV T-shirt carrier. Also comes in white.
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Unless you’ve got much more overall body strength and endurance than I do, front/back/side plates and a helmet will make you one SLOW MOFO of a target. That’s a fact.
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