As the title says, how much could Samurai armor withstand? I keep hearing about the cutting power of the Katana, but i really want to know for example how many sword slashes or arrows the armor could handle, before it was ruined or the fighter was wounded. And if so by how much? If the sword does manage to cut through at the very least a little bit, could the warrior keep fighting? Also could the armor be hidden with clothing or something to that extent?
The helmets are very strong, swords couldn't go through them. That's partially due to how the helmets have lots of angles and blades kind of get deflects. A blow to the head though, could very well damage the neck. The armor is tough stuff, i believe it could take a few sword slashes, but it really depends o the weapon/strength of the person striking. If they get cut it really depends on how deep and how long the cut is. But more importantly, where on the body it is. And I don't think so. Perhaps if you removed most of the pads and stuff, but the hard plates would still be bulky and you would notice it through clothing.