Yomiuri Shimbun photoShigetoshi Miura talks about a set of armor he made in Tokyo.

TOKYO — Western armor and weapons from the medieval period are becoming extremely popular in Japan, with some aficionados participating in re-enacted battles and grooms attending their weddings decked out in medieval plate.

The Japan Armored Battle League tournament, was held in April in Chiba, featuring historical battle sport in which competitors dress in armor and fight with weapons from the Middle Ages.

Fighters at the event attacked their opponents with swords more than one meter (39.5 inches) long and axes that had their blades rounded. Opponents fended off the blows with shields and fought back in turn. Every time fighters’ armor or weapons clashed in the full contact battles, heavy metallic clangs filled the venue.

Tens of thousands of people are enthusiastic about this sport in the West, with matches held one-on-one or in groups. In individual competitions, fighters earn points by hitting their opponents’ armor, while the winners of mass battles are determined by the number of fighters knocked down.

The most important aspect of the sport’s rules is history. Competitors are required to wear armor based strictly on those seen on battlefields in the 14th and 15th centuries, and only iron, leather and other materials used in the Middle Ages are allowed. If such requirements are met, even people wearing samurai armor can take part.

Devoted participant Naoki Sato, 29, has superb footwork. He can move quickly even while clad in armor based on a 15th-century model. “The armor is heavy and restricts movement, but it just looks so cool,” said Sato, who was a member of a kendo club during his middle school days.

The armor usually weighs 20 to 30 kilograms (44 to 66 pounds) and limits a fighter’s range of vision, making it difficult for wearers to walk even several meters. When armor clashes with a weapon, the impact of the clash is strong, making some people feel dizzy.

Shigetoshi Miura, a 78-year-old armor producer in Tokyo, welcomes the growing popularity of armor.

“I’m delighted to see light is shining on armor,” Miura said.

He decided to pursue a career creating Western armor after being enthralled by the Belgian armor displayed at the Osaka Expo in 1970. He re-creates armor dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, during which ornamentation techniques flourished in Germany and Italy.

“Even after people stopped using armor on battlefields, it continued to be used as formal wear in European places,” Miura said. “The knights’ pride, reflected in their armor, is something that modern people have lost.”