Samurai underwear for fighting men

Wearing these under suits will no doubt leave flecks of golden paint on the inside of your trousers. Real samurai never had that problem.

At an October 28 press conference, underwear maker Rogin announced its special new collection of boxer briefs inspired by ornamental samurai warrior armor. The Sido Collection of "Katchu Pants" (armor underwear) lets Japanese men get back to their historical roots -- and feel a little more protected than usual.

Each underwear style is based on the armor design of Japan's top samurai, including famed unifiers Ieyasu Tokugawa and Nobunaga Oda. The long underwear goes for ¥9,240 while the shorter model is only ¥8,085. This is a bit pricey compared to normal underwear, but a lot of money had to go into the historical research.

Rogin believes that these armor boxer-briefs will appeal to the growing number of "rekijo" -- women interested in history. They may have to get their nose out of books, however, to actually succeed in seeing these on real life men.

The tag line for the katchu pants is "Underwear for men who fight to live," which is ironically fitting for our tough times. Guys these days don't carry swords, but now they can quietly summon the spirit of their fore-bearers under a navy blue suit or construction wear get-up.