That white scale "armor" in the first pictures doesn't look like armor at all. It looks like a gambeson, the padded layer worn under plate armor. Fighters might wear that when in the field but not in combat, and strap on the plate pieces when headed for trouble. Unclear if the show got that.
Just because it's not military grade doesn't mean its not "truly armor"; How would you explain armor worn by humans? Is that not armor just because it's not used in military vehicles?
The article makes it clear they are not sure that this person served in the military or whether they bought/acquired the armor from someone who did after the fact, nonetheless it's a possibility and it's pretty cool.
The huge collar is a really interesting feature. That's sure going to make it hard to attack the soldiers neck, with not that much cost to mobility or even visibility. I think the neck is one of the trickier articulation points in European plate armor and space suits, for similar reasons. The giant collar seems like a gordian knot type of solution. But if anyone gets as far as deploying hooks to the battlefield, perhaps as part of a halberd-like weapon, those collars will be trouble.
They may have seen battle but if so as commanders from the rear where visibility to the troops was paramount. If they had seen actual close combat those elaborate decorations probably would not have survived. Also, there were many plainer helmets at the exhibition. I think a samurai expecting real combat would have chosen one of those.
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