Tang Dynasty Warrior [大唐再生]

I have recently taken the liberty of making this piece of concept art of an imperial officer in full combat regalia during the High Tang era- consisting of the reigns of Empress Wu, Zhongzong, Ruizong, and the long reign of Emperor Xuanzong. I have always found the Tang helmets during this era really reminiscent of the early samurai armors, what's more interesting is that the Chinese themselves would discontinue such helmets while it became a common fixture of Japanese armor for a millennium afterwards.

Many officers wore the distinctive "Mingguang armor," distinguished by the twin breastplates that protected the torso, relatively lighter than the heavy lamellar armor- it was often preferred by the officer corp, these armor often marked the high status of its wearer- one of the reasons that many of the Tang dynasty tomb guardian figurines wears such armor. Early Heian era samurai helmets were influenced by these cavalry helmets- especially the cheek pieces (Fukigaeshi.)