A COMPLETE ARMOUR
Japan, Edo period, 18th century

The armour consisting of a suji-type helmet (kabuto) with thirty-two iron plates lacquered inside, a four-levels copper tehen kanamono, the iron mabizashi covered with doeskin, the manju-style shikoro with five blades joined by silk laces, the fukigaeshi with the coat of arms (kamon) of the owner, the gilded wood maedate in the shape of a demon's head, the lacquered iron menpō with thick mustache made of animal hair, the yodarekake with five blades, the Yukinoshita style curaiss dō embellished with a silver dragon, five gessan each with five iron blades, the kote in metal mail and iron plates, the sode with six blades with silk laces, the haidate with iron plates, the tsuneate with large iron plaques, containment box.

Provenance: Fabrizio Savi collection, acquired in 2000 from Nihonto, Fred Weissberg.

In the accompanying expertise, Fred Weissberg reports that this armour shows stylistic features appreciated by the samurai in the service of Date Masamune (1567-1636), feudal lord (daimyō) of the Sendai province; he also put in evidence that the helmet is older than the rest of the armour, exalting the beauty of the decoration on the cuirass. On the silk there is an inscription which refers to the sixth year of the Shōhei period (1346-1370), namely 1351-2.