IanB

Dirk, It is possible that he did see the armour in Italy. As I said earlier, there were supposed to be two armours in the Medici armoury, which was dispersed long ago. So far, I have yet to find an inventory of that armoury for the period when the armours might have been there. Apart from the Dutch and English armours, which were sent to their recipients in the hands of traders, there are only two other possibilities. Captain Saris was given an armour by Matsura Hoin that he stated he had worn in Korea. The Danish armour would fit the bill, being a practical fighting style, however there is nothing in Saris' diary or his will to indicate what happened to the armour. He records that he was given it and that is that. The other possibility is Richard Cox who was given an armour by the shogun. There is no description of this armour but I suspect it may be that shown in the painting of Sir Neill O'Neill. Ian

Dirk, Sorry, I was rather vague. The armour I was referring to is now in the Royal Danish Kunstkammer, together with another in the kansei style, laced in red, white and blue and decorated with a variation of the mitsu tomoe maru kamon. The first has a black lacquered hotoke do and simple sode, the rest now being missing. The other is complete. According to the records the two armours appear in the collection about the middle of the 17th century with a few other Japanese pieces, including a picnic set. Sadly they don't say where they came from. Christian IV (1588 – 1648) was a fanatical collector of curiosities and had agents all over Europe buying things for him. We know what the incomplete armour looked like because it appears in a painting by Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678) and Hendrick van Balen (1575-1632) entitled ‘Allegory of Touch’. This painting is now preserved in the Musèe Calvat in Avignon. The fact that Brueghel only worked in Antwerp and that Balen died in 1632 suggests the armour must have passed through Antwerp, about 1630. The picture shows that the armour originally had an Etchu zunari kabuto, a hanbo and shino gote, all black lacquered. The pile of European armour in the left foreground of the Brueghel painting was copied in another painting by David Teniers called ‘The Guard Room’, but the Japanese armour was omitted in this one. Ian

Henk-Jan, The haramaki was definitely given to Philip II of Spain, together with at least two other armours, by the Tensho mission. How they got it I am not sure since it has the old Shimazu kamon of the character Ju in a circle. The Japanese were from the Arima, Otomo and Omura families and there had been fighting on Kyushu between them so I guess it was captured. On the receipt of the gift, Philip had two armours placed in his 'Treasure House'. I have an inventory description of these, one of which is still in the Real Armeria in Madrid. The other is a bit mysterious since it is described as having fur (pelo de lobo marino) on the helmet and other parts. None of the armours I have traced correspond with the description. Anyway, in 1603, there is an order transferring an armour from the Treasure House to the Armoury. This is the haramaki, different from the first two described. It then crops up in the inventory of the armoury of the Duke of Infantado in Guadalajara about 1670, with two other armours. King Philip III was desperately short of cash so one must assume they were sold to the Duke by him. There they appear to stay until the Napoleonic wars when the armoury in Guadalajara was plundered by French troops. One armour is taken off to Paris and ends up in the hands of Francois Joseph Talma, a French actor and pal of Napoleon. It then goes through three auctions until I lose it. Meanwhile the other two are acquired by Eusebio Zuloaga, a custodian of the Real Armeria who sells one in Parisin 1838 and the haramaki in London in 1841. It was at this sale that it was bought by the Royal Armouries (Tower of London) in the belief it was an armour of a 'Moor of Granada'. It is a very rare armour but a friend in Japan has found another helmet, almost certainly from the same workshop. Interestingly, we have X-rayed parts of the armour and many of the plates are of reused old metal, many of them patched together from pieces. It indicates how valuable iron was. Even the mask has one whole side patched on to make a big enough piece of iron. It also shows battle damage, one sleeve having been hit by an arrow which has cut a groove through the lacquer across a plate and then burst the mail. Ian

Henk-Jan, There were three armours given to Staadholder Mautritz (if that's the right spelling) by Ieyasu in 1611(Nachod, O; 1897 Die Beziehungen der Niederlandischen Ostindischen Kompanie zu Japan im seibzehnten Jahrhundert. Leipzig). There is a painting by Jan van Campen in the Oranjezaal of the Huis ten Bosch in the Hague, done about 1650 that shows one of these armours. It is quite distinctive having the fukigayeshi decorated with the kiku and kiri kamon side by side. In the painting it actually looks like a butterfly unless you know what it really is. That armour, and another also with a kirimon, were taken by French troops in the late 18th century and are now in Paris. What happened to the third armour I do not know. It might be still in some collection in Holland but the Dutch curators I have spoken to do not know of one. I have seen one armour in Leiden but it is a late Edo Do maru. Magnificent thing but not the missing one. Ian

I am still doing a bit here and there at the Armouries. There may be a couple of exhibitions coming up but at the moment they are still in the exploratory stage and may come to naught. My pet project, the diplomatic armours and gifts during the 16th and 17th centuries is still on-going. Every time I think I have things sorted, something new crops up. I have just heard confirmation that there is a ceiling painting in the Palace of Versailles showing a Japanese armour. I had heard about the possibility a year ago but thought it unlikely. But yes its there. It was one of the two armours sent to King Louis by Tokugawa Ieyasu. I haven't seen a picture of it yet but it should be one of the armours in the Musee de l'Armee. I have also learned that Francesco De Medici met the Tensho mission in Florence and was given two armours. So far I have only a description of one of them and it doesn't read as if it is Japanese. No mention of lacquer or lacing. Whatever it was it had a 'spiral' or 'windmill' (girello) on the breast. It could be a mitsu tomoe kamon I suppose, but so far I haven't been able to find a copy of the inventory of the Medici armoury to confirm or deny this. I still have to find evidence as to how Rudolf of Bohemia obtained the two armours that appeared in Prague in 1607, or how two appear in Copenhagen in the mid 17th century. One of the latter is in a painting done in 1630 or thereabouts, but in Antwerp. All in all very frustrating but fascinating. What I have found is that a haramaki in the Royal Armouries is in a Spanish document of 1585 - given to Philip II by the Tensho mission. That was rewarding. Ian

All, I must be one of the real silver-backs. I started when I was 14, on holiday in London in 1954. At that time the curator at the V&A museum was Basil Robinson and almost all the Oriental Gallery was devoted to Japanese swords, armour and fittings. I fell in love with it all and bought a rather nasty little wakizashi from a shop in Museum Street opposite the British Museum with my week's spending money. When I got home I started making miniature armours from card and baby ribbon. I remember I used half a ping-pong ball as the helmet bowl. What was curious was that our local museum had an armour in a case by a doorway. I was so scared of it I wouldn't pass it unless my mum held my hand. As soon as I started work I started haunting the local antique shops, most swords being 30/- for katana and tachi and £1 for wakizashi and tanto. The former were of course 'executioner's swords' and the latter 'harri kiri' knives. From then on it was a slide into the abyss. I remember at one stage selling the junk end of the collection for £30 - 30 swords and a naginata -an I made a profit. When I married my mother ceremonially dumped my sword collection in the middle of the living room and informed my wife it was her problem now! As for the wine, women and song - I'm still trying to save up before I get too old to enjoy it, but I keep seeing other things and blowing my cash. Ian Bottomley

Nick, The objects depicted are a riding whip of bamboo and a saihai with a paper tassel for signaling to troops. Ian Bottomley

Colin, Brian, Yup I was right. See the entry in Joly about Chorio on page 41 et seq. The guy on the horse is Kosekiko. Ian

Colin, As I remember the legend, the sage on the horse loses his shoe whilst crossing the bridge and it is returned by the deity on the dragon. The whole story with names is in 'Legends in Japanese Art' by Joly but some ******* borrowed mine years ago and didn't return it. Ian Bottomley

Steve, Much of the original collection from the Rotunda, consisting of European arms and particularly armour, was transferred to the Royal Armouries. This was however considerably earlier than the 1980's. To my knowledge, there were no Japanese items in the transfer. When I joined the Armouries in the 1990's there about 35 swords in the collection, none being from the Rotunda. Since then of course the number has been greatly enhance by the Deryk Ingham collection of 57 swords; a generous gift from his family. There have also been other acquisitions from other sources, most noticably a wakizashi by the 4th gen. Tadayoshi and an aiguchi with a blade modified from a Solingen hanger of 1625 or 1635, hardened and polished by a Japanese smith. All in all, a wonderful collection, many in new polish that includes 2 Juyo blades and many others with papers. Ian Bottomley

Even funnier are the descriptions. I have just trawled through the armours, which include one that used to be in the Arashiyama Museum in Kyoto and another in the Pit-Rivers Museum in Oxford. Under each armour is some standard blurb about 'what you see is what you get', but they also include a sentence or two that is supposed to refer to the armour. One, a red laquered tatami gusoku (folding armour of plates and mail) burbles on about the dou being black lacquered with dark blue kebiki lacing. They are not only stealing images but lifting random text from catalogues and just inserting it at random. What a bunch. Ian Bottomley

Jesper, I have quite a pile of books on kamon and I'm afraid I cannot find the one on your gusoku bitsu in any of them. Yet another minor samurai family that has slipped through the net unrecorded I am sad to say. Ian Bottomley

Steve, I had posted an answer to your last entry, but it seems to have dropped off the end somewhere - so here is the gist of it again. The reason I said I could not see omodaka is because I was referring to the arrowhead plant - Sagittaria sagittifolia. This is usually depicted with its flowers - whereas the various species of Sasa are invariably shown with twigs sticking up above the leaves as per the tsuba. Either way, I agree its a very nice design. As for what species is on the back, and hence my reference to the shogunate, we cannot now know for definite. If it is aoi, it may be (and this is only speculation) an anti-shogunate indication. Ian

Steve, I see no omodaka or water. I admit the moon is placed in a very low position that to me suggests it is rising or setting and being seen through the vegetation. Since there is dew on the sasa it suggests early morning. Ian Bottomley

Sorry Andrey, I missed the y key in the above. Ian

Andre, It may be gimei. but I like your tsuba - a variation on the 'Dew on the grass (sasa)' theme. However, it is the back which I find most interesting. Note the three aoi leaves which have little or nothing to do with the design on the front. Could this be an anti-Tokugawa piece? The Royal Armouries has a tanto with a kozuka that I was convinced was anti-shogun. It was the usual shakudo nanako with three aoi leaves in gold, drifting down a stream, indicated by swirling silver lines, above which was a butterfly / mayfly in gold. The fact that the leaves were separate, and floating away, combined with the short life of the insect suggests the idea of the destruction of the Tokugawa. Whilst yours isn't quite so blatant, the separation of the leaves might show the same sentiment. Ian Bottomley

Brian, You obviously lead a sheltered life. Fake yanone abound in the UK. Most are crude and many make a fatal mistake when it comes to the finish. They fall down in the junction between the head proper and the tang. Many or even most real yanone have a concave collar at this point, well finished and polished. Many of the fakes I see have this region parallel, where the forger left the original round bar he forged the blade from untouched. Another feature is the tang. Again the real heads have this well finished, with yasuri and often a mei in tiny katakana. The Royal Armouries' collection has a couple of interesting hirane with piercings. The heads are cast iron with a tang of thick iron wire. They must have inserted the wire into the sand mould before pouring. These are of considerable age and probably date to the Meiji period when many tourists were not too discerning. Ian Bottomley

All, Russet pieces of armour were also lacquered to prevent corrosion. Normally iron plates for armour were given the full treatment with multiple layers that start with raw lacquer, a layer of cloth, fillers and finally the top coats. The first layer has to be 'burnt' on to the roughened surface of the iron since it is hydrophobic and the raw lacquer is an aqueous medium. I was told by an armour maker that the correct temperature is when the applied lacquer just sizzles when brushed on. Once this coat is on, the resulting surface is then hydrophilic and the rest of the lacquering process is carried out in the normal way. With the vogue for leaving parts of the armour unlacquered, partly so that the quality of the metalwork could be seen and probably also because of the cult of tea, corrosion was a problem. It was solved by applying a coat of raw lacquer to the russet surface and then rubbing it off after a short while. This then hardens in the layer of rust and forms a protective film. One of my armours is completely russet and when acquired, about 40 years ago, was beginning to show out breaks of surface rusting. Working on the principle that antique gun barrels were finished with linseed oil, I rubbed on a solution of boiled linseed oil in turpentine, left it an hour and then rubbed it off with tissue. The result is a finish that glows with a gentle sheen that is still exactly the same today as when it was carried out. Ian Bottomley

TAR, Joseph A. Bellamy was Mayor of Plymouth in 1900 - 1901 and hence during the reign of Queen Victoria. In 1907 he is described as Sir Joseph at the opening of the new Plymouth library so must have received a Knighthood under Edward VII. Admiral Togo had studied in England between 1871-1878 and then returned to Japan. He took part in the Sino-Japanese war of 1894 - 95 and then took command of training colleges as well as being commander of the standing fleet. In 1906 he was given British Order of Merit by King Edward VII. This suggests that the meeting with Sir J. A. Bellamy may have been later than you think. Ian Bottomley

Since the hole for the kozuka goes on the ura side of the sword, the mei and the decoration on this tsuba would be on the back and invisible when worn. I've noticed this with a lot of copies, the major part of the design being on the left side and hence hidden by the tsuka had it been on a sword worn in the Japanese way. Ian Bottomley

Brian, Please accept my best wishes for a speedy recovery. I feel sure that now you are out of the clutches of the medics and at home among your swords you will recover far quicker. Ian

Mike, I don't know where you have heard this from but I suspect you are mistaken (although having said that, anything is possible). As things stand, antique weapons are exempt from the Prohibited Weapons Act and that includes Japanese swords. What has been added as an amendment to the act are replica swords. Rather strangely even replicas are legal if they can be shown to have been made by traditional methods (whatever that is supposed to mean). What has happened that may be the rumour you have heard, is that eBay, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to ban the advertisement and sale of all swords and knives of whatever kind and origin in the UK. The only exception to this is tableware. As I understand the situation, anyone selling a sword or knife to a UK buyer will be banned from selling on eBay. So, as from the 10th March, we can browse eBay International and look, but there will be no way of bidding. If you know someone in the US or elsewhere, they can buy on your behalf and then ship swords to you perfectly legally, although you will have to go through the usual pantomime with HM Customs. Ian Bottomley

Steve, I so agree with Piers, it is a minefield that is barely mapped. One relatively useful book is 'Kamon no Jiten' (ISBN 4-87190-714-7) which at least ascribes kamon to names. Another recent publication is 'Kamon of famous people' (ISBN 4-404-03348-6). This lists the kamon used by a variety of big names, both historic and more recent. It illustrates hundreds of variations on each design but does not identify the users of these variations. There are older books but they are also very limited. Sadly I do not think the situation will ever improve. Because there were no officials, like the heralds of Europe, to regulate the system, much of the historic information has had to be gleaned from battle screens. The more recent attributions has come from surviving families. Incredibly, the kamon used by some of the commanders at Seki ga Hara are now unknown yet they were big players in their day. Ian Bottomley

Rob According to 'Kamon no Jiten', the kamon on your sword is that used by the Otsuka family. Ian Bottomley

Henry Don't forget the 50cm rule. A wakizashi, provided they have stopped measuring the whole sword and not just the blade as the law states, does not come under the restriction. Ian Bottomley