Shogun8

Further to Luc's and Piers' comments, it's my understanding that when it comes to the tentsuki worn by the Ii family, those that were worn as wakidate were for senior/higher-ranking members, whilst the lower ranking retainers would wear the tentsuki as maedate, such as the ones below: I should also mention that the taller the tentsuki, the higher the rank.

I suspected as much, Uwe. So often it seems that many of these books only state the obvious and don't really delve into the history and minutiae of objects.

I've always considered maedate/maetate to be one of the most underappreciated areas of Japanese armour and it seems that scholarship on the subject is few and far between. A few years ago, a book on maedate was released and it highlighted 100 maedate designs. I wonder how much relevant background information was contained within regarding the kinds of questions raised by Ken and Ian. Would be good to get it translated.

Hi All, We have just returned from a fabulous few days with about 40 of our fellow members and a few non-members from 4 continents at our 4th symposium: Japanese Legacy IV, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday, September 13th. I thought that I'd share a few images of the day's events: Welcome by JAS President, Luc Taelman and Senior NKBKHK Board Member, Haruo Ueda: Ueda-san: Welcome by Pierre Terjanian, Chief Curator, Department of Arms and Armor, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Our first speaker, John Byck, Assistant Curator, Arms and Armor, Metropolitan Museum of Art, who spoke about the museum's rich history in collecting Japanese armor and specifically, the role of Bashford Dean in spearheading the collection: Kanno-san, who spoke about the importance of the harness in samurai armor and most importantly (and one of the highlights of the symposium for me), gave pointers on how to identify if a dō is from the Momoyama vs. Edo periods: JAS member and Visiting Researcher, Japanese Arms and Armor, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Markus Sesko, giving an interesting lecture and show-and-tell on the work of Myochin Muneakira:

With our symposium just around the corner, we do have a few extra spots for non-members to join. If you're interested in attending, fire me a PM and I can send you the info. John

One of the major initiatives of the Japanese Armor Society is to hold regular symposiums geared towards the study, scholarship and appreciation of Japanese armor. Next month marks the occasion of Japanese Legacy IV, the fourth symposium planned for our members, but also open for non-members to attend. Please find below our full member programme for the weekend which gives a sense of the events and experiences planned. Afterward, some of our members continue on to Dallas, where we will be hosted by Gabriel Barbier-Muller at his esteemed Samurai Collection museum. Friday, September 13 9:45AM Meet at the Metropolitan Museum 10:00AM-10:15AM Welcome and Introduction 10:15AM-11:00AM The Armor Collection of the Met: From Bashford Dean to Present 11:00AM-11:20AM Transition of Japanese Armor and Japanese Harness 11:20AM-12:20PM Myochin Muneakira: Master of Embossment 12:20PM-1:30PM Lunch on own 1:30PM-2:00PM Katchushi: Questions of Restorations and Armor-Making 2:00PM-2:30PM The Nanbokucho Armors of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum Five Continents, Munich 2:30PM-2:45PM Closing Remarks 2:45PM-3:45PM Viewing of the Met's Nanbokucho Armor as part of the exhibition, Kyoto: Capital of Artistic Imagination 3:45PM-6:30PM Visit of the Metropolitan collection at leisure 7:00PM Group dinner at TBA 9:00PM Opening reception for the Tetsuya Noguchi exhibition at Arsham/Fieg Gallery in KITH NY Saturday, September 14 Full Day at Leisure Sunday, September 15 11:00AM Meet in the lobby for group transfer to New Jersey 12:00PM Approximate arrival time at private collection of JAS member - one of the oldest and best collections in the West 12:00PM-1:00PM BBQ Luncheon 1:00PM-3:00PM Viewing of the collection in smaller groups 3:00PM Depart 4:30PM Approximate return to the hotel 8:00PM Group dinner at Shun Lee Monday, September 16 For participants in the Dallas tour, check-out and depart for LaGuardia Airport on your own End of New York programme

Here's a small bronze rabbit maedate that I have:

Hi Steve, Check the photographer's online store: sylwiamakris.com/shop There are two editions available.

Steve, I may be mistaken but the catalogue that Ian mentions has not yet been published. The book that is available is the photography book with some of the armours being worn, an example of which is the photograph of Martyna (the Samurai Museum curator) shown in post #5.

Kelly's a good guy. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services.

You're right, Luc - I went back to look at some other examples and the strange shinodare and the igaki are indeed part of their style.

Of course - but that's why I said that the conclusion was mine only - arrived at with the information I had available to me and other pieces that I have seen that share the same characteristics. I'm always open to being proved wrong. The most important thing is to learn as much as possible about the item.

There was no question in my mind, Uwe!

Nick, I think this kabuto is definitely from the Edo period, but whether it's early Edo or not is another matter. Neither the Shin Katchushi Meikan or the Chappelear lists a Masanori as belonging to the Ichiguchi Myochin, but as we all know, there are many unrecorded smiths. If you look closely, this kabuto shares many characteristics of that beautiful koboshi Ichiguchi Myochin that you recently had.

I agree, Ian. I think we need to consider this kabuto without the kanamono because they do not seem to fit with this piece. The shape of the hachi, especially at the top and the mabezashi/haraidate details say Ichiguchi Myochin to me, since their style is quite distinctive.

Nick, Based on the shape of the mabezashi, the haraidate dai and the sanko no byo, I believe this kabuto may be from the Ichiguchi Myochin.

Hi Simon, Do you have pictures of the menpo itself? I rather thought that Munekata was from the mid-Edo as per the Chappelear, but the Shin Katchushi Meikan lists him as late Edo. Menpo by Munekata are quite unique, sharing a very distinctive expression. There's a beautiful somen by this master at the Met, often displayed with the examples by Muneakira.

I didn't realize that he was in New Orleans. If I had known, I would have tried to arrange a meeting when I was there in January. I hope he can rest now.

The stuff of legends! Really enjoyed reading about this incredible find and story. Congrats to George, Michael, Darcy and all involved.

Hi Piers, Coincidentally, Luc and I had a conversation about this yesterday. We are still finalizing the curriculum of the symposium itself as well as the peripheral activities around the event. Our members have overwhelmingly supported the idea that we all stay in the same hotel, so I have managed to secure a hotel in relatively close proximity to the Met (and for those that know New York, the upper east side is a very nice area of the city to visit with its proximity to other great museums, Central Park, etc.). Our members will also be visiting one of the best private collections in the U.S., with the possibility that one or two other collectors will add their items to the exhibition. I am also curating a show for the Japanese artist, Tetsuya Noguchi at a prominent boutique/gallery on the Lower East Side whose opening will coincide with this weekend and of course, all are invited to attend (as with the symposium). Finally, we have been in discussions with the Samurai Collection (the Barbier-Muller Collection in Dallas) to visit their museum as part of our Grand Tour. The problem of course is that we all have real jobs, so things don't move quite as quickly as we'd like. We hope to make a more formal announcement soon - including in Japan. Stay tuned!

I did a quick Google search and came across this: https://www.bukowskis.com/en/lots/1083489-kabuto-edo-mei-yamato-no-kami-fujiwara-ietsugu-haruta-school-circa-1620 There's also this earlier thread about another Haruta Fujiwara Ietsugu kabuto, which now resides in my collection: http://www.militaria.co.za/nmb/topic/23439-help-with-haruta-katchushi-mei/ Both of these kabuto have tsuke mabezashi which is not typical of Haruta work, but is seen on work by Haruta Fujiwara smiths. The one from the Swedish auction seems most similar to Mark's. My kabuto is notable because it has suji makikomi, something for which this smith and Fujiwara Iehisa were known.

Gentlemen, For those who may be interested, I have posted information in the Events section about the next symposium hosted by the Japanese Armor Society, to take place at the Met in New York on Friday, September 13th. Please visit that thread for more information.

We would like to take this opportunity to announce that the Japanese Armor Society has booked the next Japanese Legacy Symposium to take place at New York's venerable Metropolitan Museum of Art on Friday, September 13th. We have chosen this date because for Japanese and Asian art collectors, the week of September 06-14th is a big week, with all of the top auction houses (Sotheby's, Christies and Bonhams) having their big fall exhibitions and auctions during this time. With any luck, one of these auction houses may even bring back their Arts of the Samurai auctions. We are still in the midst of confirming the curriculum of the symposium itself, but as always we are expecting it to be as revelatory and educational as past editions, with lectures by some of the top scholars in the field of Japanese armor, and perhaps even involvement from the Met's curatorial staff and some hands-on experiences with items from the collection. In addition, we are working on related events around this weekend that will be sure to interest katchu enthusiasts. Although the symposium is created for the benefit of our members, the invitation is open to non-members by way of a special fee (for example, we have to rent the meeting room at the Met). At this time, costs of the symposium have yet to be finalized and will be determined by overall attendance, but we are asking that if you are interested in attending, to please indicate your interest here, or by sending an email to jas@Japanese-armor.org.

That's terrible, Grey - here's hoping they're recovered somehow.

Ian, Are you referring to the odayori-kugi (the pegs on the chin)? If so, I hadn't noticed that, but you're right about the one on the right not sitting correctly. I was referring to the orekugi (the bent hooks on the cheeks) only because they seem to be made of bent flat bar which is not what I would expect from a proper period piece. NB. Please note that my words in parentheses were to clarify orekugi vs. odayori-kugi because these are often confused and I often have to remind myself which is which. I certainly didn't mean to imply that you didn't know the difference.