Information on a kabuto

[Higo-san]

Dear fellow board members

 

a couple of years ago, I felt a strong urge to add a kabuto to my Japanese collection. It had been restored in a smart but not necessarily professional manner by e.g. sewing the inside of a baseball cap to the area where once an old Japanese fabric used to comfort the bearer and stuff like that. Anyway, I did not mind about that at all since the helmet still looked impressive enough. Lately the idea of learning something about that field came to my mind and I started to undo the restoration (hoping to perform a more professional approach one day in the (far far away) future).

 

I have attached some pictures of the bowl of the helmet. I could not find a signature - only a number (十五) on the outside of the bowl which had been covered by the shikoro before. My best guess is that this is kind of an arsenal number stating that this very helmet was made number 15 out of an unknown number of helmets ordered for a local warlord. I have shown the helmet to someone more educated in that field and he told me that the helmet may date be from the Momoyama times and may have been made for the personal guard of a higher ranking samurai or a local lord - at least the last part of the thesis would be in line with the number I found. Can you provide me with any more in-depth information on the helmet (concerning age, quality or probably even a school)? Who would have been the owner of helmet like that (a common soldier or even a lower ranking samurai)? Then I can start a research based on that information.

 

Any information is appreciated!

 

Chris

[Higo-san]

I have attached some more detailed pictures (the inside has a bluish/black iron).

[Justin Grant]

The 十五　would not be arsenal numbers, more like production numbers. The shikoro would have covered them up so no one would have been able to read them if an arsenal inventory number.

 

As for who would have worn this kabuto, there is no way of knowing. It would be pure romantic speculation to say it was for a ranking guard, etc without documentation.

 

I will say most (not all) Okashi Kabuto (lent armor/helmet) were Zunari. They were inexpensive compared to a kabuto like yours (Suji Bachi).

 

As for age, I don't have my books with me (at work) but I think the bowl shape is indicative of the late Momoyama, but I'll need to defer to more seasoned members without my material handy.

[uwe]

Hi Chris,

looks like a simple but well crafted hachi, by all means. One of a series maybe, because of the number on the koshimaki, like Justin already stated. On the other hand, I could imagine that this number was carved for attaching the appropriate shikoro (produced by another katchi or workshop).

Determine the age is a bit tricky, anyhow, Momoyama to early Edo seems a good call, IMHO.

Uwe

[Higo-san]

Many thanks and vielen Dank for your help, Justin and Uwe!

 

A very good point concerning the number not being an arsenal inventory number; I think I could have reached that conclusion myself . Nevertheless I like the idea about the shikoro, Uwe. The shikoro of this kabuto is also covered in thick layer of glued newspapers and paint which seem to keep the rust together . I will carefully try to remove it and maybe I will find a matching number on it - in any case I will let you know.

 

Your point about ranking is understood, Justin. My thinking was that it may have been possible to roughly determine the status of person (common soldier, low ranking or high ranking samurai) by looking at his armor - like it is possible to determine the rank of soldier nowadays by looking at his uniforme (in order to e.g. make the chain of command work in a battle). But even if it may be easy to seperate between common soldiers and high ranking samurai, this may well be a bad comparisons...

 

One last question I would like to ask is about restoration and conservation of the piece. I have a feeling that the color of the kabuto should be different (it looks almost the same like the color of the shikoro which has been definately repainted in modern times (if not the early Edo/Momoyama Japanese read western newspapers in their spare time) and completely different to the color on the inside of the helmet). Do you have any ideas of how to carefully clean the kabuto without destroying it? Should it be repainted/relacquered afterwards in order to protect it from rust?

 

Please forgive my lack of basic knowledge about preservation of Japanese kabuto but at least to my eyes it looks like most of the suji-bachi kabuto seem to have had a lot of restoration work done on them (which is quite understandable if you look e.g. at the lacing, lacquer work etc). And when it comes to down to treatment of a metal surface, - at least from my tsuba experience (sword polishing is of course a completely different issue) - noone is willing to write down their methods of restoration in a book (like carrying an iron tsuba in a good old Levys or giving them a lot of fresh air to accelerate the patination process and so on) although almost everybody does it. I am also happy for PMs if people do not want to share and discuss their ideas in puplic.

 

Best,

 

Chris

[IanB]

Chris, The fact that the rivet heads on the outside of your hachi are not carefully concealed by countersinking suggests it was originally lacquered. A lot of helmets that come onto the market have been stripped because the lacquer was damaged. On the whole the colour isn't bad. If you have any crusty patches of rust, wet them with a mix of boiled linseed oil and white spirits and scrape them with a chisel shaped piece of bone to get off the encrustation. Once the surface is smooth, oil it with boiled linseed oil, wipe off all that will come off and leave it. In about a week it will be dry and should buff up to a soft gloss.

You asked about who made your hachi and when. Without a signature it is impossible to say, so many workshops made helmets like this for middle ranking samurai. The fact yours is numbered 15 indicates it was one of a batch of at least that many being made at the same time (or a batch of similar helmets being fitted with shikoro). As for when, I would have said Edo period.

Ian Bottomley

[Higo-san]

Thank you very much, Ian! Your advice is much appreciated ! It is very interesting that there are indications of an originally lacquered finish. At closer examination I have found tiny spots (close to the rim and in the corners) which look like thin layers of old black lacquer - unfortunately it is almost impossible to make a picture of those parts. I am really looking forward to what the suggested treatment may reveal.

 

Many thanks again,

 

Chris