Opinions for age of Armour and helmet

[steve oakley]

Hello

 

I have no idea about Japanese armour and seeking opinion about the possible age. It was my thinking that the helmet was older period (early Edo?) but the armour was late Edo.

 

thanks

Steve O

[uwe]

Hello Steve,

it's a so called Toppai- kabuto, simple construction and made for use. For the age, I guess Momoyama to early Edo. The do is an Okegawa-nimai-do. Newly laced and maybe of the same age. It's a bit tricky because this kind of do were made almoste unchanged over a long time frame.

Regards

Uwe

[steve oakley]

Uwe, Thankyou for taking the time to view and respond. I have found a few of the Kabuto Toppai examples. At least i have a name for the design of the armour to do some more digging around on the internet.

 

thanks

Steve

[IanB]

Steve, Uwe is quite right in that this style of dou, called a yokohagi okegawa dou, first evolved during the Sengoku Jidai and was produced in the thousands for low ranking soldiers, and in better qualities for higher ranks. The very basic ones have the gessan, that hang over the hips and thighs, sparsely laced onto the bottom edge of the dou, usually in hemp braid which although expensive was far more durable than silk. These cheapest dou were rarely fitted with attachments on the underside of the shoulder straps for a pair of armoured kote, instead, the sleeves were tied to the body before the dou was put on. Since yours has kebiki lacing for the gessan. and attachments for the kote, it is step up from the cheapest. During the Sengoku Jidai they were normally painted with the lord's device on the front and issued with a conical helmet or jingasa in either iron plates or of lacquered rawhide, a pair of sleeves and a pair of shin guards. I note yours is typically lined with a layer of hemp cloth lacquered onto the inside and is not fitted with attachments on the back for a sashimono. It is as Uwe says just about impossible to date since so many of these dou from the Sengoku period were refurbished and re-lacquered during the Edo period. Its present green lacquer is however distinctly unusual.

Ian Bottomley