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Fine Yamato Utsubo


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Peter, The utsubo illustrated raises a few questions, principally in the fact that there is no visible way of wearing it. These quivers were worn on the right hip, somewhat to the rear, with the door facing outwards. To keep it in position, so that the archer could reach in and grasp an arrow with the right hand, the leather band around the 'waist' of the quiver had an oval leather pad laced to it, on the right had side, to which a leather strap, formed with a loop at the end, hung down. On top of the leather band was an ornate metal ring and below that a cord loop to which the door hung by means of the usual cords and toggle arrangement. In wear, a heavy cord from the loop on the strap went around the waist of the wearer and tied to the ring. To keep the upper end of the quiver positioned behind the left shoulder there was a loop of cord fitted through two eyelets on the back of the quiver near the top. I had thought this was to hang the quiver up when not in use until I saw a painting at Nikko Toshogu that showed a cord tied to this loop that passed over the shoulder and tied to the left hand ring on the breast of the armour.  This quiver has no cord from which to hang the door, no pad and strap and no large ring for the waist cord - and clearly never had them.. It may have been made as an ornate object to carry in a rack with bows in a procession - or more likely was an elaborately lacquered piece, designed to appeal to the European tourist trade in the Meiji period.

Ian Bottomley

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