Mukade Jingasa

[TETSUGENDO]

Thought this may be of some interest, a friend of mine recently acquired it and  let me post it here.  

 

[uwe]

Nice!

"Kawatani"?

[IanB]

Very nice indeed. I have a helmet with the same mon which I put down to the Oda / Ota family. I did a bit of ferreting into Jingasa a few years ago and was rather surprised to learn that these lacquered ones date to no earlier than the end of the 18th when they became fashionable for wear for the daimyo gyoretsu. This type seem to have been called ichimonji gasa or hira gasa and were worn by those on foot. The other type, rather like a bowler hat, are much later and designed for use on horseback. According to a Kitagawa Morisada, they were devised in or around 1843 (this info is in a book published in 1853 where it actually says they were used in 1863 - which is either foresight or a typo). This type had specified colours for the underside to indicate rank. Black being lowest, then red, red with gold flakes and finally gold. They are often very tastefully decorated items, like this, and a good low priced entry point in collecting.

Ian Bottomley

[TETSUGENDO]

Gentlemen, your kind remarks are appreciated.  Ian, thank you for providing so much information, my friend will be most pleased.   

Uwe, for want of pertinent reference material I can not confirm,  with certainty,  your translation.  Sorry.

[uwe]

No problem Steven.

The mon is called "Maru ni Kikyo" and was, amongst others, also used by the "Ota" family, like Ian mentioned!

[TETSUGENDO]

Danke Uwe.

[Stephen]

Hypnotizing first photo 

[TETSUGENDO]

Stephen,

 

Thanks, the spiraling centipede does draw one in.