Help dating a set of armor I may have impulse bought...

[Seabolt92]

Hi Guys,

 

Ive lurked on this site for a little while. I had wanted a beginner set of armor to start a collection for a while, but didnt have the means to really make it happen until recently. I just bought this set and was wondering if you fine folks could help me date it. Im an antique dealer by trade, so this looks correct for an older set of armor. And looking through the sets on this forum, I tried to stay away from some of the newer reproduction items. But also I read the forums that some shady sellers have been trying to age items to intentionally deceive. I probably should have checked here first, but again it was more of an impulse buy. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

[Bugyotsuji]

Most of that looks good, Tyler, modern armor, i.e. 'Tosei Gusoku' of the late feudal age. Maybe a mishmash of good to mediocre parts, but you have a box for it to sit it upon, and the main thing at the time would have been to protect oneself.

Great going, and congratulations on your first acquisition!

[Seabolt92]

18 minutes ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Most of that looks good, Tyler, modern armor, i.e. 'Tosei Gusoku' of the late feudal age. Maybe a mishmash of good to mediocre parts, but you have a box for it to sit it upon, and the main thing at the time would have been to protect oneself.

Great going, and congratulations on your first acquisition!

 

Thank you for your input Piers! So this set is from the later Edo Period from your estimation? Im from America where something being 100 years old is considered incredibly old, so its hard to wrap my mind around the age of some of this armor. Someone saying a piece of armor could be 400 years old blows my mind. Thanks again! 

[Bugyotsuji]

I don’t think it is a set per se, more like assembled parts, but some of it could be from the late 1500s, and some later. (The shikoro on the kabuto could well be a more recent addition.)

Let’s give it a 24-hr day Tyler and see what others think.

[Shogun8]

I agree with Piers, it's a decent armour - especially for your first. I really like the high collar of the dou!

[Seabolt92]

17 minutes ago, Shogun8 said:

I agree with Piers, it's a decent armour - especially for your first. I really like the high collar of the dou!

 

Thanks John! Im glad that I didnt totally mess up. After reading some of the fiberglass armor threads, and other Jauce auction threads where you guys break it down it gave me a little more confidence, but still hard to know for sure. Granted it may not be a complete "set", but I like that it was maybe used in its life. I really like the revival sets for looks, but I wanted something that had some character and looked like it had a story to tell if it could! 

[Shogun8]

Tyler,

 

This is much more true than a revival armour (which I personally don't like so much), especially when one keeps in mind the fact that true items of battle had parts changed out all the time. Although they may not constitute a matching gusoku, all of the components are proper and give a good sense of battle armour.

[uwe]

Hi Tyler,

 

seems that one can do worse for the first armor (depending on price). It represents a so called “Okegawa nimai dō gusoku”. In this case a composite set (as mentioned by Piers above). The dō (cuirass) is quite interesting because of the incorporated collar. It sports the family crest (mon) “Futo-wa” or “Ja no mei”, that means “wide ring” or “snake eye”, used by several clans. Apparently the kote (sleeves) are made in the bishamon-style (with integrated sode), at least what I can see from the picture?! Going to the face armor, the menpō (or “me no shita bō). Here we dealing with a “Nara men”, once made in great numbers and modified to match the taste of the customer or the armor for which it was intended. The picture suggests that the lacquer has a silvery shine*?! I can’t say if it is the original coating or later applied?! Unfortunately the mustache is cut off and the overall condition of the lacquer is not that good. Last but not least the helmet. The bowl (hachi) is obviously made of one piece (ichi mai) and the suji are merely modeled by “kokuso”. A common technique to reduce costs. 
Feel free to ask if I forgot something….

 

 

*A technique called “ginpun nuri”

 

 

[Shogun8]

If Uwe is correct about the kabuto being ichimai, then it's even less common than I thought (if it's iron - ichimai in leather is fairly common).

[Bugyotsuji]

It rather looks like iron from the inside shot. What are the four byo rivets for I wonder?

[uwe]

8 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

It rather looks like iron from the inside shot. What are the four byo rivets for I wonder?

Securing the  tehen no kanamono, I think, Piers!
A single, simple disc shaped za. Lacquered over in this case.