menpo Posted February 7 Report Posted February 7 An interesting addition. A piece of armour supposedly gifted to the Muto clan of chikuzen, that was passed down through the family. A better translation of the attributing paperwork would be welcome. I am unfamiliar with the family mon on the additional slip of paper though also. 1 1 1 Quote
moriarty Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 Greetings Gethin, Wonderful piece of history you got there, the attribution paper goes as follows: ”紺系碱具足右袖 長さ 二尺二寸七谷 室町時代の将軍格のものと思われる. 具足の右袖で特に貴重な丈化財として筑後国任武藤家に古くかり 忙末しい名品也 明治参拾貳年春 武藤秀弘” Navy blue armor right sleeve Length: 2 shaku 2 sun 7 tan Thought to have belonged to a shogun of the Muromachi period. (This) Right sleeve of armor is a particularly valuable item, and is an ancient treasure of the Muto family/clan, who were in charge of Chikugo Province A masterpiece Spring of the 32nd year of the Meiji era (Spring of 1899) -Muto Hidehiro In regards to the Kamon, it could be unrelated to the Muto clan altogether, but haven't found much about it, hopefully someone will catch it soon. Best Regards, Maurice 2 1 1 Quote
SteveM Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 Smallish corrections 紺系縅具足右袖 right sleeve of navy odoshi gusoku 長さ 二尺二寸七分 2 shaku, 2 sun, 7 bu 室町時代の将軍格のものと思われる. 具足の右袖で特に貴重な文化財として筑後国住武藤家に古くから 伝来した名品也 明治参拾貳年春 武藤秀弘 The paper with the kamon says its from the collection of the Takahara family, and the mon is a fan (hi-ōgi) with a tortoise shell (hexagon) border. 4 1 Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 Apart from the magnificent translation work above, it should be noted that this is not a right 袖 sode as described in the Japanese, but a 籠手 kote. (The sode was a kind of hanging outer shield protecting the shoulders, although nowadays the word 'sode' has come to mean a clothing sleeve.) 2 1 1 Quote
menpo Posted February 8 Author Report Posted February 8 Thank you all for your translations and opinions. It's much appreciated. Would pieces of armour such as this normally be gifted to clans? Many thanks Gethin Quote
uwe Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 I can trace the mon (隅切り角檜扇), at least a very similar one, back to “山口” (Yamaguchi), “望月” (Mochidzuki, several readings), “栗脇” (Kuriwaki, reading unclear) and “小花和” (Obanakawa, reading unclear)… Won’t help much, I afraid! Quote
Samurai Art Posted February 8 Report Posted February 8 A friend of mine, who’s a head doctor, mentioned that he had a visit from someone who claimed that 30 other head doctors had labelled him a narcissist, yet he was sure he wasn’t one. Isn’t repeating the same behaviour repeatedly and expecting different results considered a form of insanity? That's how I feel about this item. It's been posted everywhere on social media, asking the same questions and getting the same answers. The item itself is a rough, odd kote that doesn’t match the description provided. The text, written in the Meiji period, doesn’t align with the actual piece. There are visible signs of it being mounted and remounted—glue marks and rough edges suggest the associated statement and mon about it doesn’t hold up. A sode is not a kote; no mon is on the sleeve either. This piece seems like nothing more than a tourist trap with no real historical value. “Owned by a Shogun?” Seriously? Gethin, I would love you to own a treasure owned by a Muromachi Shogun, but I feel this is not it. 3 1 Quote
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