The ‘haori (jacket) and ‘mune-ate’ (bib) are made of red ‘rasha’ ( a wool fabric ‘raxa’ imported from Portugal) and are boldly decorated in numerous places with ‘aoi’ (hollyhock) heraldry of the Tokugawa shogunate in gold thread.
Extremely fine embroidery in the form of irises among a ‘yatsu hashi’ (zigzag bridge) adorns the front of the bib and the tails of the jacket. There is little doubt that this set belonged to someone very important in the Tokugawa family.

The helmet is made of leather, gilded heavily on the interior, while the exterior is in the form of a 34 plate ‘hoshi kabuto’ (helmet with standing rivets).

This helmet is covered in the most superb quality ‘shakudo’ mounts in the form of cherry blossom all over the ‘kuwagata-dai’ (holder for the hoe decoration), the five tier ‘tehen kanagu’ (metal work at the top of the bowl) as well as the gilded front and back plates.

Three ‘shinotare’ (arrow shaped applications) decorate the front of the bowl, while two more sit either side of the ‘tsukejirushi no kan’ (small ring for attaching a pennant) at the rear. The ‘shinotare’ are covered with the most delicate ‘nanako’ work, while the ‘tsukejirushi no kan’ is beautifully carved with the hollyhock heraldry of the Tokugawa clan.

Between each of the helmet plates are more ‘shakudo’ applications in the form of clouds and waves each individually carved with their own unique design. The ‘mabisashi’ (peak) and ‘fukigaeshi’ (turn backs) are trimmed in scrolled ‘shakudo’ and decorated with two different patterns of stenciled doe skin. Flamboyant holly hock leaves laced in purple silk give this fabulous helmet even greater visual impact.

Further minutely detailed Tokugawa clan heraldry can be seen both on the turn backs and in a further three places over the ‘kuwagata dai’. The neck area is decorated with gold and black lacquered leather holly hock leaves.

Provenance: Kozu Kobunka Kaikan

Exhibited: Kyoto Cvijet Kulture Japana, Zagreb. MTM 1986                         

Tenrankai ‘Nihon No Iro’, Tokyo Asahi Shinbunsha 1990

Busho No Haresugata, Kyoto Kozu Kobunka Kaikan 1991

Winds From Afar, Kyoto Bunka Hakubutsukan 2001                   

Published: Armures Du Japon, Fondation Kozu, Robert Burawoy 2005

Price: POA 

E-Mail: rwinterjapaneseart@yahoo.co.jp