THE BOWL SIGNED TOYOHARA SADAO, MUROMACHI PERIOD (1ST HALF OF THE 16TH CENTURY), THE REST EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)

Details

A BAMEN KOBOSHIBACHI [HELMET WITH SMALL STANDING RIVETS]
The Bowl signed Toyohara Sadao, Muromachi Period (1st Half of the 16th Century), the rest Edo Period (18th century)
A black-lacquered sixty-four-plate koboshi-bachi [helmet bowl with small standing rivets] of typical Tenkokuzan form, the small pointed rivets on each plate decreasing in size towards the top and arranged so as to leave a small four-lobed space around the vestigial tehen [hole at the top of the bowl], signed Echizen no kuni Toyohara Sadao [Toyohara Sadao of Echizen province] on the lower edge of the plates outlined in red lacquer, the black-lacquered tosei-mabisashi [peak] with gold lacquered mon [crests] repeated on the similarly treated fukigaeshi [turnbacks to the neck-guard], the five-lame black-lacquered Hineno-jikoro [close fitting neck-guard] of kiritsuke-kozane [imitation lamellae] with dark blue kebiki-odoshi [close lacing], with an assiociated maedate [forecrest] of gold-lacquered wood antlers

Literature

Illustrated: L'art Guerrier au Japon, Samourai (Paris, 1987), p. 67, no. 31

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Sadao is generally regarded as being the earliest recorded member of the rather obscure Bamen group of armourers. Although the signature does not include the name Bamen, the helmet is typical of the school=s work.

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