Armor with six-section russet iron cuirass

EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)

Details

Armor with six-section russet iron cuirass
Edo period (18th century)
The armor comprising:

Helmet [kabuto]:
a sixteen plate russet -iron ridged helmet bowl, six-tier copper alloy and gilt surround to the aperture at the crown, riveted iron brim with attached fore-crest fixture, gilt fore-crest of a gilt grimacing beast, three-tiered black-lacquered iron sheet neck-guard, the turn-back portions with lower section lacquered black and with red cross-knotting, the upper section clad with dyed leather with black copper and gold alloy (shakudo) edging and with applied family badges of wood sorrel

Face Mask [menpo]:
A sharply modeled russet iron face mask with detachable nose signed Toshu (no) ju Myochin Oe, three-tiered black-lacquered iron plate throat guard laced with blue and with red cross-knotting matching the neck guard

Cuirass [do]:
two-piece russet iron riveted cuirass, front and rear pieces each of three hinged sections, the upper breast, under-arm, and upper back portions clad with dyed leather, black copper alloy fittings pierced with scrolling and with gilt wood sorrel badges, two pendant breast shields, that on the left with a cusped profile at the top, and dyed leather with black alloy edging, that on the right with upper portion matching the left, and with three tiers of laced black-lacquered plate, both with applied wood sorrel badge, skirt of seven sections each of five tiers of black-lacquered plate with matching blue lacing and with red cross-knotting on the lower tier affixed to blue silk embroidered with blossoms and fish among waves

Sleeves and shoulder guards [kote and sode]:
shoulder guards of russet iron plate embossed with encircled dragons, signed Toshu (no) ju Myochin Oe Ki (no) Muneyasu, the upper sections clad with dyed leather each having three black alloy fixtures with gilt wood sorrel badges, and an upper central black alloy wood sorrel badge, and each with three laced black-lacquered plates matching the other components: sleeves with close linked black-lacquered iron rectangular plates on the upper arms, and with hinged plates following the profile of the lower arm with separate hand covers

Thigh and lower leg guards [haidate and suneate]:
Thigh guard of close-laced overlapping rectangular scales of russet iron with fish and waves matching the skirt: lower leg guards of laced russet iron plate on textile with gilt leather, the rising gilt knee sections with brigandine-type iron hexagonal inserts

Accessories:
A command baton (saihai) of paper strips on a black-lacquered haft with engraved silver fitting; An armor belt of red and gold-embroidered silk

Lot Essay

Oe Muneyasu, the maker of this armor, was retained by the Yamanouchi clan, and was the founder of the Myochin school in Tosa province in the mid-Edo period. The style of the cuirass is a development of the yuki-no-shita do, devised by the Myochin armorers and favored by the daimyo of Sendai, Daté Masamune (1567-1636). The signature of the maker Muneyasu is found one of the shoulder guards.

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