Details
A red-laced armor with two-piece cuirass (Aka-odoshi Nimai-do gusoku) together with saddle and accessories
Edo period (18th century)
The armor comprising:
Helmet [kabuto]:
a thirty-plate black-lacquered iron riveted helmet (hoshi-bachi), the ridges (suji) with silver edging (fukurin), the aperture at the crown with a five-tier gilt and silver chrysanthemum surround, to the front a broad silver plate deeply engraved with stylized clouds and with three silver and gilt arrow-shaped pendants (shinodare) with a punched 'fish-roe' ground (nanako-ji), to the rear a matching plate with two arrow-shape pendants, the brim (mabisashi) black-lacquered with silver inlaid cloud shapes and with silver edging, silver fore-crest fixture pierced and roundly carved with chrysanthemum leaves and blossoms with central roundel engraved with a crossed hawk's feathers badge (mon), gilt pair of stylized horns (kuwagata), forecrest of a dragon of red and gilt wood, neck guard (shikoro) of four tiers of close-laced black-lacquered individual scales with silver fittings, the two turned-back sections (fukigaeshi) each lacquered black with inlaid silver clouds and gilt sun-discs
Face Mask [menpo]:
Red-lacquered iron lower face mask with detachable nose, bristle moustache, silvered teeth, with attached throat guard (yodarekake) of two tiers
Cuirass [do]:
two-piece cuirass of rows of flexibly-laced individual black-lacquered scales (hon-kozane), the upper part (muna-ita) black-lacquered iron plate with silver-inlaid clouds, two pendant breast shields, that on the left (kyubi-no-ita) of solid plate black-lacquered and with silver inlaid clouds, that on the right (sendan-no-ita) with two tiers of black-lacquered laced scales with silver fittings, both with silver crossed hawk's feathers badge, skirt (kusa-zuri) of seven sections each of five tiers
Sleeves and shoulder guards [kote and sode]:
sleeves of Yoshitsune-gote style (old copy of the National Treasure pair in the Kasuga Shrine once said to have belonged to Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune (1159 - 1189)) with arm, elbow, and hand pieces of silver inlay on a black-lacquered ground, and gilt pieces pierced and carved richly with chrysanthemums, waves, and butterflies, the hand covers with silver hawk's feathers badges, all joined with chain mail and sewn onto embroidered silk, shoulder guards (sode) of six tiers of laced scales with silver fittings and silver crossed hawk's feathers badges
Thigh and lower leg guards [haidate and suneate]:
thigh guards of linked rectangular black-lacquered plates sewn onto embroidered silk with dyed-leather reinforcing, lower leg guards of black-lacquered iron joined plates fitting around the leg and rising over the knees, the interiors gold-lacquered
Armor Box [yoroi-hitsu]: lacquered box with worn red leather covering on which large gilt crossed hawk's feather badges
Accessories:
a war fan (gunpai) lacquered red with gold-lacquered sun discs: a folding war fan (gunsen) with a red sun disc on a gold ground with gold lacquer (makie) hawk's feather badge in its paulownia box: a command baton (saihai) of bunched paper strips on a black lacquered wood shaft with the crossed hawk's feathers badge in its box with silver fitting engraved with leafy scrolling: a further command baton of gold-lacquered paper strips on a black-lacquered wood shaft in its box dated to an auspicious day in the ninth month 1668: two woven silk straps (tasuki) with the triple-hollyhock leaf badge of the Tokugawa shogun family: three silk cords: an armor surcoat (jinbaori) of white wool (rasha) with applied red wool phoenix and peonies, the lining of red silk richly embroidered with colored floral motifs, the long broad lapels blue embroidered with large colored flowers, the collar and epaulettes armored with small hexagonal iron inserts: saddle covered with grey lacquered embossed leather with several gilt crossed hawk's feather badges, red-lacquered leather cushioned seat (basen) and stirrup straps, leather under-saddle sheet (kiritsuke) and side saddle flaps (aori), with iron bit (kutsuwa) and complete decorative strapping, on its wooden mounting: a shell-inlaid lacquered wood ladle: a horseman's staff bound with lacquered black and red with rattan and bamboo strip
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