AN UCHIDASHI DO | Christie's

Of all the many products of Japan that have caught the imagination of the enthusiast and collector, armour has always been something of a poor relation. There are a number of possible reasons but foremost is perhaps the comparative scarcity of examples when compared to say swords or tsuba. The rare occurance of a group of examples such as are to be sold in this sale offer a splendid opportunity to see and examine a range of styles. It is perhaps this wide diversity of styles and types that make the study of Japanese armour so interesting. The long use of armour in Japan, its steady development from the Dolman to the Muromachi periods, the dramatic changes in the Momoyama and finely the continued use through the comparative peace of the Edo period have led to an infinite variety of styles and variations. The traditional re-use of early pieces in later suits, the mixture of outstanding features from different periods and latterly the fine copies of earlier styles all add to the interest of the collector. Although the earlier examples are necessarily rare and sought after, the armour of the Edo period often surpasses them in quality of manufacture. The later armourers working in a time of comparative peace had time to perfect their art and some superb examples of the armourers craft were produced during this period. The materials used in the construction of armour are numerous, iron of course for helmets, masks and cuirasses and on sleeves, thigh and shinguards and for mail, leather lamellae, plates and sometimes for helmets and masks or in thin sheets covering plates or as decorative printed doeskin. Lacquer was used as a protective covering usually in black or to make a bold statement in gold or silver. The fabrics used varied from simple hemp cloth to rich silk brocades for sleeves, thigh and shinguards and of course the silk lacing which in colour can range from the most common and durable dark blue through almost the whole spectrum. Lastly, the soft metal mounts which were both functional and decorative, can be in simple copper or gilded copper, the copper alloys shakudo and shibuichi or on occassions, solid silver. The earliest workshops would produce an armour in its entirety but in later times, specialisation took over and experts were employed in each field. There was little or no control over the design or mounting of armour except the pocket of the wearer and the skill and imagination of the armourer. Some families traditionally wore a certain colour of lacing or lacquer or affected particular crest designs but apart from these when the finance was available the skills of the armourer knew no bounds. The craftsmen executed the demands of their patrons, from fine quality armour tastefully mounted to wonderful extremes in helmet shapes and crest designs, combinations of styles and lavish ornamentation. This individuality of armour is perhaps its most exciting aspect, with the exception of what can be termed munition armours made for foot soldiers of the lowest ranks most other armours were individually made and almost every armour examined has the ability to thrill the student with some unusual and often idiosyncratic feature. Viewed in its entirety, an armour can be an impressive object but examined in detail it is a fine example of the combined efforts of a group of artist craftsmen. John Anderson

AN UCHIDASHI DO

細節

AN UCHIDASHI DO
Mid Edo period

Helmet of three-plate Hineno form with the bonji character for Fudo embossed on the front with a crest (maedate) of a crescent, the neck guard (Hineno jikoro) black lacquered and laced with red sugake odoshi; mempo of russet iron with hair moustache, black lacquered itamono throat guard (yodarekake) laced in dark blue (kon ito) odoshi; repousse cuirass (uchidashi do) of vertical five-piece (tatehagi go mai) construction, the front plate embossed with the figure of Fudo; the blue lacquered hip guards (kusazuri) of itamono type, laced kon ito odoshi; tubular armoured sleeves (tsutsu gote) in russet iron with decoration of dragonflies in gold and silver nunomezogan; uchidashi thigh protectors (haidate), each side of one plate heavily embossed with dragons amongst clouds; and tubular shinguards (tsutsu suneate) russet iron decorated with dragonflies in gold and silver nunomezogan, 18th century

拍品專文

The half mask (mempo) and cuirass (do) match each other as do the armoured sleeves (kote), the thigh guards (haidate) and the shinguards (suneate)

A similar helmet illustrated in Japanese Arms and Armour, Arms and Armour Press, pl. 32