A VERY FINE DAIMYO QUALITY QUIVER (UTSUBO) complete with a pair of matching bows and a set of twenty-five arrows with a display screen, the body of the quiver covered with white wild boar fur, the interior partly lined in gilt leather, the leather cover partly gold lacquered with foliage and Date mon, the interior brocade lined and with fitted gilt leather pocket, the bows with their brown lacquer wood mounting, gold karakusa, mon,and heavy shakudo mounts (see illustration detail), 17th century; twenty-one arrows fletched with hawk feathers and mounted with armour piercing heads, each 91.5cm., four arrows fletched with hawks tail feathers, each 93.6cm., the wood screen with silver nanako mounts, the hinges formed as arrow feathers, a leather arm guard (damaged), archer's glove and a Ming style jade archer's ring

Details

A VERY FINE DAIMYO QUALITY QUIVER (UTSUBO) complete with a pair of matching bows and a set of twenty-five arrows with a display screen, the body of the quiver covered with white wild boar fur, the interior partly lined in gilt leather, the leather cover partly gold lacquered with foliage and Date mon, the interior brocade lined and with fitted gilt leather pocket, the bows with their brown lacquer wood mounting, gold karakusa, mon,and heavy shakudo mounts (see illustration detail), 17th century; twenty-one arrows fletched with hawk feathers and mounted with armour piercing heads, each 91.5cm., four arrows fletched with hawks tail feathers, each 93.6cm., the wood screen with silver nanako mounts, the hinges formed as arrow feathers, a leather arm guard (damaged), archer's glove and a Ming style jade archer's ring

Lot Essay

The Date mon is of bamboo and sparrows (Sendai zasa mon). The Date family was daimyo of Sendai in Mutsu province from 1601 with a revenue of 620,000 koku of rice.

Once a powerful weapon for the ancient warrior in the Kamakura period, archery was a requisite skill for all high ranking warriors. It was relegated by the end of the Muromachi period to a secondary status by the arrival of large units of foot soldiers. It remained part of the martial training of senior samurai through the Edo period. This set has extremely fine shakudo mounts (see detail) and was obviously made for a daimyo. The elegant bows are made of bamboo and wood for tension and flexibility

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