A COMPOSITE ARMOUR

A COMPOSITE ARMOUR
Edo Period (Late 18th Century)
Comprising a good quality iron momonari kabuto [peach shaped helmet] signed Haruta Tokimune with black lacquered leather side crests [wakidate] and a gilt wood sun fore crest [mayedate], five lame black lacquered leather small rounded neckguard [shikoro]; the good quality russet iron cuirass [do] matching the helmet constructed in five sections of horizontal plates with black lacqered hinged shoulder protectors [ko-hire], and pierced to take suspension cords [renjaku], black lacquered leather tassets [kessan] matching the neckguard; a good crisp mask [ryubu men] of russet iron with sharply crested nose, a pair of sleeves [shino gote], the plates overlaid with stylised chrysanthemum motifs, and a pair of shinguards [shino suneate] matching, black lacquered iron curved shoulder guards [chu sode] and an interesting pair of thigh guards [ikada haidate] the top half with small plates set in the mail the lower with a rabbit and waves all in russet iron