Yoroi - Metallo laccato - Samurai - Important black lacquered suit-of-armour with beautiful butterfly shaped maedate - Giappone - Periodo Edo (1600-1868)

Important black lacquered suit-of-armour with dark blue cords and a two-piece cuirass (kuro’urushinuri kon’ito nimaido tosei gosoku).

A thirty-two-plate iron sujikabuto helmet with small black lacquered fukikaeshi, four neck-guards (shikoro) and in front a large pair kuwagata-antlers with in the middle a maedate in the shape of a gilded wooden butterfly with spread wings. A black facial mask of an angry looking old man with a white moustache (resseibo) from which hangs a small four-piece gorget (nodowa). The shoulders are protected by seven-piece sode and the arms with Japanese mail and gilded gourd pieces over dark grey coloured brocade (fukubekote).

Two-piece cuirass with horizontal itazane-plates vertically laced with dark blue cords (nimaido) and from the cuirass hangs a seldom seen removable six-part four-piece kusazuri-skirt. At the back is a hook. The haidate that protect the upper legs have Japanese mail with a central metal “wheel” that has eight “arrow feather” spikes over brocade. The suneate that protect the lower legs show vertical metal pieces (shinosuneate). In a box for a suit-of-armour decorated in gold makie-lacquer with a hexagonal crest with an octagon inside (rokkaku ni gangikaku mon).

It is known that Today Ujikane (1576-1655) (who fought at the battle of Sekigahara under Tokugawa Ieyasu and who became later the owner of Ogaki-castle) and all his descendants used a large gilded butterfly as a maedate on their helmet. The butterfly symbolizes the evanescence of the life of the bushi who’s only guideline for life was honour and loyalty.

Edo period.
When shipped we will add certificate of authenticity.

Stand is included.