A hotoke-do gusoku [armour] | Edo period, 18th century, the helmet 17th century

The Property of a European Collector

A hotoke-do gusoku [armour]

Edo period, 18^th century, the helmet 17^th century

the seventeenth century iron helmet of sixty-two plates with raised ridges, terminating into a shakudo and copper-gilt five-stage tehen kanamono of chrysanthemum form, leather mabisashi [peak] and fukigaeshi [turnbacks], the turnbacks applied with mitsudomoe mon [triple tomoe crests], the two-tiered shikoro with kebiki odoshi [close-spaced lacing] in green braid, the russet iron mempo with detachable nose plate and open mouth, red lacquer upper lip and silver lacquer teeth, red lacquer interior, the four-tier yodaregake [throat protector] with kebiki odoshi [close-laced] in green braid, the pigeon-breasted do [cuirass] hinged in two pieces, decorated in gold and silver hiramaki-e on a black ground with a pair of three-clawed dragons facing one another amongst smoke and clouds, the broad six-tiered o-sode [large shoulder guards] constructed in honkozane [true lamellae] and leather, Muromachi period, 16^th century, chainmail kote [sleeves], seven tassets of five-tiered kusazuri [skirt], later, the underskirt in pale green and gold brocade with three further tassets of three-tiered lacquer plates, all components with mistudomoe fuji mon, bishamon suneate [shin guards], with an armour storage box and modern armour stand