Armor ("Gusoku") with a European-Style Cuirass and Dark Blue Lacing 紺糸威南蛮胴具足こんいとおどしなんばんどうぐそく

Description

This is a cuirass and helmet from a set of Japanese armor. A raised line runs from top to bottom, with the armor tapering sharply in the center. It looks different from our usual image of Japanese armor. Japanese versions of European armor were popular during the Azuchi-Momoyama period in the late 17th century, as were Western-style suits of armor produced in Japan. The bowl of this helmet it thought to have been imported, while the flared white hair is yak fur. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period, presented this set of armor to one of his retainers, Sakakibara Yasumasa, just before the Battle of Sekigahara. This armor has a unique atmosphere compared to others. It certainly conveys this era's trend for eye-catching designs.

This armor was an exotic luxury gift. The samurai warlord who united Japan, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), presented it to one of his most accomplished generals, Sakakibara Yasumasa (1548–1606). The iron breastplate was crafted in Japan in imitation of European armor. The helmet, probably made in Western Europe, is decorated with yak hair, an imported luxury material.