The bowl of this kabuto is constructed from 62 iron plates, with a five tiered shikoro laced in blue and decorated with a maedate of an inome (boar’s eye) with gilded copper kuwagata and kamon depicting three fans, maruni mitsu ōgi (丸に三ツ扇), which was considered to ward off evil spirits. This kamon is very popular and has many variations, it was mostly used in the Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Shikoku regions of Japan.

The kabuto signed by Masanobu Saku, a well-known armourer active in present-day Nara Prefecture in the mid-Edo period, and a master craftsman who has left behind a variety of fine works that demonstrate an elaborate and precise range of work. The helmet has been awarded Tokubetsu Kicho Siryo token from the The Association for the Research and Preservation of Japanese Helmets and Armor.

Provenance:
Private collection, Japan
Private collection, Zürich, Switzerland