Japanese master
A Green-laced Gomaido Gusoku
Edo period (18th-19th century)
Helmet [kabuto]:
The sixteen-plate hoshi bachi kabuto (“star bowl,”alluding to the protruding rivets) of rounded form, with elaborate gilt and copper hachimanza (decorative fixture at the central aperture) of five-tier, with gilt shinodare (four sets of pendant arrow shaped decorative pieces), and with incised copper edging, with gilt kuwagata-dai (fixture for two gilt horns) incised with arabesque design and support for the maedate (fore-crest) of silver patinated bronze gachirin (full moon)
Neck guard [shikoro]:
The round ita-jikoro (single plate neck guardsimulating rows of scales) of five-tier yahazuzane (arrow nock shapedscales) of lacquered iron plates wrapped in metal foil, laced in green withorange hishi-nui (decorative cross-knots) around the lower two tiers,the large fukigaeshi (turn-backs) clad with leather
Face mask [menpo]:
The black lacquered iron okina-men (facemask formedto resemble the face of an old man) with detachable nose and bushy longmoustache, the mouth wide open with red lips and gilded teeth, red lacqueredinterior, applied with the ase-nagashi (sweat hole) and odayori nokugi (cord hooks) under the chin, with two-tier yodarekake (bib) oflacquered iron itazane (single plate scales) wrapped in metal foil
Cuirass [do]:
The black lacquered iron gomai yokohagi okegawa do (five-piece rigid cuirass of horizontal construction) with the tate-age (upper part) with two tiers of itazane with green lacing, decorated ingold lacquer with a seated arhat and dragon on the front side and Fudo Myo-o (Acala)and Aizen Myo-o (Ragaraja) on the reverse, the shoulder section fitted with shojino ita and 3-tier kobire (small shoulder pieces) of brigandine, applied with gyoyo (breast pendants) of leather-clad andadditional sendan no ita and kyubi no ita, the eight kusazuri (skirt) in five tiers of yahazuzane (arrow nock shaped scales) of lacquered iron plates wrapped in metal foil, manchira (mantle-shoulder covering)
Sleeves and shoulder guards [kote and sode]:
The iron sanbon tsutsugote (sleeves) with gilt butterfly hinges, hiro-sode (wide shoulder guards) matching the neckguard and skirt
Thigh protector and lower leg guards [haidate and sune-ate]:
The itahaidate with gold lacquered iron plates, the black lacquered iron otateage suneate (lower leg guards ofthree vertical plates with the large size knee protection) with gilt butterfly hinges, black lacquered iron kogake (foot guards)
Accessories:
The saihai (paper signal baton) and black lacqueredgunsen (war fan) with a sun, a sashimono (personal flag) with acharacter of ichi (one), two wooded armor storage boxes
Provenance:
Hasegawa Kisaburo, Yamagata Prefecture
Private collection, Zürich, Switzerland
Bibliography:
Yamagata shi kyoiku iinkai, Yoroi kabuto ten (Armour, helmet exhibition) (Yamagata shi kyoiku iinkai, 1957), pp 13.
Exhibitions:
“Yoroi kabuto ten” (Armour, helmet exhibition), Marukyu department store, Yamagata City, 23 May-2 July 1957