This samurai suit of armor represents a significant example of Edo period (1615-1868) martial craftsmanship, created by the master armorer Neo Yasumasa of the Neo School. The armor features a sujibachi kabuto (helmet) constructed from one hundred twenty iron plates with raised ridges, bearing the signature of Neo Yasumasa on its interior. The helmet terminates in a five-stage gilt tehen kanamono (decorative finial) that rises from a reticulated roundel adorned with kiku (chrysanthemum) blossoms on scrolling vines. The mabisashi (visor) and fukigaeshi (side flaps) are crafted with printed leather and fitted with ornamental appliqués, with the fukigaeshi displaying the gilt sagarifuji (falling wisteria) mon, the emblem associated with the Fujiwara clan, worked in nanako (granulated) technique. The helmet is crowned by a gold and red-lacquered wooden maedate (frontal crest) carved as a dragon, flanked by kuwagata (stylized antlers), positioned above a four-lame jikoro (neck guard).

The iron menpo (face mask) is cast and forged in two sections with a removable nose plate positioned above a short mustache and articulated ears. The lips are lacquered red, and the cheeks feature deeply embossed wrinkles with bent anchoring posts. The mask is laced with a four-lame yodarekake (throat guard). The do (cuirass) is adorned with a large gilt-metal dragon roundel at its center, above seven detachable five-lame kusazuri (skirt sections), while the back features a large age’maki (decorative tassel) attached to matching cord rings. The armor is complete with a pair of six-lame sode (shoulder guards) fitted with kiku-appliqués and cord-rings, a pair of haidate (thigh guards), iron and kusari (chain mail) kote (sleeve armor) and tekko (hand guards) bearing the omodakka crest on the knuckles, iron suneate (shin guards), kegutsu (armored shoes), and a saihai commander’s baton.

The 120-plate sujibachi kabuto exemplifies the highest level of Japanese helmet craftsmanship. Each narrow iron plate had to be precisely forged, shaped, and fitted together in a conical design with raised ridges for structural integrity. The production process required the smith to individually forge each plate and assemble them with perfect alignment. This demanding technique, requiring exceptional skill and patience, made such helmets particularly prestigious among the samurai elite.

The Neo School was a group of armourers active between the late Momoyama and early Tokugawa periods, based in the Neo River basin of Mino province. While less extensively documented than some other armor-making lineages, the Neo School produced high-quality armor for elite samurai. Neo Yasumasa, like other Neo School smiths, would have been working during a transitional period in Japanese military history, when armor was evolving from purely functional battlefield equipment to include more ceremonial and status-signifying elements, particularly during the relatively peaceful Edo period.

The Fujiwara clan, whose mon appears prominently on this armor, was one of the most influential families in Japanese history. Originating when Nakatomi no Kamatari (614-669) received the honorific “Fujiwara” after helping eliminate the rival Soga clan, they rose to dominate Japanese politics throughout the Heian period (794-1185). The Fujiwara established their power through strategic marriages with the imperial family and held hereditary positions as regents to emperors. They were the first non-royal family to serve as Sesshō (regents for minor emperors) and Kampaku (advisors to adult emperors). Though their political influence declined after the 12th century with the rise of military clans, the Fujiwara continued to hold significant court positions until the Meiji era and left an indelible mark on Japanese culture as patrons of arts and literature during what is considered a golden age of Japanese artistic refinement.