Age puzzle re kabuto

[Bugyotsuji]

Recently I part-purchased part-swapped a battered and rusty Kabuto for use in matchlock displays.

 

(The one I had was an Edo adaptation of a Zunari helmet, covering the steel with black urushi and neri to give the impression of 32 ken suji. It was pretty to look at but a bit small and did not really pass the age test.)

 

This recent purchase is either a pre-teppo Muromachi Ushiro-kachiyama (Akoda style) hachi, or an Edo replica. Which, I wonder?

 

The person who sold it to me said that although the shikoro looks to be a later addition, the hachi itself is quite light and made of extremely thin plates, indicating an ignorance of guns and bullets. In addition it has Higaki around it.

 

I can attest to the thinness of the steel. While cleaning it I knocked a hole through the mabisashi. The oval flake of iron is thinner than my little finger nail. The photos below show the helmet after someone else's cleanup job, and then following criticism of its dry and listless look, after my clean.

[Justin Grant]

What did you clean it with? Ian told me to mix White Spirits (Mineral Spirits) and Boiled Linseed Oil in 50/50 mix. It works great and leaves a nice semi gloss on the sabiji areas.

[Luc T]

First impression: late muromachi Soshu Myochin.

but, the shiten no byo aren't on the same plates left and right front??

do you have a picture of the koshimaki on the inside of the kabuto?

[Bugyotsuji]

Justin, I used a bone spatula to prise off the loose rust flakes and a damp towel to mop off the rust dust. Later, when dry, I applied olive oil and then rubbed repeatedly with a soft linen cloth. Now I am tempted to go back and use Ian's bubbling cauldron mix...

 

AU60, Luc, you are quite right about the odd placement of the shiten no byo! I never noticed. Strange. Will have a look to see if I can get a shot of the inside of the koshimaki. The inside has been relined. The underneath of the very thin mabisashi is moonscape tetsu sabiji.

[Shogun8]

First impression: late muromachi Soshu Myochin.

but, the shiten no byo aren't on the same plates left and right front??

do you have a picture of the koshimaki on the inside of the kabuto?

 

Really bizarre. Also, there seems to be too much space between the shiten no byo and the hibiki no ana. Maybe these were later additions?

[Justin Grant]

Hey guys, can you elaborate on your statements, I would like to understand what you see and why.

 

Thanks

 

Justin

[Shogun8]

Hey guys, can you elaborate on your statements, I would like to understand what you see and why.

 

Thanks

 

Justin

 

Hey Justin,

 

If you look at the front view, you can see that the shiten no byo (the long protruding rivets) and the hibiki no ana (the holes underneath the shiten no byo) are not on the same corresponding plates from the front central plate (i.e. they don't mirror each other). No self-respecting Japanese armourer would ever do that. Also, the distance between the shiten no byo and the hibiki no ana seems too great - they're usually much closer together.

[Justin Grant]

Thank you, what would be the reason for such a thing? Are you saying this might be a moderisn item?

 

Hope for Piers sake that is not the case.

 

Justin

[Shogun8]

Thank you, what would be the reason for such a thing? Are you saying this might be a moderisn item?

 

Hope for Piers sake that is not the case.

 

Justin

 

I think the hachi itself looks fine, but it's my suggestion that the shiten no byo and the hibiki no ana were added later. I can think of no other reason why they would not be located on the proper plates.

 

Perhaps Ian, Luc or some of the other experts may have a theory about this.

[IanB]

Whilst I think the hachi as such is fine (although it may have been lacquered originally) I do have a suspicion it has seen quite a few changes since its inception. To my eyes the peak and haraidate look as if they have been added. The haraidate in particular is too long to fit - positioning the large soft metal rivet being positioned up through the base of the helmet itself rather that through the koshimaki. Similarly the rivets on either side seem a little low unless the koshimaki is very deep over the brow. I also feel the raised edges to the shikoro plates and fukigayeshi are just a bit too prominent and the corners of the intermediate plates too rounded. Clearly the shikoro has been added - see the two soft-metal rivets behind the fukigayeshi instead of just one, the other two holes taking the loop for the helmet cord.

Ian Bottomley

[estcrh]

For anyone who does not understand the exact nature of this discussion, normally all parts of the kabuto would be symmetrical, in this case the two protruding rivets (shiten no byo) are not exactly opposite to each other, the one on the left has one plate between it and the center of the kabuto while the one on the right has two plates between it and the center, this is not something you would normally see on any kabuto. perhaps there was damage to the area that would have necessitated moving the location of the shiten no byo, if so then viewing the inside of the kabuto might show this, otherwise I can can not think of any reason for the miss matched spacing.

 

Shiten no byo: Vestigial rivets applied as decoration to helmets.

 

Hibiki no ana: Name of the four holes on some multiplate helmets below the shiten-no-byô. Holes in a helmet bowl originally for attaching a helmet cord but later decoration.

 

Haraidate:Tubular crest holder attached centrally to the peak of a helmet.

[Bugyotsuji]

Many thanks Ian and others for the further thoughts. Many hachi were adapted again and again for later generations, so combined with the newer Fukigaeshi and Shikoro, this theory fits well. There are two further people I am planning to consult, and with luck I hope to be able to confirm or further embellish the fascinating ideas that have appeared above so far. I wore it yesterday for four hours at a Matsuri over on the San-In coast - two matchlock demonstrations and a 4 km footdragging Gyoretsu - and it was generally well received by our 25-odd members. I have hung a Shirushi from the agemaki-no-kan at the back which may have diverted people's attention...

 

What is strange is that Japanese artisans do not usually make mistakes like this. Could it really have been a mistake? Or was it deliberate, and if so, why on earth?

 

Soaked in sweat, my armour is Fabrezed and slowly drying off at home right now.

[Luc T]

maybe this was done to fit a special maedate..? do you have a picture of the koshimaki?

[IanB]

Since the hibiki no ana and the shiten no byo are essentially decorative, they could have just as well have been left off rather than being positioned in odd positions. The only use I have heard claimed for them was for a kind of 'rain cover' tied over the tehen kanamono through the loops of braid that are fitted through the hibiki no ana - I even have grave doubts about that. In my view they are just anachronistic survivors that were added because 'we have always done things that way' - like the ring at the back of most helmets that were originally for a jirushi but ending up being something to hang a decorative agemaki bow from.

 

Ian Bottomley

[Bugyotsuji]

maybe this was done to fit a special maedate..? do you have a picture of the koshimaki?

Luc, you have had to ask twice. Apologies. I will go home now and see if I can get a differently-angled shot for you.

 

(Just gave a talk on Teppo, Teppo-tai and Japanese culture at one of the area Rotary Club luncheons. Lots of exchanging of name cards. Decorated a draped side table with guns, artefacts and hand-outs. Generally well received.)

[Bugyotsuji]

Hmmmm..... Almost everything is covered with leather, but you can just see a window of rust underneath in the following shots.

 

Try to imagine the camera angle where I have shot under/behind the Fukigaeshi, between the hachi and the Shikoro.

 

In an external shot you can see two small holes through the Higaki, indicating a previous life? I cannot see any evidence that it was once covered in lacquer, Ian, although the thought had also crossed my mind; I have tried to show the layers of packed rust behind the Higaki.

 

I have included a shot of the helmet from behind with the Shirushi hanging from the rear Kan.

[Bugyotsuji]

A few more close-up shots for reference. The Shiten-no-Byo seem to have silvered tips.

[IanB]

Piers, Oh dear. As I suspected the shikoro is a modern fabrication. Where the fukigayeshi is riveted to the upper lame would, on an old shikoro, be levelled off with filler. Here the junction has been simply painted over. Again the bead around the plates of the shikoro are just too prominent and look wrong. I am also sorry to say I don't believe the shiten no byo. They would normally be iron not brass and would have a carefully rounded outer end, not the series of flats from either a file or the riveting. On a Muromachi helmet the fukurin covering the suji and the igaki (higaki?) at the base of each plate would be made as one unit. Here the igaki look separate from the fukurin. I'm sorry to have to say there has been considerable 'refurbishing' going on with this helmet.

Ian Bottomley

[Bugyotsuji]

Not at all, Ian. Many thanks for your insights. I always like to delve deeper and discover things. It's all grist to the mill.

 

Actually I feel better now as I have had a difficult balancing problem with Katchu. If I wear modern stuff the audience picks up on it; once there were some sneering drunks who laughed and said it was all fake.

 

Then I bought a set of genuine Iyo-renzan Iyo-zane armour at vast personal expense, but soon discovered that I was hitting and chipping it every time I wore it. Bunkazai hakai... destruction of cultural material. Then I sold it and got some nice Sode and Sune-ate, but these two suffer in the luggage each time they get transported, and again, when I wear them, banging against other stuff. Gradually I have moved back to displaying the good stuff at home and wearing the Kyushu repro stuff as I don't have to worry about it. This helmet is maybe my fifth or sixth attempt at getting something that combines the two worlds, it looks the part but won't break the bank if the Shikoro gets bumped. Every so often I can wear the remaining lacquered toppai if I promise myself to treat it delicately.

 

[IanB]

Piers, A very sensible approach. We have to remember that all real armour is now at least 160 years old and in many cases much older than that. It is our responsibility to preserve what remains as best we can.

Ian

[Bugyotsuji]

Ian, this continues to be a steep learning curve for me. Armour was always a bit of a puzzle, but I am starting to 'see' things that I would have missed completely. This thread has helped me focus on what is important for determining the age of a Kabuto. It has cost me the price of one Kabuto, but this has been, as they say in Japan, Jugyo-ryo, or school fees.

[Bugyotsuji]

So many interesting thread updates, many of which I would like to comment on, but time requires economy. One step at a time! :|

 

Just for those who were following this thread about the odd Kabuto, I showed it to an expert today to get his immediate reactions. He completely backed up what you gentlemen suggested earlier. The decorations and fitments are all later, including the copper Byo and hachimanza. The Higaki should not be pointed like that, and the little studs holding it on are too obvious and wrong. Possibly the hachi is old and was once covered in Urushi, he conceded. He almost tore at the Ukebari with his fingers in frustration, needing to be able to see the inner surface, but it has been glued in so perfectly that it is almost impossible to peek behind.

 

He also pointed out that often you can see things in photographs that are not necessarily apparent or obvious to the naked eye, such as changes in the color/colour of the rust etc. (The lop-sided Shiten-no-byo was a good spot though!)

 

He also agreed that it is a good choice of helmet for me to wear for reinactments as it looks good to the casual eye and there is no need to be overly concerned about collateral damage and it only cost me 1,200 USD. I like it because this one is not too heavy; several hours of wearing Kabuto always give me a stiff neck and aching shoulders. I wore it for three and a half hours today in Shikoku, walking for over a kilometer in the process. Many people in the crowd reached out to slap my hand in a high five and some shouted "Kakko-ii"!!!

[DaveT]

Why should wearing reproduction armour be an issue for re-enactment? You said the guys were drunk, ignore or shoot them I'd say.

The Soma guys wear real armour, but 99% of the outer festival goers wear modern.

 

Backing up what Ian said, you can normally always spot a modern shikoro due to the edging. It would be good practice for new collectors to hunt through the websites where you can find modern suits. Study them, as they are produced en-mass, get to know whats on the market.

 

Here's a modern one I spotted today on Yahoo.

 

Saying that some reproductions are getting toward 50yrs old, they are pretty good, and again can fool ya. There's no way to tell unless you have handled lots of original armour, of have someone like Ian to point it out.

[Bugyotsuji]

Hi Dave, many thanks for the thoughts. Most of our members wear real armour so I do get to see and handle a lot of old armour on a pretty regular basis, so I am learning over the years in a passive sort of way, but some of the in-between stuff fools the old eye. When and by whom and for what purpose was the work undertaken? Updating of old armour, incorporation of old bits into new sets must have been done all down the line.

 

As you say many of the 'outer festival goers' wear bright and colourful repro, but I hope I do not look like them. My Dou is a rusty-looking Kyushu repro as I can't find anything large enough for my tummy, but the Toppai Kabuto and Maedate, my Sangu: Nodowa, Kote, Sune-ate and my Sode and Haidate and guns are genuine period pieces. I have repro back-up bits which I sort of alternate with the real bits in an attempt to thin out the damage, but the other members accuse me of being too precious about it. It's a difficult line to walk. Perhaps I need to find bits of armour that are almost beyond anyone's saving, or not worth the expense, and do them up to the point where they are wearable and to some extent they will owe me a new life. Some Teppo-tai members do just that and they are surprisingly creative. Maybe I just need a thicker skin one way or the other.

 

Next Sunday we will do two full demos at the Daimyo Gyoretsu in Yakage. Streets just wide enough for two Jinrikisha to pass, where the crowd can see every wrinkle. I have just decided to wear all the good bits!!!

 

PS There is a body of old-looking armour out there in the shops and auction rooms that was made for some famous old movie sets many years ago. I am wondering if my recent Higaki Suji-Kabuto acquisition above might not be one of these. (?)

[DaveT]

I like the idea of you obtaining rough stuff and putting a quasi-gusoku together. That would look cool.

As for the reproductions, have no idea, they still make them today for collectors? I guess most end up in NHK drama's, board rooms, martial arts dojo and restaurants as display items.

 

As for looking rusty, buy a nerigawa one lol. Most armour looks old because it is, if the theme is that of a lengthy campaign it's going to look used and lived in. But as armour was really expensive I'm sure it would had never been allowed to look like a bag of shite with a rope tied through the middle.

 

As for the kabuto? Sorry I've no idea. I'm sure there are few enthusiastic dealers who get rather creative on shoju and create these things.

[Bugyotsuji]

The rusty Do looks good from a distance. It doesn't actually shut on the right, so I have a section of stiff brown leather there to cover the gap where my Hitatare shows through. Pulling hard I can tie the string, but the Do always looks twisted.

 

The other day I lost the long pin that slides down through the hinges on the left. Probably dropped it in the changing area under the castle walls. This has become a blessing since the front of the Do now fits straight, unconnected on both sides. It hangs straight down, and I can tie it together round the bottom edge.

 

As to the declaration above that I will wear all my best bits on Sunday, I lied.

 

The weather forecast is rain!!! Nothing worse than showing the crowds you can still fire matchlocks even in wet weather...