IanB

All, I have taken the plunge and started a new study group on Facebook dedicated to the serious study of Japanese Armour. It is called 'The Japanese Armour Study Group' - not terribly original I know but I hope it will prove accurate, especially with regard to STUDYING,. All of the katchu enthusiasts here and elsewhere are invited to contribute. Hope to see you there. Ian Bottomley

By far the best source on the Saotome is Dr. Orikasa who did a considerable amount of work on their origins and subsequent work, but concentrating on their helmets rather than tsuba. He did produce an English version titled 'Studies on Arms and Armour' if you can find a copy. Ian Bottomley

From what I have gathered, these missiles consisted of a wooden stick which fitted the bore of the gun, extended by a paper tube and a wooden nose cap. The fins were copper. They were filled with hemp rags and gunpowder, the aim being to scatter burning rags over enemy buildings in the hope of starting fires. The problem was getting the fuse right so it didn't go off in the muzzle of the gun, nor after it passed the target. Ian Bottomley

I would suggest the answer is much simpler - it saves having to polish the groove, especially on yari which were low cost weapons. Cutting the groove is dead easy, I have seen it done, but polishing involves specially shaped stones and a lot of hard work polishing the rounded ends. If you look at the grooves on yari where the lacquer is chipped, you will see the metal is very rough underneath. Ian Bottomley

Charles, I once owned a katana with such a pull-out liner, although I never removed it for fear of ever getting it back in. You could see the upper edges of two very thin pieces of wood inside the koiguchi. I suspect you would have to take off the kurikata to get them out. On a similar theme, I once was taken to visit a lacquer company, the man in charge showing me a cabinet of five drawers in which were 3" lengths of wood shaped like half saya, each lacquered in a different way. They were apparently for a samurai to choose his new saya decoration. What I found amusing was that the owner told me very proudly that they had lacquered all the items for the coronation for the Emperor. This involved making a set of the things and sending it to the Imperial Palace for approval. They then made another set for the ceremony, the first set having been contaminated by being handled by mere mortals. Ian Bottomley

An interesting video that covers the basic facts. It is a pity that Mike Loades didn't talk to someone who knew about Japanese warfare of the late Heian period. As we know, theoretically individuals would challenge an opponent and take part in mounted archery duels where the riders rode passed each other in a counter-clockwise elongated loop shooting at each other as they passed. In practice a rider can start shooting when his opponent is to the left of his horse's head and continue until he is to the left- rear of his horse. It is this latter stage that the horo protected the rider as he gained distance from his opponent, fitted another arrow to his bow and wheel about. In reality others would be shooting at them as well and basically it 'covered his back' while he concentrated on what his opponent was doing. It went out of fashion following the Mongol invasions when this stylised mode of combat proved useless against an enemy who didn't play by the rules. It was revived in the late 18th century when there was an antiquarian revival during which no fighting took place and the samurai simply posed about wearing old styles of armour. Obviously unless they were actually galloping about, the horo just hung flat against the back - hence the basket to give the appearance of the warriors they were copying from old paintings. Ian Bottomley

Yes, I'm afraid they do. I first saw such a botch job in a sword shop in the Ginza about 25 years ago. Old saki cups 1000 Yen each - powder flask very much more. Ian Bottomley

Alton, Yes, horo were protection from arrows, billowing out when riding and deflating when struck and absorbing the arrow's energy. They were really a Kamakura / early Muromachi thing. There is one curious image in the book Gun yoki that shows a mounted samurai with the horo over his and his horse's head (?) - don't know what that is about. The illustration you show is labelled Morimoto Gidayu Hidetori and forms one of a series of 50 prints called Taiheiki eiyu den. by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797 - 1861) and hence dating from the period when there was a kind of 'gothic revival' going on and copies of ancient armours and so on were being produced. Not understanding what the horo was really about, they came to the conclusion it must have a frame inside to keep it ballooning out. Ian Bottomley

Alton, It was only during the Edo period that horo were used over a frame of bamboo.Originally it was simply a cloth with the top edge attached to the rear of the shoulder-straps of the armour and the bottom edge to the waist. When galloping it filled with air and ballooned out. The Tokugawa used horo of different colours to identify units or special officers in their forces. Ian Bottomley

Maurice, The inscriptions are religious invocations to shrines and Hachiman Dai Bosatsu, the divinity of war and archery in both Buddhist and Shinto religions. These inscriptions are not uncommon on armour. Ian Bottomley.

Javier, Many thanks for posting that. What it shows is that the Japanese were seriously searching for a means of protecting against bullets, not only in the materials they used, but also in the type of helmet. Zunari kabuto like this are often considered as cheap helmets, but even Tokugawa Ieyasu had two armours, now in Shizuoka fitted with them. The large plates and fewer number of joints between the plates were important factors. Ian Bottomley,

Yes, it looks like it is a ban on sending blades through the post rather than anything else. Ian B

Our outstanding, cultured and far-sighted government are again delving into the area of restrictive legislation on 'blades weapons'. There are exceptions such as fencing foils, but in their eagerness to appear to be seen acting against the idiots using kitchen knives, antique weapons seem to have been overlooked. Ian Bottomley

All, I have had a good few arguments with dear old John Lissenden of fond memory about these intriguing items. I believe that they came to the notice of the Japanese during the invasions of Korea, being brought home as trophies of war. Those that were of that type have the 'seppa dai' of long narrow or of an ornate shape, decorated with waves etc for the simple reason that Chinese swords don't have an habaki and hence would be visible when the word was drawn. Some of these have had hitsu ana put in by the Japanese, sometimes lined with a strip of iron, but obvious since it involved cutting away part of the original design. Being popular, perhaps with people wanting to suggest they had fought in Korea, there is a second type with a more Japanese shaped seppa dai that were made specifically for the Japanese market - possibly in Japan, but just as likely in the Chinese enclave in Nagasaki (or ordered there and made in China). Some of these have hitsu ana some don't. Finally there are those that are blatantly Japanese with normal seppa dai and hitsu ana, retaining only the tendril idea as decoration. Ian Bottomley

Jack, Your helmet is a bit of a hybrid between a regular 8 plate helmet and a pointed or toppai kabuto. The concave peak suggests Haruta work and could well have been made in Kaga who employed only Haruta and independent armourers until 1800. The date could well be late 17th or 18th century it is difficult to determine without a signature. I rather like the mail cape which appears to fasten across the face rather than a regular shikoro. Altogether a very nice helmet - well done. Ian Bottomley

Paul, If you ever want a talk on armour - just ask. Ian Bottomley

I did read Dr. Orikasa's writings, which is why I acknowledged that he deserves to be recognised for all the effort he put into researching the Saotome. I would also add that nowhere in his writings, and I have read them carefully, is their any reference to six generations of Ietada's - only the one. Ian Bottomley Member of NIHON KATCHU BUGU KENKYU HOZON KAI

Fred, Rather conflicting information here. From the outset I must acknowledge the research done by Dr. Orikasa of Tokyo who has written extensively on the Saotome and their origins during which he examined some 200 examples. Only a fraction of his findings is published in the book referred to above. Apart from owning a helmet by Saotome Ietada myself, all that follows is the work of Orikasa. There appears to have been 14 generations of helmet makers who began in the early Edo period and who seem to have been been based in Hitachi province - often adding Joshu in their signatures. Most use the character.家 Ie.. as the first character of their name (which inevitably caused the Myochins to claim they were linked to Myochin Nobuie but without any foundation). Ietada is considered as having been the founder of the group and to have been working during the early decades of the Edo period and he may well have been a ronin who studied helmet making as way of surviving. (I regard the idea that there were 6 generations who signed Ietada as nonsense. If that were true, the accepted 2nd generation Iesada would have a brother called after his father, the third generation with a brother named after his grandfather (and possibly one named after his father) and so on. They would have to have bred like rabbits.) So, your helmet is made by Ietada the founder of a line of helmet makers who turned out high quality products for 14 generations and it dates to about the first 30 years or so of the 17th century. Well done Ian Bottomley

Fred, According to Dr.Orikasa, research into the Saotome armourers is a bit confused with reports of some being made about 1540 and others saying they started in the early Edo period. Dr. Orikasa is convinced they were started in the early Edo by a samurai retainer of the Lord of Shimotsuma Castle who became a ronin and then learned helmet making before starting himself as Ietada. Altogether there were perhaps another 13 generations, almost all using a name starting IE.... Ian Bottomley

You can now buy real urushi that is relatively non-toxic. I suffered in the past but I can use this without any problem whatsoever. Ian Bottomley

I can not anything more. Uwe has said it.except that it looks an extremely fine helmet with a very unusual shikoro. Ian Bottomey

For the weekend at the Japan Day bash in Manchester I took a stag-horn mounted tanto with a drawer for coins instead of a blade. There is one illustrated in the book on Edo tanto koshirae that is identical, except that mine has carved antler feathers as menuki whilst the illustrated one has coins. Ian Bottomley

Thomas, it is by a Bizen Munetsugu who would appear to be a shinto smith hence the rather uncharacteristic shape of the tang. You see so many Bizen blades made in the late 16th C. which have a more parallel tang with a rounded nakago jiri. Ian Bottomley

Jason, They are modern copies and that is what they will always be. You would be better buying a real armour which for $35,000 couldbe really good. Ian Bottomley

Luc, Yes there were some armourers who were highly respected and whose products were much desired, but as a group they were shunned - as people who work in shoe shops today are treated a bit differently. Contrast the vast amount that is recorded about swordsmiths, and who signed their work, with someone like Yoshimichi. What do we really know about him? To be given a Yoshimichi helmet would be an honour - to visit his workshop would be defiling because of the leather and skins there. Ian B