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Guess it is “安親作” (Yasuchika saku)…

Hi Marc, haven’t seen this armor before. Seems to be an opulently made haramaki…

Well spotted Colin! There might be a fair chance that the pieces (except the maedate) are/ were Edo period. But it seems that somebody had his hands on it…at least on the lacquer… I won’t dare a reasonable assessment based on these pictures! Hint: Katchū is an exciting field of collecting, but, as with Nihon-tō, it sometimes can be a snake pit for beginners (and for the more educated as well 😉) when it comes to acquire something…

Hi “chopper”, it is a Momonari kabuto (peach shaped helmet). Unfortunately, the pictures saying next to nothing. Black pieces in front of a black background 🫤

Some info! Excerpt from M. Sesko's book: IEHIRA (家平), 1st gen., Kanbun (寛文, 1661-1673), Kaga – “Gashū-jū Fujiwara Shirōbei no Jō Iehira kore o saku” (賀州住藤原四郎兵衛尉家平作之), “Gashū-jū Iehira” (賀州住家平), “Gashū Kanazawa-jū Shirōbei no Jō Fujiwara Iehira” (賀州金沢住四郎兵衛尉藤原家平), second son of the 1st gen. Ietada (家忠), he lived in Kanazawa (金沢) and died in the third year of Tenna (天和, 1683), itame mixed with masame, gunome, hako-midare, sanbonsugi, notare, suguha, chūjō-saku IEHIRA (家平), 2nd gen., Genroku (元禄, 1688-1704), Kaga – “Gashū-jū Fujiwara Iehira” (賀州住藤原家平), “Gashū-jū Fujiwara Iehira saku” (賀州住藤原家平作), he changed his name during the Genroku era to Kunihira (国平), see also entry “KUNIHIRA (国平), 1st gen.”, during his time as 2nd gen. Iehira he signed with a thicker chisel than the 1st gen. and also his hamon is more flamboyant than that of his predecessor, chū-saku

I think it’s “賀州住藤原家平” (Gashū jū Fujiwara Iehira)

I had a quick look, but unfortunately no exact match for both. In case of the bamboo mon I guess there might be a little bit artistical freedom involved... For the second one I couldn't get any closer as seen below: So maybe "武冨" (Taketomi clan, Bungo province)??

I’ll try to figure out something about your two mon!

Hi and welcome Harvey! The pic is indeed out of focus and hard to decipher. My first intention was “両原兼正“ but couldn’t find any reference. So I think I’m wrong…

Yep, “長州住友之” ( Chōshū jū Tomoyuki)…

Not bad for a repro! It’s easy with the sode. You only have to make sure that the kōgai kanamono (ornamental plate at the back center) actually pointing backwards. The only problem is that you have ō-sode attached, so you can’t fasten the cord/ cords on the back of the dō because the agemaki no kan is missing (a device on the upper back of the dō).

Quite nice Alex 👍 Two remarks. One gyoyo is missing and the sode are wrongly attached!

Unfortunately the images are a bit blurry. Can you provide some more detailed pictures please? For the time being, the whole doesn’t look very old to me. Also the embossing of the dō lacks quality…

The one above is called “Migi mitsudomoe” (three right oriented tomoe). The two below are might be “Maru ni karabana” (Chinese flower in a ring)…

That’s a good question, John! Jingasa are the often overlooked stepchildren of the armor family, maybe except the very shiny ones of high quality… Although l guess a lot of collectors will have one or two in their collection, very little was written about the subject. Unfortunately, it seems that I can’t answer your question due to the lack of references. I would be happy to learn whether there is a serious publication dealing with this?! BTW, the second picture looks like a leather piece reinforced with iron parts???

Hi Gary, I think you can’t assign this armor as a lump sum to a certain school. Maybe the individual parts like the helmet, the mask or the kote?! Usually most armors are assembled from parts of different workshops/ schools. The Iwai were known as skilled in this field. On the other hand, there are also exceptions out there. Gusoku which allow conclusions to be drawn about the school or craftsmen…

Guess you are right 👍

Still struggling with the “Mitsu” part on the right…

It might be “吉岡因幡介” (Yoshioka Inaba no Suke).

“奈良利光” (Nara Toshimitsu + kao).

Seems to start with “服部…and ends with…吉謹作” Too late for the middle part this evening 😴

As a wild guess, I would suggest “戸田彦左衛門” (Toda Hikozaemon)…

You can also put some padding into the sleeves (kote) so that they get a more “arm like” shape. Cut two cardboard tubes of about 8-10cm diameter, length normally 20-25cm, and wrap the shin guards (suneate) around. The shoulder guards (sode) are sitting a bit high. That’s probably because the bar of the stand is too long. It should be about 36-38cm… Guess that will enhance your display!

Will be there for the third time… There are several hotels in the proximity of the venue, but you have to book early! Carel V is the most convenient, but quite expensive… Guess I know this collector, Brian

Yes, date (1538) fits for Fusamune… Famous maker if legit! Can you please post some more pictures in the katchū section?