Shogun8

If Uwe is correct about the kabuto being ichimai, then it's even less common than I thought (if it's iron - ichimai in leather is fairly common).

Tyler, This is much more true than a revival armour (which I personally don't like so much), especially when one keeps in mind the fact that true items of battle had parts changed out all the time. Although they may not constitute a matching gusoku, all of the components are proper and give a good sense of battle armour.

I agree with Piers, it's a decent armour - especially for your first. I really like the high collar of the dou!

Arthur and Thomas, I too, have been wondering lately about the true origins of the mogamidô. primarily because so many known examples seem to be worn with Western kabuto, including the one with the ko-zunari in Arthur's Feb. 19th post, the famous one in Leeds and several others with ko-toppai.

For me, even if the top section is original (doubtful), the overall ensemble is not harmonious.

It would be good to seen images of the entire menpo.

They actually seem to be in decent shape, except for the ieji (fabric backing). Cheap for what they are.

Excellent and fascinating article - thanks for sharing, Peter!

Very late revival armour - perhaps as late as Meiji or Showa as Michael has already mentioned). No historical value whatsoever, except perhaps as a reference for what some parts of old armour looked like.

Nice kabuto!

So-called Sendai men (or Kanto men) are found on the famous armours of the Date clan and identifying them is a little bit tricky because they're not quite Haruta/Nara nor are they strictly Myochin in terms of design and construction. They can be ryubu or ressei and with or without yadome. The vast majority have bristled moustaches but there are a few without. They're also not terribly common, certainly not as common as typical Nara or Myochin mengu.

Hi Jonas, I think it's a decent menpo, but I have the following concerns: there might have once been ears, which would mean they are now missing (although in the last pic there seems to be a raised ridge running along the edge which would mean that perhaps there were no ears originally). Do you have a close-up of this part of the menpo? the odoshi (lacing) has indeed been replaced and in my opinion it's much too bright (I don't think I've ever seen this shade of blue on armour before).

Wow. Just wow.

Really great stuff, Arthur! I believe the shape of the helmet you posted from the Murakami collection is called an urinari (although there are variations of this that don't follow this construction, so for the purposes of your study it's probably irrelevant). I once had one in my collection signed by Myochin Mune-somebody and a similar one is in the Chappelear book that shows more clearly the construction. Anyway, intriguing topic and I love the meticulous approach.

Wonderful work, Piers!

That actually looks pretty good, Chris! Except that it doesn't seem to have that really tapered look that early mogami do have.

You beat me to the punch here, Uwe!

Normally, I wouldn't even attempt to answer a question like this because so much depends on all the considerations that Piers mentioned and many more. However, if I had to stick my neck out in terms of what would appeal to seasoned collectors and newbies alike, I would have to say that a proper akoda nari kabuto from the Muromachi period with it's unique-to-Japan, so-called "pumpkin" shape would have to be up there (even more so if complete with a haramaki or domaru, but that's probably more for connoisseurs as they are so rare and require some knowledge and scholarship to ensure a proper period piece and not an Edo revival). Also, a kawari kabuto from the Momoyama period, with their flamboyant, sculptural shapes. As mentioned, the Saotome are amongst the best kabuto makers of the Edo period. These are items that even the layman would appreciate. For connoisseurs, we get into some of the more esoteric items and schools: the Yashu; Joshu; Sansaku; Bamen; Saika; Nagasone; Unkai; etc.. And then you can drill down within categories. Even the common zunari offers a range of possibilities: ko-zunari; ballistic zunari; hineno zunari; etchu zunari; etc.. Very, very loaded question, with infinite answers really.

Great story! Congrats!

Thank you for all of the work, effort, time and blood, sweat and tears you put into the forum, Brian. We appreciate you.

This kabuto is reminiscent of a Nagasone.

Adding to Uwe's and Arthur's comments, the angle of the koshimaki (the plate encircling the base of the hachi to which the vertical plates are attached) would suggest a hineno-jikoro like the one shown in your third picture, with a more vertical shape. If your koshimaki was originally made to accommodate a manju or ko-manju jikoro (like the ones shown in your first two pictures, with a more horizontal orientation), you should be able to see vertical cuts in the plate where the resulting flanges would have been folded downwards.

What an amazing, deeply insightful and entertaining article! Thanks so much for sharing!

The JAS Grand Tour in November will spend a day at Oyamazumi - akin to Mecca for katchuphiles!

I think that the very name - Mogami - speaks to its origin from Mōgami in the Tohoku part of Japan. The Uesugi had several examples and of course Yoshiaki Mogami wore his namesake dou. As has already been discussed and illustrated, the mogamido is also clearly a precursor to the Yukishita dou (itself a prototypical product of Eastern Japan), with the angular riveted okegawa dou being the transitional piece in between. Several Japanese books reference the Tohoku origins of the mogamido.