Early Ho-O Bird russet iron DO

[Ed Hicks]

Early Ho-O Bird russet iron DO

[uwe]

Hello Ed,

Very interesting do and nice Why do you think it's an early one?

Uwe

[Ed Hicks]

Age estimate is based on the style, weight, construction and interior lacquer is a type I've only seen on early armor.

[uwe]

Well Ed, what do you understand by early, Muromachi, Momoyama, early Edo? Is the do very heavy?

Regards

Uwe

[Luc T]

I think this is a dou made first half 18th century.

I see Unkai influence. Here another one with the same phoenix.

[uwe]

Hi Luc,

Very similar indeed. Agreeing with you about the age. On the other hand, the Phoenix could be added later Ed's do looks a bit kaga, don't you think?

Cheers

Uwe

[Ed Hicks]

Age estimate is based on the style, weight, construction and interior lacquer is a type I've only seen on early armor.

About 25 years ago a Mr. Nozaki came to my home while visiting in the US. He was an old school armor collector and member (board member I think) of a Japanese armor society and thought this Do to be quite early. At the time he also mentioned the interior lacquer type as a key for koto era armor. That's all I had to go on until that meeting.

[Brian]

3 Years later. Been thinking of a reply Ed?

[uwe]

Ed, where were you in the meantime, abroad, jailed ..... Anyway

Seriously, the shape of the munaita maybe pointing towards late muromachi and the do itself looks quite short. Inside is coverd in Byakudan nuri. Should that increase the chance for placing the do pre Edo?!

[estcrh]

About 25 years ago a Mr. Nozaki came to my home while visiting in the US. He was an old school armor collector and member (board member I think) of a Japanese armor society and thought this Do to be quite early. At the time he also mentioned the interior lacquer type as a key for koto era armor. That's all I had to go on until that meeting.

 

Ed, where were you in the meantime, abroad, jailed ..... Anyway

Seriously, the shape of the munaita maybe pointing towards late muromachi and the do itself looks quite short. Inside is coverd in Byakudan nuri. Should that increase the chance for placing the do pre Edo?!

Ed, the ho-o bird is applied to the surface and not hammered out at all, is this correct?

[IanB]

Ed,  The ho-o bird is exactly the kind of thing Unkai Mitsunao used to apply to his dou but I don't think it is by him or his immediate successors. He was an Haruta smith working in Kanezawa for the Maeda in the early Edo period and his work shows some very definite and often very odd characteristics: Almost invariably there will be a waist-plate that is often shaped to look like stylised clouds that will either be covered in leather or lacquered in a different way to the rest (see Luc's example shown above). The waki ita under the arms are sometimes curved, again like Luc's, and fastened on top of the nakagawa rather than being laced or riveted inside. There is often a strong Buddhist theme such as the backing washer for the saihai no kan on the breast that is often shaped like a lotus and the use of Bonji on the fukigayeshi of helmets. All of the Unkai do I have examined have had the interior finished using an open weave cloth glued onto the surface and then lacquered in either gold or red rather than byakudan nuri. 

Your dou might well be Kaga, as suggested by the zaboshi, but other characteristic such as mokko shaped kohaze and the shaping of the upper edges of the plates (other than that bordering the vertical edges of the backplate) are absent. So what, it is a lovely dou no matter who made it.

Ian Bottomley

[Ed Hicks]

The Ho-O bird is applied and the Do is not signed unfortunately.

[estcrh]

Quite a bit of difference between the two.

[Ed Hicks]

3 Years later. Been thinking of a reply Ed?

I have a serious lack of focus unfortunately...I simply forgot about the post. Ed