Lexvdjagt Posted January 10 Report Posted January 10 Dear NMB, I have wanted to buy a Yoroi for display along with my Nihonto collection for a while now. And now I finally want to look into my possibilities. I do not have a very high budget, as swords are my primary interest with a budget of around 3000 USD at most. Now I have been spending some time online to look at some possibilities, but quickly realised that Katchu is just as big of a minefield online as Nihonto. So I wanted to ask your opinions. I am not looking for anything that is all original parts or Momoyama period. I want a nice authentic Yoroi for in my study room. I have been looking at Yoroi like this one: https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/r1167976348 https://buyee.jp/ite.../auction/j1168396092 Please also feel free to give me any recommendations or tips! Greetings, L. van der Jagt Quote
Bugyotsuji Posted January 10 Report Posted January 10 It looks as if you are successfully narrowing down your focus. Both of those look ok at a glance. The most important thing to me must be this searching and honest question about your motivation: who do you want to impress? Yourself? Do you feel pride and pleasure every time you look at it? Others? Do you want casual friends to be impressed? Do you want armor experts to be impressed? Are you strong enough to take silence or (casual) criticism from others? Will you have a further budget in the future? You may want to upgrade, or even add to your collection, as your knowledge grows. Good luck and happy hunting! 5 1 Quote
uwe Posted January 11 Report Posted January 11 I echo Piers! Even within your budget you can get decent armor, but let me add some hints: Pay attention to the condition! Is the set displayable as is (i.e., can it be assembled like it is)? Especially a look at the lacing, the fabric and the cords is useful. Missing or scratched lacquer is not a problem (only optical), but the remaining areas of the coating should be stable. As a rule of thumb, if the armor “talks to you” it’s the right one… 3 1 Quote
Shogun8 Posted January 11 Report Posted January 11 Good comments from both Piers and Uwe. Two observations: the first armour has a fairly uncommon feature - the hanagami-bukuro - which is that small pouch on the lower left of the dou the second armour looks more ensuite, but the nose on the menpo is a replacement (and not a very good one at that) Overall, the first armour is more martial but composite and the second one is likely to attract more attention (due to the kamon on the dou, fukigaeshi, etc.). For your budget, they're both decent. 4 Quote
Lexvdjagt Posted January 11 Author Report Posted January 11 15 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said: It looks as if you are successfully narrowing down your focus. Both of those look ok at a glance. The most important thing to me must be this searching and honest question about your motivation: who do you want to impress? Yourself? Do you feel pride and pleasure every time you look at it? Others? Do you want casual friends to be impressed? Do you want armor experts to be impressed? Are you strong enough to take silence or (casual) criticism from others? Will you have a further budget in the future? You may want to upgrade, or even add to your collection, as your knowledge grows. Good luck and happy hunting! Thank you for your comments Piers. To answer your question, I only really want to impress myself. I like antiques, I would never buy a reproduction yoroi, but I am not willing to spend 6K on a Yoroi. I have no problem taking criticism, this is quite usual here on the board. Some people will definitely find this armor bad or below average in quality. But I really do not mind, I want to own a piece that I can enjoy myself. Its just like with Nihonto, just because it's a momoyama wakizashi with many flaws and no papers doesn't mean nobody should buy it (as long as you take proper care of it). 6 hours ago, uwe said: I echo Piers! Even within your budget you can get decent armor, but let me add some hints: Pay attention to the condition! Is the set displayable as is (i.e., can it be assembled like it is)? Especially a look at the lacing, the fabric and the cords is useful. Missing or scratched lacquer is not a problem (only optical), but the remaining areas of the coating should be stable. As a rule of thumb, if the armor “talks to you” it’s the right one… Thank you for your comments Uwe. Thanks for the hints! Just a question, is Yahoo auctions the right place to be? Or would it be more wise to buy from a dealer at this price point? If so then I would like to know which dealers deal in Yoroi. 21 minutes ago, Shogun8 said: Good comments from both Piers and Uwe. Two observations: the first armour has a fairly uncommon feature - the hanagami-bukuro - which is that small pouch on the lower left of the dou the second armour looks more ensuite, but the nose on the menpo is a replacement (and not a very good one at that) Overall, the first armour is more martial but composite and the second one is likely to attract more attention (due to the kamon on the dou, fukigaeshi, etc.). For your budget, they're both decent. Thank you for your comments Uwe, I appreciate the help! 4 Quote
uwe Posted January 11 Report Posted January 11 To answer your question, Lex. Yahoo has its pitfalls to avoid, like other online auctions as well. But from time to time (if you are lucky ) good items popping up. Best you only jump in with some experience in the background, though… Anyway, there are some trustworthy dealers regularly selling on this platform (Yahoo/Jauce). “Bellbottom” for example! You can also use a proxy, like Kelly. He has a list of recommended dealers! On a side note: I stumbled over a very rare armor on Yahoo some years ago and, with a little luck, was eventually able to add it to the collection 1 Quote
dimitri Posted January 12 Report Posted January 12 Lexvdjagt the two armors are very pretty I think. Piers, Uwe and shogun 8 had good explanations, I always appreciate their comments personally, it's constructive. Afterwards you have to take into account the state of transport, the impact of it, customs etc... But actually, they are quite affordable. I have two armors, one from the Showa period bought 20 years ago and the second bought just 1 month ago at auction in France but it, Edo period, they both have defects, but as said Uwe both caught my eye, a huge favorite like my nihonto. If I have a doubt, I move on but frankly having armor gave me personal pride, a real child in front of his first electric train. I hope everything goes well for you for one or the other. 1 Quote
Iekatsu Posted Wednesday at 09:47 PM Report Posted Wednesday at 09:47 PM I will say what I would say to anyone starting out with armour, start with a Kabuto, with your budget you could get something nice. 1 Quote
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