Hanbo Material Help

[cglog254]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone could help explain material differences on a hanbo I am working with. The interior of the tare is coated with a metallic copper red material (I think it may be lacquer, but I have not found any examples that have the same sheen/color), and I am curious as to what the material is. It is flaking in some places and it appears that a thin layer of black lacquer is underneath it. The tare coating is also different from the lacquer on the interior of the hanbo itself. Is there a reason for this? Is there a chance the tare are not original to the hanbo, or is a later repair? I am attaching a picture and please let me know if I should send any more examples or angles. Thank you for your help!

[ROKUJURO]

Charles,

I am not an expert on KACHU, but as far as I know they are traditionally made of thin iron with a lacquer coating. Different colouring could be a result of combining parts of different origin, but not necessarily.

The gold colour may be an effect of different layers of URUSHI, in this case a metallic component (gold ot copper powder) could have been coated with transparent URUSHI. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Just from that one shot it looks like Byakudan-nuri, a superior lacquer coating along the lines of what Jean describes above. 
白檀塗

[Baka Gaijin]

Good morning Piers Old Bean,

 

I thought the fitting points for a Guruwa were familiar.

 

There are more images in this thread here:

 

 

[Shogun8]

I agree with Piers, that certainly looks like byakudan on the reverse of the tare. If I had to guess, I think this tare is not original to the mask because the guruwa usually extends to the tare itself. In other words, the plates that would attach to the hinges and which encircle the back of the neck, would be mirrored on the tare itself. See attached image.

[cglog254]

On 10/17/2025 at 7:29 PM, Bugyotsuji said:

Just from that one shot it looks like Byakudan-nuri, a superior lacquer coating along the lines of what Jean describes above. 
白檀塗

Thank you for your response Piers. Do you know if Byakudan-nuri was a relatively common practice, and if not, is it indicative of the social status of the owner? Is it a particularly difficult technique to utilize? I suspected the tare may not be original to the  because of the difference in lacquer (as the metallic sheen seemed like something that would be difficult to achieve). The interior of the hanbo has smudges of black lacquer (which seem to be accidental by there erratic placement and imprinted fingerprints), which seemed to indicate a different skill level in production between the body of the hanbo and the tare.

[cglog254]

On 10/18/2025 at 9:16 AM, Shogun8 said:

I agree with Piers, that certainly looks like byakudan on the reverse of the tare. If I had to guess, I think this tare is not original to the mask because the guruwa usually extends to the tare itself. In other words, the plates that would attach to the hinges and which encircle the back of the neck, would be mirrored on the tare itself. See attached image.

Thank you for your response John. Was the replacement or swapping out of armor features a common practice in the Edo period? I know that armor would often be compsoed of pieces made by multiple different craftsmen at various times, but I lack background knowledge regarding the extent that this occurred and that it applied to even small pieces of the armor. Also, thank you for the image! It makes the guruwa absence much more understandable.

[Bugyotsuji]

Byakudan-nuri can be found here and there but it is not exactly common, and yes, it suggests a wealthy patron or someone with status.
There has always been a culture of swapping out bits of armo(u)r for any number of reasons, and may well start with damage on the battlefield (repairs needed immediately) and the passing of inherited armo(u)r down each generation with changes in fashion. You could say that katchū is in constant slow-moving flux.

[Shogun8]

What Piers said.

[cglog254]

14 hours ago, Bugyotsuji said:

Byakudan-nuri can be found here and there but it is not exactly common, and yes, it suggests a wealthy patron or someone with status.
There has always been a culture of swapping out bits of armo(u)r for any number of reasons, and may well start with damage on the battlefield (repairs needed immediately) and the passing of inherited armo(u)r down each generation with changes in fashion. You could say that katchū is in constant slow-moving flux.

Piers, thank you for the response and information!