Armor for a Samurai with Mirror Maedate
Culture
Japanese
Datelate 1700s–early 1800s
Mediumlaquered leather, silk, brass
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.712
DescriptionSuneate 2014.709.1 & 2 go with this suit, though 2014.712.6.1 & 2 are also associated with it. This duplication may date to the time of restoration of the suit.Weight: 23 lb. 1 oz.
Label TextWhen Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in 1603, Japan entered a period of peace that would last for two and a half centuries. Yet the Tokugawa shoguns wanted to uphold Japanese traditions, and they encouraged the samurai to preserve their warrior heritage. This armor was crafted at a time when such equipment became obsolete as a practical defense, but remained important for its social and ceremonial significance. The style of this armor deliberately imitates models dating to Japan's Middle Ages. Traditional Japanese body armor was made of overlapping lacquered leather or iron plates held together by silk laces. Like the heraldry used by European knights, the armor’s decoration and color scheme identified the warrior, since each warrior-family had its own unique emblems and color combinations.ProvenanceGift from National Association of Manufacturers in 1956. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
On View
Not on view
Southern German
about 1580, with modern restorations
workshops of Wolf and Peter von Speyer
about 1590–1600
Italian
late 1500s–early 1600s, with later decoration and additions
