Kabuto (helmet) with dragon and cloud motifs
Artist
Masanobu Saku
(Japan)
Dateprobably 1700s
Mediumiron, gold, silver, copper alloy, silk and possibly lacquer
Dimensions22.9 × 31.8 × 22.5 cm (9 × 12 1/2 × 8 7/8 in.), 3 lb 12 oz (weight)
ClassificationsArms and Armor
Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection
Object number2014.716
DescriptionMultilame iron bowl with vertical ridges at edge of each lame (suji-kabuto). Silver dragons and clouds on bowl, in Nunome Zogan, "Cloth surface Inlay". Cherry blossom mon on fukigaeshi (wings).5 lame skikoro (nape defense), connected by lacings hanging from the back and sides of the Hachi (helmet bowl). The uppermost lame, called Hachi-Tsuke-No-Ita (Hachi attaching plate), is fixed to the Koshimaki (brow plate of the Hachi). Red fabric lining still intact. The copper-alloy tehen (hole on top with cover) does not seem to belong to this helmet, the grooves do not fit into the ridges of the helmet plates. Retains original neck defense.
Label TextThe decorations on this helmet are open to multiple interpretations. Dragons in Japanese art may represent water gods that bring rain, prevent flood, and control the seasons. In Buddhism, clouds can represent the "Western Paradise" or a destination in the afterlife. They may also represent divine authority or the spirits of the dead. The combination of the dragon and clouds may represent the heavens or summer.ProvenancePurchased by the Museum on December 14, 1932 from Kano Oshima (NYC), his # 19635. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014.
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