Momonari Bachi Kawari Kabuto
Kaga, Late Edo period
19th century
Based on the classic momonari (“peach-shaped”) form, the bowl is divided into five plates and finished with a chocolate-brown patina typical of the Kaga region. The entire surface is adorned with repoussé iron applications: large spirals along the sides, and cloud motifs on the mabizashi (visor) and fukigaeshi (turn-backs). The rear ridge is overlaid with the body of a dragon, its detachable head emerging from the very top of the helmet.
The shikoro (neck guard) is executed in the Kaga style, with the last plate lacquered differently from the others and the underside finished in gold, a detail signifying the high rank of the helmet’s owner. The neck guard could also be conveniently replaced, thanks to a clever mechanism that allows the lower portion of the bachi to be detached, enabling the wearer to match it with different suits of armor.
Although unsigned, the style and execution suggest the work of the Kaga branch of the Myōchin school, in particular the Kojima family. Considering the exceptional quality, the kabuto can plausibly be ascribed to Munemitsu, a disciple of Kojima Munetaka. No signed works of Munemitsu are known, but he is recorded as a master of uchidashi (hammered relief) who, in the Meiji era, would turn to the production of okimono. His son, Yamada Sōbi, became one of the most celebrated metal sculptors of the Meiji period.
This helmet can therefore be regarded as a bridge between traditional armor-making and the creation of jizai okimono, the articulated iron sculptures in which Myōchin craftsmen specialized from the mid-19th century onwards.
SOLD
(Inv. #2086)
