Samurai armor of Kaga style lacquered in byakudan-nuri

This authentic samurai armor features a rare byakudan lacquering, an expensive finish found only on high-end suits of armor. This rare lacquering is obtained covering a gold lacquered surface with a transparent layer of red lacquer which lets the underneath precious metal shine through. The kiritsuke kozane plates are here in fact lacquered in two parts: the top one in byakudan-nuri and the bottom one in black, hence showing of a striped surface on the whole armor, with those two colors divided by the orange or the blue of the tight silk kebiki odoshi lacing.
Byakudan-nuri is typical of Kaga’s armor-smiths, famous for their fine and richly decorated armors. Although the configuration of this samurai armor is mainly classic, there are various elements typical of this region as the heart-shaped holes (inome, latterly "boar’s eyes") and the quatrefoil-shaped buttons (mokko). The unusual haidate (tight guard) of kobakama type, to be worn as trousers, is also a feature linked with this style. The helmet is fitted with a very good original maedate representing the head of a shikami, demon of the Japanese tradition, lacquered in byakudan gold.
The helmet (kabuto) is of suji-bachi construction, of tall shape (koseizan), made with 62 plates, covered in the four directions with large copper plates decorated with shakudo and gilt-copper shinodare, descending from a rich tehen-no-kanamono (fitting for the central hole) of the same materials. Its shape suggests an attribution to the armorers of the Haruta Kaga school.
This samurai armor is originally Japanese and for sale, in excellent condition. It is a collector's item and not a reproduction.
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