Suji-bachi kabuto


A 32 iron-plate kabuto each decorated with nunomezogan choji-karakusa with a clove and ivy motif.
The four cardinal plates are bordered with so-fukurin, while all of them have gilt higaki at the base. The frontal plate is larger, with a central shinodare. The tehen-no-kanamono is flat, as used in Momoyama period. 
The kuwagata-dai is older and dates back to the Muromachi period.
The use of jo is an unusual feature of the signature, probably an allusion linked with the 13th-century tradition of Haruta’s smiths where the helmets were signed with this kanji: It is one of the earliest forms of attribution of helmets ever recorded.
 

INVENTORY NR: kab-955