THE HELMET SIGNED MUNEKIYO, EDO PERIOD (1854)

Details

An Extraordinary and Rare Tengu Armour
The helmet signed Munekiyo, Edo Period (1854)
The iron helmet formed in three pieces as the head of a karasu-tengu [a mythical crow-headed creature], the back and brow plate joining at the crown with the beak section brought on at the front, the three sections secured with lacing, the ears slotted in and held internally with cords, on the top of the helmet a bear fur 'wig' on the front of which is the lacquered hat of a Shugendo [a religious sect] priest, the shikoro [neck guard] of nine leaf-shaped sections laced onto the bowl and covered in bear fur, now worn, at the back of the helmet an ushirodate [rear crest] of black-lacquered wood surmounted by feathers, a simple hoate [mask without a nose] with the cheeks embossed to match the helmet and the chin covered in bear fur, the opening red-lacquered to give the impression of an open beak, a simple yodarekake [throat defence] of Nanban-gusari [European mail] fitted beneath; the do [cuirass] of horizontal iron plates, overlapping top over bottom and secured by cords running vertically, embossed with musculature to give the impression of a naked torso, at the front the watagami [shoulder pieces] attach to the do by a peg-and-hole method below the hinged gyoyo [cord protectors], the kusazuri [tassets] of mail covered in fabric with a skimpy apron of vegetable fibre to the front, the kote [sleeves] of two main large plates on upper and lower arms embossed to resemble muscles and joined at the elbow with laced articulated plates, the haidate [thigh guards] of gold-lacquered leather karuta-gane [rectangular plates] and the suneate [shin guards] of two plates embossed as the kote, signed on the top of the helmet Kaei kinoto-u aki kaigen Ansei Kiyotoshi kitaeru [forged by Kiyotoshi in autumn of the kinoto-u year of Kaei, when the era-name changed to Ansei] and on the outside of the helmet Munekiyo kitaeru [forged by Munekiyo] and Ryusuiken saku [made by Ryusuiken], contained in the original gusoku-bitsu [armour chest], old wear

Literature

Kyoto Arashiyama Bijutsukan [Kyoto Arashiyama Museum], Tetsu to urushi no geijutsu: Kyoto Arashiyama Bijutsukan zohinshu [The arts of iron and lacquer: the collection of the Kyoto Arashima Museum], Buke bijutsu shiryoten [Exhibition of samurai art] (Kyoto, 1986), p. 18 and 19.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

This magnificent armour can best be described as eccentric in both design and construction. Its overall appearance seems to be a balance between intimidation and humour and although it is very well made, many features of its manufacture are unconventional, making it an exceptional example in every way. The karasu-tengu on which it is modelled are mythical creatures inhabiting trees in mountainous areas, living in groups and ruled by a long-nosed 'king'. Part bird and part man in appearance, winged and with crows' features, they are fond of playing tricks and often considered more mischievous than evil. Particularly skilled in the use of the sword, the tengu are also linked with the story of the hero Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159-1189) who whilst under tuition at a temple as a child would escape at night to be taught the martial arts by them. They are also associated with the Shugendo sect whose members, known as yamabushi, wandered through the mountains of Japan practising their faith and frequently intervening in military conflicts. One striking feature of their attire was a small pill box hat worn on the forehead as on this armour, divided into twelve sections representing the juni-innen or twelve-fold chain of causal origination which explains the cause of human happiness, past, present and future.

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