EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)

Details

A KAWARI KABUTO (ECCENTRICALLY SHAPED HELMET) AND A MENPO
EDO PERIOD (18TH CENTURY)
Helmet [kabuto]:
The russet-iron bowl of individual plates each with a single domed rivet coiling anticlockwise towards the apex as a conch shell, the plates and rivets reducing in size to give the impression of a coiled dragon, the surface decorated with dragons and clouds in silver and gold nunome (overlay), the mabisashi (peak) with a haraidate (crest holder)

Neck guard [shikoro]:
The black lacquered close fitting Hineno-jikoro (neck guard) of kiritsuke-kozane (imitation lamellae) with yellow kebiki-odoshi (close lacing).

Face mask [menpo]:
The russet-iron Nara-style mask with hair moustache and chin tuft and copper teeth, with a four-lame yodarekake (bib) of black lacquered iron itamono (plates) with yellow kebiki-odoshi (close lacing)

Provenance

Christie's London, 15 November 2000, lot 166

Literature

Illustrated: L'art Guerrier au Japon, Samourai (Paris, 1987), p. 69, no. 33

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Takaaki Murakami (村上高明) Vice President, Specialist and Head of Department

tmurakami@christies.com +1 212 636 2160

Lot Essay

The spiral conch shell was a popular design for samurai helmets, because its hard shell represents armor or good protection. A fine hammered iron helmet in spiral shell form is in the collection of the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, image accessible on line at https://art.thewalters.org/detail/12796/helmet-kawari-kabuto-with-conch-shell-horagai-shape/.

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