A Suit of Edo Period Japanese Samurai Armor
$1,850.00
A suit of Japanese samurai armor of the Edo period (1603-1868) comprised of the helmet, adorned with a dramatic dragon roundel; the fabric throat protector; the fabric shoulder drape with attached layered armor plates; full length arm protectors of fabric, lacquered wood, and chain link mail; and lacquered wood front chest plate and back plate with layered waist protection plates. The components of the suit show the expected effects of the passage of more than 250 years. Some of the attachment strings or cords are broken or missing. The fabric shows wear, with tears or holes. The lacquer on wooden protective plates or other surfaces is chipped in spots. Despite these indications of its use and age, the suit of samurai armor remains quite impressive. The suit of armor comes with its original carrying trunk. The trunk is made of lacquered wood with iron fittings and measures approximately 16 inches wide by 20 inches long by 13 inches deep. There is one component of the suit of armor that constitutes protection under the arm on one side, being fabric and layered wooden plates, and this component is missing from the opposite side of the suit of armor. The side section that is present includes fabric on which kanji appears, and this is actually a date: June 1, 1352. This would indicate that the suit of armor, or at least this component of it, is considerably older than the Edo period,
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