Okegawa-do Tosei Gusoku (Samurai Chest Armor with Riveted Cuirass)

CultureJapanese
Titles
  • Okegawa-do Tosei Gusoku (Samurai Chest Armor with Riveted Cuirass)
Date18th century
MediumLacquer, velvet, silver, metal, gold, fiber, wood
DimensionsOverall (assembled): 98 × 34 × 30 in. (248.9 × 86.4 × 76.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Friends of Asian Art; Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Mr. Milton D. Rosenau, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Pershant Mehta; Ms. Miwa S. Sakashita and Dr. John R. Stroehlein, and the Elizabeth S. and Marjorie G. Horning Asian Art Accessions Endowment Fund
Object number2018.127
Current Location
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
107M Masterson Gallery
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Asian Art
ProvenancePrivate collection, Kyoto; Giuseppe Piva Japanese Art, Milan and New York, by 2013; purchased by MFAH, 2018.
Exhibition HistoryKimono e Samurai. Il gesto. L'eleganza. Lo spirito, Fondazione Herman Geiger (Cecina)
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
On inside of helmet, inscribed into iron:

常列住早し女家貞 “joshu no ju Saotome Iesada”: Saotome Iesada of Joshu Province

On front and back of cuirass, in stamped ink on stamped deer leather elements:

正平六年六月一日 “Shohei roku-nen roku-gatsu tsuitachi”: The first day of the sixth month of Shohei 6 [1351]”

Kabuto (helmet) signed: Joshu no ju Saotome Iesada
The kanamono and waidate feature the suisha kamon (water wheel crest) of the Doi clan.

There are three red numerical notations on the spokes of the umajirushi, indicating their belonging to a set. These appear to be brushed on in red negoro lacquer.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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