A13340/3

Japanese cuirass or body armour (do) from a panoply of Samurai armour (see A13340); probably late Edo period; the metalwork has a coating of dark reddish brown lacquer on the outside and dark brown on the inside to decorate and protect the steel from corrosion; both front and back cuirasses suspend three thigh plates (gessan) of five strips of lamellar armour, all trimmed with black fur; the upper sections of both cuirasses have detached; the top of the back cuirass also has a hinged bracket with a square holder (sashimono) for holding an identification flag; the lacquer finish is generally fair, but does show some blistering of the surface; considerable conservation would be required to bring this up to display standard.

19th century

cuirass, Japanese armour

metal, textile, lacquer