A13341/3

Japanese cuirass or body armour (do) from a panoply of Samurai armour (see A13341); probably late Edo period; the metalwork has a coating of dark brown lacquer to decorate and protect the steel from corrosion; the front suspends three thigh plates (gessan) of five strips of lamellar armour, the back cuirass has four; the padded textile section that fits at the front cuirass neckline and shoulders is separate; it show a machine-embroidered design of lidded vessels; the lacquer finish is generally fair, but is badly soiled and the textile cords are weak; considerable conservation would be required to bring this up to display standard.

19th century

cuirass, Japanese armour

metal, textile, lacquer