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Shoulder guard from a samurai’s ceremonial suit of armour
- on display
- loan
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Description
This suit of armour was made during the peaceful Edo period, when samurai wore armour only on ceremonial occasions, to show off their rank and wealth. It is made of small plates of lacquered metal laced together with silk cords. The armour is tough, flexible and much lighter than a European steel suit. The helmet is older than the rest of the armour: an inscription inside dates it to 1560.
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Details
- Associated place
- Date
- probably 18th century (1701 - 1800)
- Material and technique
- leather lames, covered in black lacquer, with maki-e lacquer decoration in gold, and inlaid with mother-of-pearl; laced with light-blue silk; soft metal mounts, engraved, and with sukashi (openwork) decoration
- Dimensions
- suit of armour 146 x 60 x 70 cm max. (height x width x depth)
- Material index
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processed material › metal › gold,organic › animal › shell › pearlshell › mother-of-pearl,organic › animal › animal product › silk,
- Technique index
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dyed,
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Lent by the President and Fellows of Magdalen College, University of Oxford.
- Accession no.
- LI358.1.f
Glossary (2)
lacquer, maki-e
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lacquer
Chinese and Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the lacquer tree, which is indigenous to Eastern China. It is applied to wood as a varnish or for decorative effect. In India and the Middle East, lacquer is made from the deposit of the lac insect.
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maki-e
(‘sprinkled design’) generic term for lacquer decoration using powdered metals sprinkled onto wet lacquer to create a design
Location
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Second floor | Room 37 | Japan
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Second floor | Room 37 | Japan
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