Suit of armour
Category
Arms and armour
Date
1740
Materials
Copper, Gilt, Gold, Lacquer, Leather, Silver, Textile
Place of origin
Japan
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1328761
Summary
Tosei-Gusoko for a boy. A suit of Samurai armour consisting of a Helmet (Kabuto), a mask (Mempo) with attached throatguard (Nodowa), two shoulder guards (Stode), a pair of sleeves (Kote) a curiass (Do), thigh armour (Haidate) and shin guards (Suneate).
Full description
Charles Paget Wade notebook entry number 375 The Green Room (1340945.3; SNO.MISC.959.3): Suit of Armour for a small Boy. Helmet of lacquer with gold stripes. Braided green. Small wings & neck guard. mask of black lacquer with gorget of gold, which with the shoulder guards is braided with cream & coral.(sketch here of blazon) Blazon. Body pieces of black lacquer with titled ‘MAIDA KAGA’) Prince 3 clawed dragon in raised gold back & front of upper part ‘comb’ lacquer gold braided as shoulder pieces. Sleeves of gold brocade under chain with gilded plates as blazon. Legs gold plates over brocade. A spear with short shaft – of mother o’pearl with crosshead. Short sword with KOGAI & KUDZUKA (sketch alongside) sheath of brown lacquer. fr.Towcester.
Provenance
Purchased from Percy C. Ashby, Towcester Northamptonshire on 17th February 1940. Paid £10 10s for 4 suits. Given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade.