How to Build a Suit of Samurai Armour

1.

Armour

Samurai armour represents the close collaboration between several guilds of craftsmen. Iron workers forge the helmets and other metal components, lacquerers coat and waterproof the scales and plates, leather workers tool the decorative elements, and craftsmen lace the component parts and fabrics together.

This well-matched suit of armour is an outstanding example of quality unaltered armour, made for a high-ranking warrior. Constructed from first-rate materials, laced with subtle, yet stylish colors, and decorated with the family crests of the Matsubara clan, this suit was clearly a custom order. The crest bears the name of one of the family members, as do several of the storage bags that accompany the suite.

2.

Helmet

Perhaps the most important piece in a suit of Japanese armour is the helmet (kabuto). Military families often passed an heirloom helmet from generation to generation, building an entirely new, or updated suit of armour around the keepsake headpiece. Thus, helmets tend to be the olden component on a suit of armour.

This helmet is the work of Bamen Tomonori. Little is known of the Bamen group of armour smiths, and there are conflicting theories about their founding. Their short-lived period of production ended following the conquest of their home province by the warlord Oda Nobunaga around 1575. There are fewer than 50 Bamen helmets existing today, and only eight are by the hand of Tomonori.

Saika helmets

Saika helmets are generally constructed from a few thickly forged iron plates. Horizontal plates run along the top of the head, supported by several vertical plates forming the sides. This configuration is reminiscent of the head scarfs or towels worn by laborers and farmers, giving rise to the name okitenugui (literally, head towel).

Saika helmets are the product of workshops in the Kii province—present day Wakayama—on Japan’s Pacific coast. Local legend has it that erosion at the seaside unearthed an ancient helmet, which became the inspiration for the Saika style. More likely, the style arose from the influence of imported European and Chinese helmets, which were exotic curiosities in 16th-century Japan. The style quickly became fashionable, and the relative ease of manufacture lead to its rise in popularity.

3.

Swords

A suit of samurai armour is incomplete without a sword: the katana, a long two-handed sword, and the wakizashi, a shorter one-handed sword. Worn together, the set is known as a dai-shō.

Fujiwara Tsuguhira, the maker of this katana and wakizashi set, was originally from Echizen, but moved to Edo to train under the 3rd generation Yasutsugu swordsmiths. His style bears strong resemblance to them, especially in his use of so-called “Namban steel”. As the administration of dates of these two swords are identical, we can say they are undoubtedly a true dai-shō pair, including their sword mountings (koshira-e) with their carefully matched fittings.

4.

Forecrest

Forecrests, or maedate, first appeared in the Heian period (784-1185) in the form of long, decorative horns of gilt-brass or gold lacquer, mounted on the fronts of helmets. While they originally may have been used to convey status or affiliation to a particular clan, maedates gradually took on a merely decorative role.

As armour styles changed and developed, so did the tastes of later generations of warriors. By the 15th and 16th century, due to major production of new suits of armour, the variety of crests was staggering.

Typically, warriors chose a martial theme for their crest—for example, a god of war or a heraldic emblem. Occasionally, though, more fanciful designs would appear, such as this spectacular catfish crest. The catfish was considered a bellwether of change in seismic activity, and they were closely watched to predict earthquakes.