The family symbol – a square cross inside a circle made of brass – is found on all parts of the armor and belongs to the Shimazu clan. The helmet lining is lost, but part of the helmet cord remains. The helmet is unsigned, probably from the early Edo period.
The parts we have are of good quality, but the arm guards, kote, skirt, haidate, and the shin armor, suneate, are missing.
Helmet, kabuto
The bowl is a 62 plate suji bachi (bowl made of flanged wedge-shaped plates), black lacquered. The plates meet at tehen, the round attachment at the top. The top is of the tehen kanamono type, made of brass in six parts, the lower one pierced and with small flower heads. The shikoro, neck guard, is made of four plates, black lacquered with green laces in the tightly laced style known as kebiki odoshi. The lowest lace is red.
The mabizashi (brim) and fukigaeshi (deflector, the upturned part of the shikoro) have rims of brass. On the fukigaeshi and in five places on the lowest plate of the shikoro there are brass heraldic symbols, mons, of the Shimazu clan, formed as a square cross inside a circle.
The lining is lost, but a part of the helmet cord remains. The helmet is unsigned, probably from the early Edo period.
Mask, menpō
With the “angry expression” known as Ressei men, with a mustache of animal hair, possibly horse, and silvered teeth. The nosepiece can be detached. Lacquered dark red brown, sabi nuri, on the outside. (The sabi nuri are layers of urushi lacquer prepared to create a textured, antique, rust-like finish. This mask is unusually reddish in the tone, compared to other sabi nuri masks in our collection). Red lacquer, glossy, not sabi nuri, on the inside.
Throat guard with four plates, tightly laced, kebiki odoshi-style, with green laces, lowest part in red. On that part three brass mon of the Shimazu family.
Throat guard, nodowa
In two parts, laced in green and red, with three Shimazu mon.
Cuirass, dō
In two parts, ni-mai, hinged on the left-hand side, tightly laced in a medium green color, the back plate with a black lacquered iron plate at the top with some damage to the lacquer. On the top of the breast plate and the back plate there are three brass ornaments, kanamono, pierced and with two chrysanthemum flowers on each ornament. (One flower is missing on the middle breast ornament).
Tassets, kusazuri: Each with five black plates, laced like the cuirass.
Shoulder guards, sode
The shoulder guards are quite big, made of five plates with green lace like the cuirass. The lowest plates with two wide and one narrow row of red lacing and three applied brass heraldic symbols of a cross in a circle like on the mask.
Shoulder guards, sode
Additional, small shoulder guards.