Page 131 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

55 sweat from running into the eyes, the original owner. The iron bowl is
Helmet in the form of an which reinforces the impression that formed of six plates riveted together
upside-dou/n botul the helmet is the bare head of a wild in the so-called peach shape. The high
man. Towels knotted thus in the visor and the flaps at the sides are
1688
Iron and lacquer front usually signify festivity, how- worked in repoussé convolutions. It is
ever, and when knotted at the back, likely that the rest of the armor was
Height of helmet bowl 19 (7 'A) war. Perhaps the implication is that decorated with a matching design. In
Fukuoka City Museum
the wearer, or indeed the armor itself, earlier periods the neck guard pro-
Illustrated page 112 approached battle with relish. But vided protection from arrows, but the
the bizarre appearance of this helmet piece became smaller (as seen here)
• Taking the form of an inverted gosu does not detract from its function. when the matchlock gun replaced
food bowl, this helmet is lacquered Of robust construction, with its four- the bow in the second half of the six-
I 30 with the shade of red often used for tiered neck guard, mask, and throat teenth century. The only exception
such wooden bowls. The visual pun guard, the helmet would have during the Edo period was on armor
derives from the fact that the crude afforded effective protection. VH made for daimyo and their high-rank-
helmets of the low-grade infantrymen ing samurai in the styles of the Heian
(ashigaru) sometimes served as cook- and Kamakura periods. VH
ing vessels or containers for food and 57
drink. This helmet is modeled on a Helmet with hollyhock crests
silver-lacquered one owned by Kuroda 59
Iron and lacquer
Jósui. An inscription tells that it was Helmet with rabbit's ears
Height of helmet bowl 23 (9)
made by two armorers of the Haruta National Museum of Japanese History, Sixteenth century
and Iwai families in 1688, for Kuroda Chiba Wood and/or papier-mâche, iron,
Mitsuyuki (1628 -1707). VH
lacquer, and silver foil
• The bowl of the next helmet is of Height of helmet bowl 39.5 (1572)
large iron plates riveted together in a National Museum of Japanese History,
56 form deriving from the European Chiba
Helmet
morion. Whereas the triple hollyhock
Iron, lacquer, boar hair, and silk device constituted the crest of the Illustrated page 112
Height of helmet bowl 15.8 (6 'A) Tokugawa clan, two erect leaves, as on
• The rabbit's ears on this helmet may
Tokyo National Museum this helmet, were often used by the have been made of a kind of papier-
Honda family. The neck guard extends mâche and then applied to the iron
• The first helmet shown here is around the back of the helmet, ending
bowl. The whole is covered with silver
formed of a number of stout iron with two small flaps at either side foil, and the interiors of the ears
plates riveted together; it is covered of the forehead, each of which bears are lacquered black. The brow plate is
with boar hair swept back and gath- a gold lacquered crest of the Nabe-
hammered into wrinkles and eye-
ered into a small ponytail. Such ex- shima clan. VH brows. Above it a crest in the form of
amples are known as "uncouth fellow a crescent moon is of leather with
helmets" (yarôtô), and this piece with applied silver leaf. The shape perhaps
matching face mask certainly fits the 58 playfully alludes to the folktale of
name. The wild boar was a creature Helmet with a butterfly crest the hare who lives on the moon and
respected for its valor and ferocity,
Iron, lacquer, and gold makes glutinous rice cake. VH
and the heart-shaped boar's eye motif Height of helmet bowl 26.5 (10 /s)
3
appears frequently on weapons and National Museum of Japanese History,
armor. The lacquered, sculpted wood
Chiba
in the form of a knotted rope around
the head suggests a towel tied to keep
• The third helmet pictured here
has black-lacquered butterfly wings
spreading to the left and right; an
additional butterfly establishes the
removable central crest. The butterfly
might have been the clan crest of