Page 411 - Art In The Age Of Exploration (Great Section on Chinese Art Ming Dynasty)

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A pair of horns flanking an upright three- lacquer. The bands were joined vertically with
pronged sword's point ornament the front of the DOMARU ARMOR tanned deerskin or braided silk cords. The colors
helmet. On this ornament are names of deities in of the cords were carefully chosen for decorative
openwork: Amaterasu Kotaijingu (Sun Goddess i6th century effect against the black-lacquered lames, as was
Amaterasu) on the sword tip, Hachiman Daibo- Japanese of cuirass 55.5 (2i /s) the ornament on the solid metal portions of the
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height
satsu (Great Boddhisattva Hachiman, god of war- height of helmet (without the horns) 11.6 (4 /2J cuirass.
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riors) on the (viewer's) right horn, and Kasuga length of shoulder-and-arm guard 42.4 (i6 /s) On this cuirass purple cording was used for
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Daimyojin (Great Bright Wisdom Deity of the the topmost band of the chest and shoulder areas,
Kasuga Shrine) on the left, suggesting that these Kagoshima Shrine, Kagoshima Prefecture with white and red cording alternating below.
Shinto deities figured prominently as protector- White alternating with color was a favorite
divinities for warriors. The small leather or iron lames of which Muro- scheme in the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muro-
An inscription inside the lid of the chest con- machi period (1333-1573) domaru armor was machi periods.
taining this helmet states that the helmet was made are pointed on top and measure 5-6 centi- Over the chest lames is pasted tanned leather,
consecrated to Sata Shrine by Amako Tsunehisa meters long by 1.5 centimeters wide. These dyed with a design of lions against an overall
(1458-1541), daimyo of a domain in southwestern lames, called sane, were strung together, slightly background of peony flowers and leaves. The
Honshu. H.Y. overlapping, into bands, and fixed in place with ornamental metalwork on the solid iron parts of
410 CIRCA 1492