Kabuto - Japan Edo Period (1600-1868)

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ITEM DESCRIPTION:

Comes with certificate of supein Nihonto.

Edo period (1615-1868)

Description of the Kabuto

Helmet type:

Japanese kabuto from the mid-Edo period, signed to the Myōchin school, executed as a 62-ken Koboshi Kabuto, one of the most technically demanding traditional helmet constructions.

The bachi is formed by 62 vertical plates assembled with clearly visible small hoshi rivets (ko-boshi), creating a dense, uniform, studded surface. This is not a decorative choice: koboshi construction requires precise alignment and advanced metalworking skills, and is typically associated with high-level workshops, particularly within the Myōchin tradition. The profile is tall, well balanced, and visually authoritative.

At the apex, the helmet retains a well-proportioned tehen no kanamono with concentric rings and a gilt finish, correctly integrated into the structure.

The maedate is an elegant gilt composition: elongated arms ending in floral forms frame a central black-lacquered disc depicting a pair of facing doves (hato) above a geometric mon in gold. The iconography is deliberate, clear, and consistently executed.

The fukigaeshi are broad and finely shaped, gilt-lacquered and decorated with metal relief doves, reinforcing the symbolic coherence of the helmet. This is not random ornamentation: the dove is traditionally associated with Hachiman, the warrior deity and protector of the samurai, suggesting a devotional or personal emblem rather than a strictly clan-specific attribution.

The shikoro remains structurally sound, with well-articulated lames and odoshi lacing in subdued blue tones combined with purplish-red registers—an elegant and period-appropriate palette typical of mid-Edo armor. The overall composition balances iron, dark lacquer, and gilt elements with restraint and consistency.

This kabuto stands as a serious and technically accomplished example of Myōchin craftsmanship in the mid-Edo period: authoritative, disciplined, and symbolically grounded, reflecting martial continuity in a time of peace without sacrificing formal legitimacy.

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