Yoshikazu´s hobbies, and masked (menpo) myself.

[Iagoba]

Yesterday I went to my city´s Armoury museum, because we were going to open the display cabinet of one of the two japanese armours, to make photos and a bit of research along the curator and the directress (looking for the armourer´s name)...and I got that photo!

Note also the Iruna-Veleia late roman walls t-shirt 8)

[Iagoba]

We still don´t know anything about this one. :? But the other one had the name inside the helmet and thanks to Robert Soanes, one restorer of those beauties, we got the name.



Signed inside the helmet, over gilded sheet:

The signature reads... "Nakahachiman Minamoto no
Yoshikazu". 'Nakahachiman Yoshikazu' is the makers
name. 'Minamoto' is old honorific Samurai family title
used by swordsmiths also. Yoshikazu was not a
professional armour maker but a retainer of the
Matsudaira clan, he made armour as an advocation. His
working period is Late Edo (Edo period is 1603- 1868).

Any comments in this field will be welcome :wink: . My higher level bibliography are the Osprey books :roll: ...and my interest in those armours started only few months ago, so I haven´t learn much since then.

PS: Sorry for the poor quality of the photos.

[Senovara]

Nice photos! Thanks for sharing.

I too, have an interest in the samurai warrior culture, but my knowledge is limited. In Toronto at the Royal Ontario Museum, they have a wonderful display of samurai armour.

[Iagoba]

I didn´t fully understand what means

made armour as an advocation

¿As a hobby?
¿As present to temples?
¿For his friends?
¿As early re-enactor? :lol:

It´s the most detailed one of the two. It has got a "Enma" engraving at his chest, a dragon at his back, four gilded butterflies in the helmet...

Being from the late Edo period, those armours seemed a bit "old fashioned" for me. Not the Ceremonial O-Yoroi, nor a battle appropiate one.
And the vanbraces (?) of his armour are of a unique model, I´ve been unable to find any one with the same feature. :?

Also the high position of the maker, it´s a puzzle for me. I understood well and he was a noble?

Thanks....

[Narukami]

Greetings Iagoba!

Good looking suits of armor!

Two books you might find of interest in your study of Japanese armor:

The Manufacture of Armor and Helmets in 16th Century Japan
by Sakakibara Kozan
revised & edited by H Russell Robinson

First written in 1800 first revised in 1912 and then revised by Robinson and published by Tuttle in 1962

And...

The Armor Book in Honcho-Gunkiko
by Arai Hakuseki also revised & edited by Robinson

revised by Robinson and published by Tuttle in 1963

Not too rash an assumption that this Robinson is the same author of the great book on Roman armor :?

I first saw these books while a grad student at Claremont and was lucky enough to find them for sale at a theatre book store in NYC in 1979 while on tour with a kabuki play from the University of Hawai'i.

They were long out of print when I first saw them and are even more so now -- finding copies might take some work but I believe you will find them to be worth the effort.

Oh -- your photos look just fine.

:wink:

Narukami

[Gaius Decius Aquilius]

@ Narukami,

Robinson's 1967 Oriental Armour which has a good summary type chapter on Japanese armour is in a Dover Books 2002 reprint. ISBN is 0-486-41818-9.

I strongly urge you to leave "The Manufacture of Armor and Helmets in 16th Century Japan" and "The Armor Book in Honcho-Gunkiko" to me in your will. In exchange I will leave you my 58 Samurai DVDs, The Mysterians, and my "Buffy the Vampire" collection, which is not exactly mine, but you can have it anyway.

GDA
(R. Izard)
[size=75:22xsd5mn]who's wife does not know he is getting a second armour from the Samurai Store.[/size]

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Advocation as in an offering ot the gods, or as a sign of homage to a lord.....maybe..or perhaps as an obligation or payment of debt....

[Iagoba]

Mmmmm....

If so, I want to have debts from Aitor and Brennius... :twisted:

Thanks for the books. I will start begging them to the museum´s directress.
(BTW:is that word amazingly anticuated or not?)

Just read the Osprey ones, so with my little knowledge this affaire is a heavy charge for me...which I accept gladfully

I don´t believe still it...being adressed as a bit of "expert in the field" was unexpected for me! hock:

Gaius:

[size=59:g63cys45]who's wife does not know he is getting a second armour from the Samurai Store.[/size]

[size=59:g63cys45]Why if you can´t wear both at the same time? :twisted:
At least make sure that thet combine, so one day you choose the black kabuto, with those orange sode, and for Sundays, in BBQ´s wear the blue one with the gilded kabuto :lol: [/size]

[john m roberts]

I think the word meant here is "avocation," a secondary calling or, if you will, a hobby.

[Narukami]

@ Narukami,

I strongly urge you to leave "The Manufacture of Armor and Helmets in 16th Century Japan" and "The Armor Book in Honcho-Gunkiko" to me in your will. In exchange I will leave you my 58 Samurai DVDs, The Mysterians, and my "Buffy the Vampire" collection, which is not exactly mine, but you can have it anyway.

GDA
(R. Izard)
[size=75:1mncofj0]who's wife does not know he is getting a second armour from the Samurai Store.[/size]

A tempting offer sir to be sure.

Your collection of Samurai films far exceeds mine many times over, and The Mysterians are always good fun. Buffy I would pass on, probably for the same reasons you are willing to part with her so readily.

However...

My eldest daughter has already laid claim to the entire contents of my study/office/den which are all too nice a set of words for the little room attached to the back of the garage that is my humble retreat. Her claim extends not only to my books but also my helmets, swords and assorted other items of historic or sentimental value.

Of course she also has to wade through the contents of the garage itself and dispose of same -- there is no free lunch in America particularly when it comes to inheritance.

You offer is most generous and I will keep it in mind lest my daughter get out of line.

:wink:

Oh -- and a second suit of armor from the Samurai Store...? hock: I am most impressed!

Narukami