#domaru

Our object of the month for April is this ceremonial suit of armour for a Samurai from Japan.

This suit of Japanese armour was made during the peaceful Edo period (1600–1868) when samurai – members of the military nobility and officer caste – wore armour only on ceremonial occasions to show off their rank and wealth.

The helmet, made of 62 iron plates riveted together, carries the inscription that dates it to 1560, though the rest of the suit dates to the 18th century. It is crowned with a pair of imposing antler-like projections, originally worn to distinguish generals, but widely adopted later as a decorative feature. It is also adorned with a lacquered wooden crest in the form of a shishi lion dog.

The armour was given to Magdalen College by Prince Chichibu (1902–53), who had studied there in the 1920s, and is on long-term loan to the Ashmolean Museum.

Japan, 1560 (helmet), 1700s (armour). Iron, gilt soft metals, lacquer, leather, doeskins, crystal, mother-of-pearl, silk, wood and bear fur. See it on display in our Japan 1600-1850 gallery.