Who Were The Samurai?

The word samurai translates as “one who serves.” A samurai shared many similarities with the medieval European knight. One had to be born into a samurai or knightly family; only infrequently, as in the case of Toyotomi Hideoyoshi, was one made a samurai. A samurai was part of the ruling elite and had many privileges afforded him. These warriors held land or fiefs given to them by their lords in exchange for service. Tax revenue and the produce from the land enabled the samurai to devote their time to martial training. Some samurai, especially during the unification period, did not have lords. These samurai were known as ronin, “wave men.” Frequently, these men turned to banditry to make money, a not so honorable profession. Like European medieval knights, samurai had a strict code of conduct on how to lead their lives. Chivalry was the code for knights, while Bushido was the code of the samurai. Honor and the upholding of it was very important to the samurai. If one lost honor through defeat in battle, the code expected the samurai to kill himself. However, Bushido and Chivalry were the ideals, but not the norm. Sometimes these warriors would commit acts not allowed by their code but would not be punished. During the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled Japan, samurai no longer needed to train for war. Instead, they concentrated on running the government and on gentlemanly pursuits like calligraphy or painting. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogun rule came to an end and the samurai disbanded. The emperor of Japan, who was only a figurehead during the shogunate, reasserted his power. One of his acts was officially dissolving the samurai as a class in Japan. Although the samurai are gone, their code and way of life are still admired to this day.

Kabutos, Kabutos and more Kabutos

The Stibbert Museum in Florence Italy founded by half Scotsman, half Italian, Frederick Stibbert was nothing if not eccentric. A sometime artist, intrepid traveler, voracious accumulator, and even hero in Garibaldi's army, he inherited a vast fortune and this villa from his Italian mother. He connected the house to a nearby villa to create an eclectic museum housing his extraordinary collections, including one of the world's largest collections of Japanese Samurai Kabuto. Click the link in our favorites to view some of these beautiful pieces.

What is a Japanese Kabuto anyway?

Japanese Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a Helmet used with traditional Japanese armor as worn by Samurai. It features a bowl, the "hachi", which protects the crown of the head, a suspended series of articulated plates (the "shikoro") to protect the neck, and often a crest of the clan.

A Kabuto was usually constructed from 3 to over a hundred metal plates, riveted together. The plates are usually arranged vertically, and radiate from an opening in the top called the "tehen" or "hachiman-za" (seat of the war god, hachiman). The original purpose of the tehen was for the warrior to pass his top knot through. Although this usage was largely abandoned after the kamakura-muromachi period, the tehen remained as a feature of most helmets, and was decorated with a "tehen kanamono", or ring of intricately worked soft metal bands surrounding the opening of the tehen. The rivets that secure the metal plates of the kabuto to each other could be raised, creating a form known as "hoshi-bachi," or hammered flat, leaving only the flanges of the plates protruding, a form known as "suji-bachi." Some of the finer helmets were signed by smiths, usually from one of several known families, such as the Myochin, Saotome, Haruta, Unkai, and Nagasone.

Another form of Kabuto is the Kawari Kabuto, or "strange helmet." During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, the production of helmets was simplified to a 3 or four plate design that lacked many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in "harikake," or lacquered paper over a wooden armature. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarved, ichi-no-tani canyon, and ace heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel. A definitive show of Kawari Kabuto was mounted by the Japan Society in 1985. The book, entitled "Spectacular Helmets of Japan"

Most Kabuto incorporate a suspended neck guard called a "shikoro". This is usually composed of semi-circular lacquered metal or oxhide lames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing. This system of lames is the standard technology of defense employed, along with mail, for the body protection in Japanese Armor.

Kabuto are often adorned with "Maedate" (front crest,) "Wakidate" (side crests) or "Ushirodate" (rear crest.) These can be family or clan emblems, or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many helmets have "Kuwagata", or stylized deer horns, as seen in the photo.

Upon the return of general peace under the Tokogawa Shogunate in the Edo Period, Armor became more elaborate and ceremonial. Many very luxurious armors were produced during this period, as well as a great number of simpler armors for lower ranking Samurai and foot soldiers. Fine armor continued to be produced up to the end of the Edo period in 1867, and slightly beyond. Later armors often emulated the look of the romanticized Kamakura-Muromachi warriors.

Shogun Art Exhibition 2007

It was been a remarkable year for Shogun Art. We have brought to market some of the finest authentic japanese samurai armor the public has ever seen. Quite frankly I have been a bit amazed at the overwhelming response from collectors around the world. The awe-inspiring pieces that are featured in our most recent exhibition lay testament to the incredible skill of the edo period armor smiths.