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Strong suit

9 Comments

A suit of armor is displayed in a Matsuya department store window in Tokyo as part of an exhibition of Japanese traditional arts and crafts.

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9 Comments
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What always amazes me when I see these suits of armour is how tiny their wearers must have been.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Thank you for the photo. Always glad to see a spotlight on historical and traditional items of cultural importance.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The level of craftsmanship is perfect.

Can't say I agree just by looking at the picture. Maybe you dropped into the department store for a look.?.

The armour does not look like a reproduction of a traditional armour. Knowing the artisans names would be revealing.

It would be nice to be able to read the information bottom left in the picture.

Just shy of ¥1,000,000 is slightly more expensive than one would pay for a polyester suit

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

My Japanese best friend and I were dressed in outfits like that by a professional costumer at Shiroishi Castle, last October, and got a lot of really cool photos from the session. I highly recommend the experience. Those costumes are heavy, too!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

There is a rather good suit of Japanese armour in the Royal Collection, given as a diplomatic gift to James I by Tokugawa Hidetada in 1613.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Yes. A very famous example:

Armour 胴丸. This splendid and understated armour was sent to James I of England by Tokugawa Hidetada, third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ruled as the second shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty from 1605 to 1623. 

https://www.rct.uk/collection/71611/armour-domaru

It's fun to compare the two armours.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The one in the photo above is modern, but whoever generally put it together does not know how to display a set correctly.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Indeed. The 草摺 looks wrong for a start. And he looks like a geezer sitting on the train.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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