Gusoku-type armor

This suit of armor is made up of parts that protect different areas of the body. This type of armor, called tosei gusoku (or “modern armor”), was developed in the 1500s for foot soldiers fighting with swords. Gusoku is lighter in weight than earlier types of armor made for bow-and-arrow combat on horseback. In reality, this suit of armor was probably never worn in battle. Made during the relatively peaceful Edo period, it was likely used only for display or ceremony.

In the center of the chest is a round clover-and-sword emblem—the family crest of the original owner. Exact identification of the family is complicated by the fact that this same crest was used by many different clans across Japan.

Many of the parts of this armor—including the do, or cuirass, covering the chest, the tasses (skirt), and the wide thigh guards—are made from gilded iron plates laced together with braided silk cords. The ridged helmet has an iron bowl decorated with a front crest of stylized horns. Beneath it, a lacquered iron face mask with a moustache of stiff animal hair scowls fiercely.