Object number
4201.341.4
Title
Shin guards
Creator
Description
Suneate (shin guards) of vertical iron splints covered with green velvet on dark blue hessian, the upper areas of small hexagonal knots, each containing an iron plate. The interior lining plain buff hessian and securing ties of dark blue and red silk.
From around the later Muromachi era (1336 – 1573) Japanese armour became lighter and simpler. One such new form was the dōmaru which wrapped around the body, securing on the right hand side, and consisted of both lacquered leather and iron plates. This armour may well contain elements of an earlier armour, probably Edo period (1615 -1868) and the ensemble may have been used for the processions known as Sankin Kōtai when regional warlords made the journey from their provincial capitals to that of the Shogun in Edo (modern day Tokyo); the armour was possibly reworked in the nineteenth century with the addition of superb green velvet and embroidery, though velvet was first recorded as being imported into Japan by the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century and later also from China; it is thought that Japanese production of velvet started in the late Edo period (1615 – 1868). The embroidery on the sleeves seems to be Japanese in style and application, but it is very unusual to find this type of textile on armour.
Date
1615 - 1868
Production period
Edo period