AN ETCHU ZUNARI KABUTO

Edo period (1615-1868), 18th century

Edo period (1615-1868), 18th century
Constructed of two side plates and a wide medial plate running over the crown and bound together by a koshi maki (perimeter plate) and with a prominent flaring mabizashi, all covered in black lacquer, now showing brown with age, fitted with a manju type shikoro of five lames covered in black leather laced in blue in kebiki style
7 3/4in (19.6cm) high, the helmet only

This distinctive kabuto is thought to have been popularized by Hosokawa Tadaoki (1563-1646). The zunari ("head-shaped") kabuto was largely produced by two schools of armor smiths in Hineno and Etchu. Though fundamentally similar, they are distinguishable by the way in which the top plate meets the visor. In the Etchu style, the top plate terminates under the mabizashi plate while on the Hineno style, it ends on the exterior. For an armor worn by Tadaoki with a similar helmet in the collection of the Eisei Bunko Museum, see: https://sengoku-g.net/blog/2018/01/helmet.html/helmet59_l.