DOU:  Kawa Ito Iro Iro Otoshi Ni Mai Hon Kozane Maru Dou Naoshi  (Multi-colored leather laced hon kozane dou made into a two piece dou from a Maru dou)

Period: Late Muromachi to Momoyama (1560 - 1600)

School / Area: Nara region
 

This has been my favorite piece of armor for many years.  To my eye, it embodies the classic style of the Sengoku period Maru Dou and adheres to time- and battle-tested traditional production methods.  From a historical perspective it is interesting because it clearly illustrates the changing needs and styles at the end of the Momoyama period, through the modification to a Ni Mai Dou.

This dou started life as a Maru-dou which means that, like a domaru, it consisted of a single “body wrap” that was not broken into segments. The waki ita which is the solid iron plate located under the arm is the proof that this was once a maru dou rather than having been originally created as a ni-mai dou (hinged two-piece cuirass).  Probably around 1600, this dou was cut on the left side under the arm.  Hinges were added as separate plates laced to the dou as a sort of ad-hoc system for joining the dou together.  At this time it is likely that the top of the waki-ita were cut to allow for greater and more flexible movement. 
 

Its manufacture dates to the late 1500s and it was likely produced in Nara.   Hon Kozane (true kozane) refers to the armor being composed of thousands of individual plates, laced and lacquered together.   Its kozane are very small and of high quality in terms of manufacture and style.  The dou is manufactured completely in alternating iron and leather plates.  This is well represented along the upper row of the dou, where the lacquer has come off only the iron plates.   Kozane armors such as this were for the most part phased out of use following the battle of Sekigahara giving way to more common itamono (plate) variations of armor.

The lacquer was black (now aged to dark brown) and composed of many layers of urushi, rather than one layer of lacquer over a thick shitaji (urushi-powder mix base).  The use of shitaji is not necessarily a bad thing, and often, many very nice armors use shitaji.   However, the use of shitaji facilitates a much quicker, cheaper, and easier method of construction, cutting the lacquer time to a fraction of what it would be without it.   Different methods of manufacture of shitaji using different ratios of urushi to powder yield different results.   Generally, from the Edo period Shitaji is of very low quality and does not stand the test of time.   This armor does not employ shiaji, with all lacquer parts done using multiple layers of urushi.  This adds considerable time, expense and ultimately longevity to the armor.  This characteristic is something that all high-end pieces produced in Kyoto or Nara possess.   In addition to the quality of the black lacquer, this piece also has gold makie lacquer highlights as scroll work painted around the watagami (shoulder harness), muneita (top chest plate) as well as the wakiita.  

The lacing of this armor is leather, and as a result has been preserved largely intact. During the sengoku period, leather not silk was used for lacing and for protective covering over the kozane. Secondly, the lacing is done in the iroiro otoshi style (multi-color lacing).  Even the kusazuri (thigh tassets) are hon kozane with this lacing pattern.  This particular lacing style is common on armors from the Kamakura period through the Muromachi period.  However, again as a general rule this style of lacing was phased out during the Sengoku period as a result of the necessity for standardization and mass production to supply growing armies.   

Such armors were often specially ordered as presentation pieces.   Toyotomi Hideyoshi contracted several such armors from Nara to be produced for his top ranking allies such as Tokugawa Ieyasu.  

Comes with a tasteful leather covered yoroi-bitsu (armor box).

This is a great armor of classic style and high quality manufacture.  It presents beautifully, and I am sure would bring the new owner years of enjoyment and discussion, as it has for me.  It would truly make an excellent addition to an established armor collection.

Price on Request