Samurai Armor with Andō-Family Crest (Translation)
伊予札色糸素懸威胸取二枚胴具足 安藤家伝 (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

Educational
18th century
Japanese
Lacquered and gilded iron alloy, silk thread, brocade, leather, papier-mâché, metal fittings
Overall: 60 × 27 × 20 in. (152.4 × 68.58 × 50.8 cm)
Overall (.5a-b : Box Dimensions): 23 1/2 × 20 1/4 × 18 in. (59.69 × 51.44 × 45.72 cm)
2020.33.1-5
Not on view

This suit of armor is composed of a five-panel cuirass fastened along the right side, shoulder guards, metal sleeves with laces, a skirt, underpants, and a helmet. The superb craftsmanship of silk lacing and lacquered metal plates suggest that it was produced for ceremonial events. The helmet, inscribed with “Hachiman daibosatsu,” a Shinto deity, conveys a blessing for success. A chrysanthemum crest that adorned the armor and helmet reveals that this suit belonged to the Andō family, whose ancestor served for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ruler of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Edo period (1615-1912)
None
None
Helmet: 八幡大菩薩 Hachiman daibosatsu (Great Bodhisattva Hachiman)
Gift of Mr. Larry Aldrich, by exchange
Samurai, Milan, 2009
Samurai, Venice, 2010
Gallery display, New York, 2019

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