Samurai helmet

' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors which, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.

Note that in the Japanese language, the word is an appellative, not a type description, and can refer to any combat helmet.

History

Japanese helmets dating from the fifth century have been found in excavated tombs. Called (visor-attached helmet), the style of these kabuto came from China and Korea and they had a pronounced central ridge.

, which is now known as a samurai helmet, first appeared in the 10th century Heian period with the appearance of '' ō-yoroi''. Until the early Muromachi period, were made by combining dozens of thin iron plates. Generally, only daimyo and samurai at the rank of commander wore ornaments called , which were shaped like a pair of hoes. In the middle of the Muromachi period, as the number of large-scale group battles increased, ordinary samurai wore in the shape of hoe, sun, moon or flag on their to show their courage or to distinguish friend from foe.変わり兜展.
Fukuoka City Museum変わり兜
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum "Nagoya Touken World"

In the Sengoku period in the 16th century, when the war became extremely large-scale and the guns called became popular, the armor styles called and became outdated and the armor style called was born. are made by combining three to four pieces of iron plates, and they are more bulletproof than the conventional style, enabling mass production, and the became more eccentric and huge. Some of these were made of iron, but for safety reasons on the battlefield, they were sometimes made by putting paper on a wooden mold, coating it with lacquer and curing it, and extracting the mold. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period, had a simple yet more unique and bold design in accordance with the popularity of Momoyama culture.

In the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shogunate defeated the Toyotomi clan at Summer Siege of Osaka and the society became peaceful, armor with a revival of the medieval times became popular, and and style were made again.甲冑に見る江戸時代展5 武士と武人の甲冑像
Fukuoka City Museum

The kabuto was an important part of the equipment of the samurai, and played a symbolic role as well, which may explain the Japanese expressions, sayings and codes related to them. One example is (lit. "Tighten the string of the kabuto after winning the war"). This means don't lower your efforts after succeeding (compare to "not to rest on one's laurels"). Also, (lit. "to take off the kabuto") means to surrender.

File:F-20153 E0022664.jpg, . Muromachi period, 15th century, Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property
File:朱漆塗矢筈札紺糸素懸威具足2.jpg, . Azuchi–Momoyama period, 16th-17th century, Suntory Museum of Art
File:黒糸威二枚胴具足の兜.jpg, , attributed to Sakakibara Yasumasa. Edo period, 17th century, Tokyo National Museum, Important Cultural Property
File:Samurai kabuto with octopus.jpg, with octopus. 18th century, Edo period. Stibbert Museum
File:Fancy Kabuto with Tokugawa Clan Crest and Design of Butterflies and Dragonflies. 18th centyry, Edo period. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.jpg, Fancy ''Kabuto'' with Tokugawa Clan Crest and Design of Butterflies and Dragonflies. Edo period, 18th century. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
File:F-17277 C0079612.jpg, style with a medieval revival style. Edo period, 19th century, Tokyo National Museum.

Parts of the ''kabuto''

The basic parts of the kabuto include:
*, a dome composed of overlapping elongated plates called
*, a small opening at the top of the , usually fitted with a (an ornamental grommet, often resembling a chrysanthemum)
*, a brim or visor on the front of the
*, a cloth lining inside the
*, mounting points for attaching crests
*, a ring at the back of the for securing a (helmet flag)
*, wing-like or ear-like projections to the sides of the
*, a suspended neck guard composed of multiple overlapping lames
* (chin cord), often used to secure the (facial armour)

A typical features a central dome constructed of anywhere from three to over a hundred metal plates riveted together. These were usually arranged vertically, radiating from a small opening in the top. The rivets securing these metal plates to each other could be raised (a form known as ) or hammered flat (a form known as ); another form, called , had the rivets filed flush. Some of the finer were signed by their makers, usually from one of several known families, such as the Myochin, Saotome, Haruta, Unkai, or Nagasone families.

A small opening in the top of the , called the or (seat of the war god, Hachiman), was thought to be for passing the warrior's top knot through. Although this practice was largely abandoned after the Muromachi period, this opening may have been retained for purposes of ventilation or simply as an artifact of how the plates were riveted together. The was usually decorated with , which were rings of intricately worked, soft metal bands often resembling a chrysanthemum. and were two helmet forms that did not usually have an opening at the top.

incorporated a suspended neck guard called a , usually composed of three to seven semicircular, lacquered metal or oxhide lames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing, although some were composed of 100 or more small metal scales in a row. This lamellar armour style, along with (mail armour), was the standard technology of Japanese body armour, and some were made of mail sewn to a cloth lining (a form called ).

The was secured to the head by a chin cord called , which would usually be tied to posts or hooks on the (facial armour) or simply tied under the chin.

are often adorned with crests called or ; the four types of decorations were the (frontal decoration), (side decorations), (top decoration), and (rear decoration). These can be family crests (mon), or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many kabuto incorporate , stylized antlers.

File:Formen des Hoshi Kabuto.jpg, Various shapes:
File:Nami-gata tate hagi-no ita.JPG, Many wavy shaped plates form a . A colourful can be seen at the top
File:Kasa jirushi no kan 1.JPG, , a ring for securing a (helmet flag) to the
File:Shikoro.JPG, Lacquered iron (neck guard)
File:Japanese armor guimet.jpg, The can be seen to both sides of the (brim), and the (cord) secures the (facial armour)
File:Maedate, c. 1800-1894.jpg, Maedate, c. 1800-1894, from the Oxford College Archives of Emory University
File:Maedate.JPG, Various (front crests)
File:Maedate tsunamoto.jpg, (mounting point for front crest)
File:Wakidate tsunamoto.JPG, (mounting point for side crest)

Types of ''kabuto''

''Suji bachi kabuto''

is a multiple-plate type of Japanese helmet with raised ridges or ribs showing where the helmet plates come together; the rivets may be filed flat or they may be left showing, as in the .

''Hoshi-bachi kabuto''

(star helmet bowl) with protruding rivet heads, have large rivets (), small rivets () and a rivet with a chrysantemoid-shaped washer at its base (). could also be if there were raised ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates came together.

''Hari bachi kabuto''

is multiple-plate Japanese with no ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates come and the rivets are filed flush.

''Zunari kabuto''

The is a simple, five-plate design.

''Tatami kabuto''

A great number of simpler, lightweight, folding, portable armours for lower-ranking samurai and foot soldiers () were also produced. These were called armour, and some featured collapsible (also called ), made from articulated lames. did not use rivets in their construction; instead, lacing or chain mail was used to connect the pieces to each other.

''Kaji kabuto''

were a type of helmet worn by samurai firemen.

''Jingasa''

were war hats made in a variety of shapes, worn by (foot soldiers) and samurai, which could be made from leather or metal.

''Kawari kabuto'', or strange helmet

During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design of three or four plates, lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in (papier-mâché mixed with lacquer over a wooden armature), though some were constructed entirely of iron. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarves, Ichi-no-Tani canyon, and axe heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel.

File:MAP Expo Oitaragainari kawari kabuto XVII 02 01 2012.jpg, , a type of which used papier-mâché mixed with lacquer for the elaborate decoration (the shell) on an iron bowl, beginning of the Edo Period, 17th century . Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas (Texas)
File:Helmet MET DT305558.jpg, A Kofun period (fifth century) early made of iron and gilt copper, from Ise Province
File:Antique_Japanese_(samurai)_za-boshi_suji_bachi_kabuto.jpg, (chrysantemoid-shaped washer at the base of the rivet), this is also a , as it has raised ridges
File:Eboshi kabuto 1.JPG,
File:Eboshi kabuto, yokohagi okegawa dou.jpg,
File:Kaji kabuto.JPG,
File:Nerigawa toppai jingassa.JPG, type, constructed from hardened leather ()
File:Conch helmet - Higgins Armory Museum - DSC05525.JPG, A
File:Helmet crouching rabbit Met 07.48.jpg, A

References

External links

{{Japanese (samurai) weapons, armour and equipment

Samurai armour
Combat helmets of Japan
Medieval helmets