Samurai Armour No 7 - Late Edo period

Gusoku-type armour with two-part cuirass with brawn-patinated plating,
braided with navy blue thread. Myochin inscription insight - 1848

A complete samurai armor set

Helmet: Tetsu sabiji Momonari bachi kabuto, Toda clan kamon (painted in gold, hardly visible) on fukigaeshi
An iron helmet with a patinated surface, shaped like a peach (Momonari), featuring a smooth and elegant silhouette popular from the 17th to the 19th century.
This helmet features a commanding crescent-shaped maedate adorned with a
bonji (Siddham character) representing Fudō Myōō — the “Immovable Wisdom King,” revered by samurai as a guardian of strength, discipline, and unwavering resolve. The gilded Sanskrit inscription, surrounded by a flame-shaped aureole, symbolises spiritual protection in battle.
The presence of dragonflies (tonbo) across the sangu — arm and thigh guards — echoes the warrior’s ideal of fearless advance, as the dragonfly, known as kachimushi (“victory insect”), never retreats. Together, the crescent crest of divine power and the dragonfly motifs of martial determination form a unified expression of the Samurai’s body and spirit in perfect harmony.

Mask: Tetsu kuro urushi nuri hanpo

Maedate: Crescent-shape, wooden maedate Bearing the Bonji of Fudō Myōō

Cuirass/Dō: Tōsei gusoku style, dating from the late
Edo period, inscribed Myochin 1848 inside the cuirass. A modern plate armor design characteristic of the final era of the samurai.

Sangu: kote, haidate, suneate with dragonflies motif

Armour chest: wooden dark blue chest with gold Toda clan kamon (six stars)