Armor (Gusoku). Armorer: Helmet bowl signed Saotome Iyetada (Japanese, Edo period, active early-mid-19th century); Breastplate inscribed inside, Myochin Munesuke (Japanese, Edo period, 1688-1735). Culture: Japanese. Dimensions: H. 67 1/2 in. (171.5 cm). Date: 16th and 18th centuries.
This example comes from the armory of Date Yoshimura (1703-1746), daimyo (lord) of Sendai. The helmet bowl, signed Saotome Iye[tada?], dates from the sixteenth century; the remainder of the armor was constructed in the eighteenth century. The breastplate is inscribed inside with the armorer's name, Myochin Munesuke (1688-1735). The embossed ornament on the solid iron plates is characteristic of the Myochin school.