NihontoWatchNihontoWatchJapan Armor Society Tokubetsu Kichō Certified The Third-Highest Certification Awarded by the Japanese Armor Research & Preservation Society This mid-Edo-period suit of samurai armor combines a restrained black finish with a striking gold-leafed helmet crest. Its formal designation is Nerikawa Kuro Shiwagawa-zutsumi Iyozane Marudō Gusoku, describing its hardened-leather construction, black textured-leather covering, and Iyozane-style cuirass. A distinctive feature is the extensive use of nerikawa, a traditional material made by compacting and hardening rawhide. Used here for the helmet bowl and many of the protective components, it demonstrates an approach to armor construction that extends beyond the more familiar use of iron plates. The 24-splice helmet has a hardened-leather bowl covered in black textured leather, with an iron visor and lower band. Its four-tiered decorative crown fitting complements a wooden, gold-leafed kaigara no iki crest, whose sweeping silhouette forms the visual focal point of the suit. A four-tier neck guard and small turned-back side pieces complete the helmet. The fierce-expression face mask is also made from hardened leather, with a red-lacquered interior and applied hair. Below it, the rounded cuirass is formed from Iyozane-style elements with black lacing. Six-tier shoulder guards and seven sections of five-tier skirt defenses continue the coordinated construction. Bear fur trims the lower edges of the skirt defenses and thigh guards. The arm defenses combine hardened-leather splints with chain mail, while the shin guards use seven iron splints linked by mail. Purple cross-lacing and decorative metal fittings provide subtle accents against the predominantly black surfaces. The ensemble includes a wooden armor chest and a saihai, a commander’s baton with gold-paper streamers and a black-lacquered iron handle. Examined by the Japan Armor and Weapons Research and Preservation Society, this armor has been certified as Tokubetsu Kichō Shiryō — Specially Precious Material, certificate no. 2487, and dated to the mid-Edo period. Please don't hesitate to request additional photos or videos before purchasing this armor. This suit of armor features a 24-hand-spliced Suji-Kabuto Helmet Bowl Covered in Black Wrinkled Hardened Leather with a wooden "Breath of a Shell" header decoration finished with beaten gold. This armor comes with a 3rd highest Certificate of The Association for the Research and Preservation of Japanese Helmets and Armor - Tokubetsu Kichō Shiryō Highlights
Offered by Samurai Store
Tosei-gusoku · Maru Do
Full gusoku (complete suit)
24-plate · Suji-bachi
Unsigned
Kuro (black)
kaigara no iki crest
Edo
Tokubetsu Kichō Shiryō · Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai
Especially valuable armour of notably superior workmanship and condition, the third of the five ranks.
Japanese armour is not certified by the NBTHK. The Nihon Katchū Bugu Kenkyū Hozon Kai (the Association for the Research and Preservation of Japanese Helmets and Armour), founded in 1961, is the principal body for armour. Its shinsa grades a piece as 資料 (shiryō, "reference material") across five ascending ranks: Hozon, Kichō, Tokubetsu Kichō, Kōshū Tokubetsu Kichō, and the highest, Jūyō Bunka Shiryō. The 資料 framing reflects the society’s purpose of preserving armour as cultural and historical reference, distinct from the NBTHK’s sword paper tiers.
Returns accepted only for errors/damage: damaged or incorrect items reported by email within 10 calendar days; defective goods within 30 calendar days.
¥2,800,000