No image to displayWe’re sorry to disappoint you, but we have no image of this object.

Armor (Tatami Gusoku) with Sword, Sword Carrier, Dagger, and Spear

Unknown Artist

Armor of the “folding” (tatami) type could be contained in a small box and easily transported by one man. For this reason, it usually was intended for low-ranking infantrymen. However, the gold lacquer decoration and silk brocade lining of this example are unusual for armors of this type and suggest that it was used by a samurai serving the Date family of Sendai, from whose armory it comes.

Credit: armor: Gift of Bashford Dean, 1914; dagger: Gift of Brayton Ives and W.T. Walters, 1891; foot defenses: Rogers Fund, 1904; sword: Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935; sword carrier: Gift of Dr. George M. Lefferts, 1910

17th-18th century

Armor: iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper; dagger: steel, shark skin, bronze, gold, lacquer; foot defenses: iron, leather; sword: steel; sword carrier: leather, silk, textile; spear: steel, wood, mother-of-pearl, lacquer, silver, bear fur

160.0cm

14.100.538a-k; 04.4.49,.50; 36.25.1753...

Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019