For this project, my friend and teacher in Japan, Mr Nishioka Fumio, asked me to assist with the making of a full size reproduction of this famous ‘National Treasure’ great armour originally made during Japan’s Heian to Kamakura period (late 12th – mid 13th C).

It is exact in every detail, including the materials used in its construction. Everything had to be made, as far as was possible, from the same materials that were used to construct the original; even the Urushi  (natural lacquer) was sourced from native Japanese trees, rather than the lesser quality cheaper Chinese variety. The gilt soft metal fittings that adorn and embellish the armour (kanamono, fukurin etc) were made from a special Japanese copper alloy known as Kuromi-do (which contains roughly 1% arsenic). The stencils used in dyeing the soft deerskin for the various facings were hand cut by a specialist master craftsmen. 

The majority of this ‘Great’ armour was made by Mr Nishioka Fumio including the Kabuto (helmet), dyed leathers (Egawa) and its overall construction.  Small rawhide leather (Nerigawa) scales known as ‘Kozane’ make up the overlapping lamellar construction. Each row is laced to the one above by the ‘cherry blossom’ stencilled deerskin lacing. Over 3000 Kozane were used in the construction of this armour, each being separately lacquered before being assembled and then lacquered over 10 times again and again. Also used was iron plate, hammered into thin sheets and made into the ‘Kanagumawari’ (the various components that have the soft gilt edging (Fukurin) attached). This comprises of the 'Tsubo-ita' (the upper part of the separate right side section of the main body), the 'Sode-kanmuriita' (the top plates of the large square shoulder defence), the 'Muna-ita' (the shaped top plate at the front of the armour), the 'Sendan-kanmuriita' (the hanging laced pendant on the front right side) and the 'Kyubi-ita' (the oblong shaped pendant on the front left side). This and the making of the foundation of the ‘Fukurin’ was my work.

A list of the various craftspeople that worked hard on this project is as follows….

Mr NISHIOKA, Fumio (Master Armourer)
Mrs NISHIOKA, Chizuru (Natural dyeing and hand woven braids)
Mr SOANES, Robert (‘Kanagumawari’ ironwork and soft metal ‘Fukurin’ edging)
Mr AIHARA, Kensaku (Soft metalwork fittings and engraving)
Mr MASUI, Kazuhira (Stencil engraving for dyed deerskin)
Mr HAKODA, Tsutomo (Gilding by Mercury amalgam for all ‘Kanamono’)

This armour is owned and on display at theYamanashi Prefectural Museum, Japan.

Known by many different names, ‘Men-gu’, ‘Men-yoroi’, and ‘Katchu-men’ the face protection encountered with many suits of Japanese armour is a fascinating topic in its own right, having become highly sought after by collectors for their beautiful craftsmanship and unique styles.

Masks used for protecting the face came in several different forms. Made mostly from lacquered or russet steel and iron, although hardened leather (Neri-kawa) is sometimes encountered, they are categorised and sub-categorised by which part of the face they protect. For example, protection for the chin and cheek areas are known as ‘Hoate’ or ‘Hanbo’ . A mask which covers the area below the eyes including the nose is a ‘Menpo’ or more correctly ‘Men no shita ho’. Masks that cover the whole of the face are known as ‘Somen’

Tengu are goblins that are believed to live in the mist shrouded forests and peaks of Japan, having both Shinto and Buddhist attributes. They are famous for their supernatural powers and also their prowess in martial arts especially swordsmanship.

The patron of martial arts, the bird-like KarasuTengu is a skilled warrior and mischief-maker, especially prone to playing tricks on arrogant Buddhist priests and to punishing those who wilfully misuse knowledge and authority to gain fame or position. In days past, they also inflicted their punishments on vain and arrogant samurai warriors.

This mask (shown below) I have made with the same features as the mythical creature having predominantly a crow’s beak nose. Although Karasu Tengu are not the most common subject seen on face armour, a number of highly regarded examples were made both in masks of Menpo and Somen form during the latter part of the Momoyama and, of course, the Edo periods.

This example, which I hand forged from good quality steel, has the main components of the mask (the ears, the ‘Yadome’ or arrow stops, etc) made in a traditional Japanese armour construction (i.e. riveted together, the exterior then being filed flush).

The rich russet patina of the piece was accomplished by allowing the entire mask to ‘rust’, out of doors for at least 6 months. After which, the corrosion is stopped with special techniques and finished with a traditional surface treatment known as ‘Fuki-urushi’ (a technique where raw lacquer is rubbed onto the surface with a cloth)

Detail of the right ear. Notice the use of protruding rivets and ‘Sukashi’ (pierced work) in the form of a flower.

Detail of the finished patina seen here on the chin area.

Two views of the completed mask prior to the attachment of the throat protection

The finished mask complete with its brown textured lacquer ‘Bengara tate nuri urushi’ throat protection attached to the mask by a band of smoked doeskin ‘Fusubegawa’ and laced with silk braid.

Restoration project

This mask, which is part of a complete suit of armour, was in a particularly dirty condition. Not only that, but the original polished brown lacquer used on the ‘Tare’ (throat protection) was flaking off in large areas due to corrosion of the steel or iron substrate. Unfortunately, there was no option for me but to re-lacquer the entire iron or steel lames that made up the ‘Tare’ and re-lace it in a dark indigo blue silk braid ‘Kon-ito-odoshi’. The base and flanges on the outside edge of each lame ‘Neri-kaeshi’ had to be re-modelled in a lacquer putty ‘Kokuso’ (a mixture of raw lacquer and wetstone powder). After this initial ‘foundation’ work was complete as many as 15 coats of high quality ‘Urushi’ were applied, each being carefully dried in a humid atmosphere and polished before the subsequent layer was applied.

So that the final colour of the new lacquer would match that of the original lacquer on the Menpo (originally black but now a semi translucent brown), a mixture was made using red ‘Shu’ and black ‘Kuro’ urushi lacquer strained through special paper and then applied in several layers, dried and polished as before. The final polishing is achieved using Camellia charcoal ‘Tsubakizumi’ and water.

Two views of the restored Menpo