Kabuto

For other uses, see Kabuto (disambiguation).

Harikake kabuto, a type of kawari kabuto which used papier-mâché mixed with lacquer for the elaborate decoration (the shell) on an iron bowl, beginning of the Edo Period, 17th century . Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas (Texas)

Kabuto (兜, 冑) are a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors, and in later periods, they became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.

History

Japanese helmets from the fifth century (before samurai) have been found in excavated tombs. Called mabizashi-tsuke kabuto (visor-attached helmet), the style of these ancient helmets came from China and Korea and they had a pronounced central ridge.

Kabuto were a prominent and important part of the equipment of the samurai, and played a symbolic role, as well. This explains the number of expressions, sayings and codes related to them. A few examples follow:

• Katte kabuto no o o shimeyo ("Tighten the string of the kabuto after winning the war"): don't lower your efforts after succeeding. This could be compared to "not to rest on one's laurels".
• kabuto o nugu ("to take off the kabuto"): to surrender

Upon the return of general peace under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo period, armour became more elaborate and ceremonial. Many very luxurious armours were produced during this period. Fine armour continued to be produced to the end of the Edo period in 1867, and slightly beyond. Later armours often emulated the garb of the romanticized Kamakura-Muromachi warriors.

In modern times, smaller-sized Japanese armours and kabuto are bought and kept by Japanese people as a personal interior collection or a seasonal home decoration item displayed during the Boys' Festival on May 5 for expressing the hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong.

Parts of the kabuto

• Hachi (helmet bowl): A typical kabuto features a strong bowl (hachi), which protected the crown of the head; it was usually constructed from three to over a hundred metal plates (tate hagi-no-ita), riveted together. The rivets (hoshi) that secure the metal plates of the kabuto to each other could be raised, creating a form known as hoshi-bachi, or "hammered flat", leaving only the flanges of the plates protruding, a form known as suji-bachi; hari bachi kabuto had no flanges showing and the rivets are filed flush. Some of the finer hachi were signed by smiths, usually from one of several known families, such as the Myochin, Saotome, Haruta, Unkai, or Nagasone families.

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  Hachi, Fujishima Shrine, Fukui Japan
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  Ancient hachi, Tokyo National Museum
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  Various hachi shapes: 1)Nari Akoda, 2)Goshozan, 3)Heichozan, 4)Koseizan, 5)Tenkokuzan, 6)Zenshozan

• Tate hagi-no-ita (the individual helmet bowl plates): Some kabuto were constructed with over 100 individual tate hagi-no-ita riveted together.

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  Close up of the tate hagi-no-ita of a hari bachi kabuto
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  Tate hagi-no-ita (helmet bowl plates)
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  Tate hagi-no-ita - pie-shaped
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  Nami-gata tate hagi-no ita - wave-shaped

• Tehen or hachiman-za: On most types of kabuto, the plates are arranged vertically, and radiate from an opening in the top of the hachi called the tehen or hachiman-za (seat of the war god, Hachiman). One purpose of the tehen was thought to be for the warrior to pass his top knot through. Although this usage was largely abandoned after the Kamakura-Muromachi period, other possible reasons for the tehen could have been for ventilation or just the result of how the plates were riveted together.Zunari kabuto and momonari kabuto did not usually have a tehan.

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  This close up view of the inside of a hachi shows the tehen; the flange of the tehen kanamono can be seen.
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  In this close up, the flange of the tehen kanamono also can be seen.
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  Close up view of the inside of a hachi, showing the tate hagi-no-ita and the tehen or hachiman-za
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  Another close up view of the inside of a hachi

• Tehen kanamono (decorative ring): The tehen remained as a feature of most helmets, and was decorated with tehen kanamono, which were rings of intricately worked, soft metal bands that surrounded the opening of the tehen. Tehan kanamono usually resembled a chrysanthemum.

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• Shikoro (neck guard): Kabuto incorporate a suspended neck guard called a shikoro. This is usually composed of three to seven semicircular, lacquered metal or oxhide lames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing (odoshi), although some shikoro were composed of 100 or more small metal scales (kozane) in a row. This system of lames is the standard technology of defense employed, along with chain armour (kusari), for the body protection in Japanese armour. The shikoro could also be made from panels of cloth with kusari sewn to the cloth (kusari shikoro).

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  Lacquered iron shikoro (neck guard)
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  Antique Japanese (samurai) Edo period karuta kabuto with a kusari shikoro
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• Shinobi-no-o: Kabuto would be secured to the head by a chin cord (shinobi-no-o) that would usually be tied to the various posts and or hooks of the facial armour (mengu); if no facial armour were worn, the shinobi-no-o would be tied under the chin.

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  Suji bachi kabuto showing the shinobi-no-o (helmet cord)
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  Another suji bachi kabuto showing the shinobi-no-o
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  Suji bachi kabuto showing the shinobi-no-o being worn tied under the chin

• Ukebari (hachi lining): The interior of the hachi would have a cloth lining.

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  Ukebari (helmet liner) and shinobi-no-o (chin cord)
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  Ukebari and shinobi-no-o
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  Ukebari and shinobi-no-o
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• Tatemono or datemono (helmet crests): Kabuto are often adorned with crests called datemono or tatemono; the four types of crests were: maedate (front crest), wakidate (side crests), kashiradate (top crest), and ushirodate (rear crest). These can be family or clan emblems, or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many kabuto sport kuwagata, or stylized deer horns.

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  Various kabuto maedate (front crests)
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• Fukigaeshi (wing- or ear-like projections on both sides of the kabuto)

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• Mabizashi (brim or visor)

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• Datemono tsunamoto (various fittings on the kabuto for the attachment of datemono)

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  Maedate tsunamoto
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  Oharaidate
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  Wakidate tsunamoto

• Kasa jirushi no kan (a ring at the back of a kabuto designed to carry a small identification flag (kasa jirushi): On later helmets, an agemaki bow was tied to the kasa jirushi no kan.

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Types of kabuto

Early (before samurai)

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  Predecessor to the kabuto a Kofun period (fifth century) kabuto, iron and gilt copper, Ise Province, Metropolitan Museum of Art
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  Kofun period kabuto, fifth century, Tokoyo National Museum
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  Ancient Japanese kabuto, Tokyo National Museum

Suji bachi kabuto

Suji bachi is a multiple-plate type of Japanese helmet bowl with raised ridges or ribs showing where the tate hagi-no-ita (helmet plates) come together; the rivets may be filed flat or they may be left showing, as in the hoshi-bachi kabuto.

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Hoshi-bachi kabuto

Hoshi-bachi (star helmet bowl) kabuto with protruding rivet heads, have large rivets (o-boshi), small rivets (ko-boshi) and a rivet with a chrysantemoid-shaped washer at its base (za-boshi). Hoshi-bachi kabuto could also be suji bachi kabuto if there were raised ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates came together.

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  O-boshi kabuto (large protruding rivets)
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  Za-boshi kabuto (chrysantemoid-shaped washer at the base of the rivet), this is also a suji bachi kabuto, as it has raised ridges.
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  Ko-boshi kabuto (small rivet)

Hari bachi kabuto

Hari bachi is multiple-plate Japanese hachi with no ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates come and the rivets are filed flush.

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Kawari kabuto

Kawari kabuto, or "strange helmet": During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design of three or four plates, lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in harikake (papier-mâché mixed with lacquer over a wooden armature) or they could be constructed entirely of iron (tetsubari kabuto), as in uchidashi kabuto (embossed iron), nanban kabuto (European influenced), or the Saiga kabuto (made in the Saika province). These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarves, Ichi-no-Tani canyon, and axe heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel. A definitive show of kawari kabuto was mounted by the Japan Society in 1985. The catalog, entitled "Spectacular Helmets of Japan" (ISBN 0-87011-784-X) is a good guide to this form.

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Tatami kabuto

A great number of simpler, lightweight, folding, portable armours for lower-ranking samurai, foot soldiers (ashigaru) and for travel were also produced, these are called tatami armors and some featured tatami kabuto which could fold and some could collapse (chochin kabuto). Tatami kabuto were made from articulated lames, karuta, kikko or kusari armours.Tatami kabuto did not use rivets in their construction; instead, lacing (odoshi) or chain armor (kusari) was used to connect the various types of armour to each other.

Karuta kabuto

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Chochin kabuto

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Hachi-gane/hitai-ate

These are various types of portable, lightweight, simple helmets that protect the forehead.

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Zunari kabuto

The zunari kabuto is a simple, three-plate kabuto.

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  Japanese (samurai) Edo period iron kabuto in the zunari style
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Eboshi kabuto

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  Samurai eboshi-style helmet
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Momonari kabuto

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Kaji kabuto

Kaji kabuto are a type of helmet worn by samurai firemen.

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Jingasa

Jingasa (war hats) were worn as helmets by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and by samurai; they could be made from leather or metal.

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  Toppai (conical) jingasa, ashigaru type, constructed from iron plates
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  Jingasa, ashigaru type, constructed from hardened leather (nerigawa)

In popular culture

• The kabuto, along with the German Stahlhelm, was the inspiration for the helmet of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films.

See also

• Mengu
• Japanese armour

External links

• SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian Anthony J. Bryant