Late Edo period. At the inside the cuirass is dated and signed in red: “eleventh month of Ansei 3 (1856)” and “Yamamoto Jūnoshin” (a person with this name, written with these characters, is known to have taken part in the Boshin War of 1868-1869 between the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court).

A dark yoroi with traces of gilding with very dark blue cords and a five-piece cuirass with vertical lamella. The suit is topped by a large edoboshi-shaped helmet with a four-piece neck guard. The black facial mask protects the whole face while chin and neck are protected by the gorget. Each shoulder has a 5-lamella guard. The sleeves are armored with Japanese chainmail and five vertical metal strips. The kusazuri (the “skirt” hanging from the cuirass) has horizontal lamella and the cuisses has metal karuta-plates. These retain their gilding as do the metal suneate that protect the lower legs. Offered with its probably original plain wooden store-box for a suit-of-armor.

Condition: Complete, good, displays very well.