Samurai Armor (Gusoku) with a Two-Piece Cuirass and Black Lacing

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0:00:06.6 Dr. Steven Zucker: We’re at the Tokyo National Museum, and we have an extraordinary opportunity to look closely at an early Edo period suit of armor that was owned by a very significant samurai. It is not only a beautiful work of art, but it is also an expression of the height of armor craftsmanship.

0:00:30.8 Dr. Hirosuke Sato, translated by Milosz Wozny: This is really one of the finest suits of samurai armor that we have in the Tokyo National Museum collection. This armor was owned by a samurai general named Sakakibara Yasumasa, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu, who’s the samurai warlord who united Japan under his rule and became the shōgun. This armor is perfect for the owner, Sakakibara Yasumasa, because it’s a very high-quality, beautiful suit of armor. It’s appropriate for his status within samurai society.

0:01:04.7 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Let’s take a look at the armor. First, we can look at the overall design, then we can get into the details. This type of armor is called Tōsei-gusoku, which means “contemporary, fully equipped armor.” That’s the literal translation. It’s an armor that protects the entire body. Let’s take a look at the helmet first. Now, this is a classic samurai helmet, and it’s been oxidized on purpose, so there’s a layer of rust on the iron which prevents the iron from rusting any further. We also have an iron face plate, and of course it’s supposed to protect the face, but in addition to that, it’s supposed to look very intimidating. So, the expression that we see here is an expression of fury, of anger, and that’s supposed to intimidate the enemy.

0:01:55.1 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: For really protecting the vital areas, which are the head and also the torso, you have plates of iron that are further reinforced with coats of lacquer. Lacquer cures to form a very strong protective coating. So, of course it protects the armor, but also makes it look more beautiful. But when you look at the arms and the legs, their mobility is more important, of course. So, we’re using a different material. If we look at the arm protectors, the area from the elbow up, that’s protected with iron chainmail. Here, around the thighs, we also have chainmail, which once again protects the thighs, but also allows for freedom of movement. So, of course, if you were to use iron plates for the entire body, the armor would become very heavy and it would be very difficult to move in. If we look at the design of the armor, you’ll notice that there are these wheel shapes, and these are called Genji-guruma. “Genji,” wheels. And they are the family emblem of Sakakibara Yasumasa.

0:02:54.2 Dr. Steven Zucker: And these are not the only symbolic forms that we see on this armor.

0:03:02.5 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Not everything had a practical purpose. Having the sword on the helmet, of course, doesn’t improve the functionality of the armor, doesn’t offer extra physical protection. However, this sword has symbolic meaning. It’s actually the weapon of a powerful Buddhist deity, Fudō Myōō. “Wisdom King,” Fudō. And he has a very terrifying expression because, yeah, he’s a very powerful Buddhist god. The samurai wanted to borrow his strength in battle.

0:03:27.2 Dr. Steven Zucker: And if we look closely at the hilt, we can see another Buddhist symbol, the vajra.

0:03:35.7 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Here the vajra form is combined with a sword, which is also, of course, used for destroying evil. So, putting this Buddhist symbol on the helmet, Sakakibara Yasumasa was hoping that he would be granted divine protection in battle. On the breastplate and the back plate, we also have a dragon depicted using the maki-e lacquer technique as a symbol of the wearer’s authority.

0:03:58.7 Dr. Steven Zucker: Am I correct that the dragon was also an expression of power, but there are other meanings as well?

0:04:06.8 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Not everyone was allowed to use dragon imagery. This is something that was reserved for the elite classes of Japanese societies. So, elite samurai, for example, only they were allowed to imbue their armor with the power of the dragon. Both the dragon as well as the sword on that helmet, these are both symbols of Sakakibara Yasumasa’s status within samurai society and also his authority.

0:04:29.0 Dr. Steven Zucker: Am I correct that the dragon is associated with water?

0:04:35.9 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Because dragons control the weather and the rain, oftentimes they’re depicted with rain clouds, with waves, things like that. So, really, with looking at the design of this armor, it’s not just about physical protection; it’s about imbuing the armor with supernatural power beyond human comprehension, using all these images. The armor was passed down through the generations together with this painting. And the painting shows just how important this armor was as a symbol of the Sakakibara family.

0:05:08.9 Dr. Steven Zucker: And it’s so extraordinary to me that we have this kind of documentation where we have the actual samurai wearing this exceptional armor, where we can recognize not only the headpiece, the dragon and the waves, which have all been beautifully accentuated within the painting, but also the standard. And the standard includes not only a representation of a sun, but also of the character for nothingness.

0:05:34.7 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: The sun and the moon were both worshipped, actually, by the samurai. And these are two very important motifs that you see a lot within samurai society. And, of course, they rise and then they set, and the cycle goes on forever. So, this was also associated with something that’s everlasting, the infinite cycle, and by extension, also associated with immortality and stability. And this is kind of a stylized version of the kanji character for nothingness, just like you said.

0:06:00.9 Dr. Steven Zucker: But is that a reference to a kind of nihilism, or is it a Buddhist reference? What is the meaning of nothingness?

0:06:11.7 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: This is a very deep question, very difficult question, but I’ll tell you what I think personally. I think this might mean that Sakakibara Yasumasa is completely selfless in serving his lord, that he has no other ambitions, there will be no treachery…

0:06:26.8 Dr. Steven Zucker: No ego…

0:06:27.8 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Exactly, there’s no ego, that’s right.

0:06:29.8 Dr. Steven Zucker: There’s such fidelity in the painting to the actual suit of armor. But there is one deviation, which are the shoulder pads, which are absent in the armor itself.

0:06:41.0 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Having these large shoulder guards and a protector just on the left arm, this is how the early samurai fought.

0:06:47.4 Dr. Steven Zucker: So, was this an expression of a kind of historicism? In other words, was this man placing himself in this older lineage?

0:06:55.4 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: This is very important because it goes back to the idea of a suit of armor, not just being there to protect the body, but being there as a symbol of the family and the person who’s wearing it. There are actually two sort of areas where the depiction of the armor is different. In the portrait, we see these large shoulder guards, which aren’t present on the actual armor. And the other is that here in the actual armor, you have protection for both of the arms. But in the portrait, he’s wearing an arm protector just on his left arm.

0:07:29.5 Dr. Steven Zucker: It almost looks to me that that’s an archer’s guard.

0:07:36.5 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: The reason why they wear this protector just on their left forearm is when they draw their bow, their left forearm becomes exposed, so they need protection for it. That’s why it’s only on that side. But in addition to that, these large shoulder guards functioned as shields effectively to block arrows that were fired at them from the sides.

0:07:52.4 Dr. Steven Zucker: And since both of their arms are being occupied by holding the bow, they couldn’t hold a shield, so this replaced a handheld shield.

0:08:01.1 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: So, you had the ancient samurai fighting on horseback, primarily as archers. But then during this period, during the Warring States period, the musket became one of the primary weapons, with which they fought. In addition to that, they fought more on foot rather than horseback, so they needed a new type of armor. But in addition to that, he’s got the large shoulder guards and also the bracer for the left arm from the ancient armor. So, you’re really combining this brand new contemporary style with this ancient style. What he’s doing here is in this portrait, he’s showing that he’s a member of this ancient lineage of samurais.

0:08:37.8 Dr. Steven Zucker: So, the ancient is functioning in a symbolic way, and yet you have a new technology that is expressed of the battlefield.

0:08:45.3 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Of course, at the foundation of armor design, you have functionality because you have to protect yourself. But then as you go up the ranks within the samurai hierarchy, then ornament becomes much more important, and especially the symbolism that this ornamentation has.

0:08:58.1 Dr. Steven Zucker: I have learned so much about armor and have a much greater appreciation for this particular armor and its symbolism, its craftsmanship, its beauty. And I want to thank you both for increasing my understanding and my appreciation for it.

0:09:10.9 Dr. Hirosuke Sato: Arigato. Thank you. [laughter]

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