Nanban (Southern Barbarian) Style Curb Bit
Not on view
This object is an extremely rare example of a nanban style horse bit. Literally meaning "Southern Barbarian", nanban designates the art inspired from or related to Europeans. The Japanese maker copied it directly from an imported German or Dutch bit made in the second half of 16th century. For example he reproduced very well the typical engraved decoration on the shanks, as well as the conical shape of the canon, a type of mouthpiece widely used in Europe at the time. On each side, the canons are adorned with a disc decorated with a Japanese style flower. As these discs are larger than the canons, they are probably meant to recall the bosses of a European bit.
This bit may have been made for a European rider living in Japan, as its size is adapted to the local smaller Japanese horses.
