Armor (Rokumai-Dō Gusoku) with Box
This armor is a rare example of a type designed by Noguchi Tō’emon Zesai, a late seventeenth-century military strategist and fencing teacher, who subcontracted the making of the various armor parts to various specialized craftsmen. Zesai was active at a pivotal moment in the history of Japanese armor making. About half a century after the last major battle had been fought on Japanese soil in 1636 during the otherwise peaceful Edo period (1615–1868), Zesai was one of the last to focus on the practical use of armor. After his active period, the demand for newly made arms and armor further declined, and the focus of production shifted towards ostentatious presentation and parade armors made for Daimyō and high-ranking Samurai, often reviving medieval styles.
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