National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is a cuirass with black leather strings as the ground binding thread and where the upper two layers of shikoro (a neck guard that hangs from the bottom of a helmet), trunk and sleeves are bound together with white thread (katadoriodoshi). Some parts of the sleeves and kusazuri (a protective skirt that hangs from the bottom of the trunk) are bound together with red thread in such a way as to form triangles (tsumadoriodoshi). In the rear center of the shikoro and the front and back of the trunk, red thread is inserted in such a way as to form isosceles triangles (omodakaodoshi).
　The hachi (crown) of the helmet is in a style called akodanari, where the front and back parts are raised and have 48 vertical lines rimmed with copper plated fukurin (a rim covering the edge of armor for protection or decoration). The hachi has a base called kuwagatadai with copper-plated chrysanthemum branch openwork in front and a haraitate (tall decoration) in the shape of three prongs in the center of the base. The shikoro comprises four tiers with the three tiers at both ends turning back. The cuirass is fastened on the right side and has seven five-tiered kusazuri (a protective skirt that hangs from the bottom of the cuirass) and a pair of gyoyo (apricot leaf-shaped iron plate) hangs on the chest.
　While some parts are broken, this artifact retains three main elements, namely, a helmet, a cuirass and sleeves and constitutes a valuable cuirass that has a rare binding thread structure, including katatsumadoriodoshi and omodakaodoshi.