 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Kabuto" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Kabuto (兜, 冑) is a type ofhelmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditionalJapanese armour worn by thesamurai class and their retainers infeudal Japan.
Note that in theJapanese language, the wordkabuto is an appellative, not a type description, and can refer to anycombat helmet.
Every year onChildren's Day, May 5, Japanese households display miniature kabuto and samurai armor in keeping with the tradition ofTango no Sekku. In feudal times, real samurai armor,kabuto, andtachi were displayed.[1][2]
Japanese helmets dating from the fifth century have been found in excavated tombs. Calledmabizashi-tsuke kabuto (attached-visor helmet), the style of these kabuto came from China and Korea. They had a pronounced central ridge.[3][4]
Kabuto, now known as samurai helmets, first appeared in the 10th centuryHeian period with the appearance ofō-yoroi. Until the earlyMuromachi period,kabuto were made by combining dozens of thin iron plates. Generally, onlydaimyo and samurai at the rank of commander worekabuto ornaments calleddatemono (立物), which were shaped like a pair ofhoes. In the middle of the Muromachi period, as the number of large group battles increased, ordinary samurai woredatemono in the shape of a hoe, the sun, the moon, or their flag on theirkabuto to show their courage or to distinguish friend from foe.[5][6]
In theSengoku period in the 16th century, when the scale of war increased and the guns calledtanegashima became popular, the armor styles calledō-yoroi anddō-maru became outdated. As a response to the popularity oftanegashima, the armor style oftosei-gusoku (当世具足) was created.Tosei-gusoku kabuto were made by combining three to four pieces of iron plates. These were more bulletproof than the conventional style and could be mass produced. Thetatemono became more eccentric and huge. Some were made of iron, but for safety reasons on the battlefield, they were often made with molded,lacquer-coated paper. In theAzuchi–Momoyama period,tosei-gusoku kabuto had a simple, bold design in accordance with the popularity of Momoyama culture.[5][6][7]
In theEdo period, theTokugawa shogunate defeated theToyotomi clan in theSummer Siege of Osaka. Japanese society became more peaceful and medieval armor styles were revived.Ō‑yoroi- anddō‑maru‑stylekabuto were made again.[7] Ornamentalkawari kabuto ("strange helmet") were made during this time that had "figures ofanimals, [kami], or various other objects mounted on top of them".[8]Kabuto during this time were made "from materials includingiron,gold-copperalloy,lacquer,leather,silk,wood,gesso,bone[,] and gessobinder".[8]
The kabuto was an important part of the equipment of the samurai, and played a symbolic role as well, which may explain theJapanese expressions, sayings, and codes related to them. For instance,Katte kabuto no o wo shimeyo translates literally to "Tighten the string of the kabuto after winning the war". This refers to not reducing one's efforts after success; an equivalent saying in English would be "Don't rest on your laurels".[9]Kabuto wo nugu (lit. "to take off the kabuto") means "to surrender".[10]
Media related toKabuto (individual parts) at Wikimedia Commons
The basic parts of the kabuto include:
A typicalkabuto features a central dome constructed of anywhere from three to over a hundred metal plates riveted together. These were usually arranged vertically, radiating from a small opening in the top. The rivets securing these metal plates to each other could be raised (a form known ashoshi-bachi) or hammered flat (a form known assuji-bachi); another form, calledhari bachi, had the rivets filed flush. Some of the finerhachi were signed by their makers, usually from one of several known families, such as the Myochin, Saotome, Haruta, Unkai, or Nagasone families.[citation needed]
A small opening in the top of thekabuto, called thetehen orhachimanza (seat of the war god,Hachiman), was thought[according to whom?] to be for passing the warrior'stop knot through. Although this practice was largely abandoned after theMuromachi period, this opening may have been retained for purposes of ventilation or simply as an artifact of how the plates were riveted together.[11] Thetehen was usually decorated withtehen kanamono, which were rings of intricately worked, soft metal bands often resembling a chrysanthemum.[11][12]Zunari kabuto andmomonari kabuto were two helmet forms that did not usually have an opening at the top.
Kabuto incorporated a suspended neck guard called ashikoro, usually composed of three to seven semicircular, lacquered metal or oxhidelames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing, although someshikoro were composed of 100 or more small metal scales in a row.[13] Thislamellar armour style, along withkusari (mail armour), was the standard technology of Japanese body armour, and someshikoro were made of mail sewn to a cloth lining (a form calledkusari shikoro).
Thekabuto was secured to the head by a chin cord calledshinobi-no-o, which would usually be tied to posts or hooks on themengu (facial armour) or simply tied under the chin.
Kabuto are often adorned withcrests calleddatemono ortatemono;[14] the four types of decorations were themaedate (frontal decoration),wakidate (side decorations),kashiradate (top decoration), andushirodate (rear decoration). These can be family crests (mon), or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many kabuto incorporatekuwagata, stylized antlers.
Suji bachi kabuto is a multiple-plate type of Japanese helmet with raised ridges or ribs showing where the helmet plates come together; the rivets may be filed flat or they may be left showing, as in thehoshi-bachi kabuto.
Hoshi-bachi kabuto (star helmet bowl) with protruding rivet heads, have large rivets (o-boshi), small rivets (ko-boshi) and a rivet with a chrysantemoid-shaped washer at its base (za-boshi).Hoshi-bachi kabuto could also besuji bachi kabuto if there were raised ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates came together.
Hari bachi kabuto is multiple-plate Japanesehachi with no ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates come and the rivets are filed flush.
Thezunari kabuto is a simple, five-plate design.
A great number of simpler, lightweight, folding, portable armours for lower-ranking samurai and foot soldiers (ashigaru) were also produced. These were calledtatami armour, and some featured collapsibletatami kabuto (also calledchoshin-kabuto), made from articulated lames.[12][15][16]Tatami kabuto did not use rivets in their construction; instead, lacing or chain mail was used to connect the pieces to each other.
Kaji kabuto were a type of helmet worn by samurai firemen.[17]
Jingasa were war hats made in a variety of shapes, worn byashigaru (foot soldiers) and samurai, which could be made from leather or metal.[18]
During theMomoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design of three or four plates, lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets inharikake (papier-mâché mixed with lacquer over a wooden armature), though some were constructed entirely of iron. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarves,Ichi-no-Tani canyon, and axe heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel.
_za-boshi_suji_bachi_kabuto.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) Media related toKabuto at Wikimedia Commons