Dark blue laced shoulder guards of black scales

According to a document recorded in 1857, an ancestor of the Otabe family had given his own shoulder guards to his lord, Tachibana Muneshige, in the 16th century while in a military camp. The Otabe family later made it a festive custom and customarily presented shoulder guards to the Tachibana family in the 18th century.
This pair of shoulder guards is considered to be ones presented following that custom. They are similar to the original shoulder guards that Otabe Shinsuke gave to Muneshige but are smaller in size and laced with string instead of leather. Additionally, the metal parts have a family crest design of Gyoyo, which Muneshige often used.