This suit of armour was owned by Tachibana Muneshige, the first lord of the Yanagawa domain. From the large waistline and the thick iron plates, we can imagine the amazing physique of Muneshige. The body part alone weighs up to 12 kg.
The cuirass and helmet show features of the earliest type of tosei gusoku (lit. ‘modern armor’) in the 16th century. The other parts were supplemented afterwards.
The ring design on the cuirass is the same motif of the crest on the helmet. In documents of the Tachibana family, it is described as ‘Gachirin’ which expresses the moon.
Details