*SHIPPING IS CURRENTLY SET FOR SAL SEA MAIL TO MOST DESTINATIONS, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS LISTING FOR FASTER OPTIONS.

This listing is for a vintage samurai warrior kabuto helmet made by master craftsman, Kato Tomomi.  Kabuto kazari are typically displayed during the annual Children’s Day celebration held on May 5^th.  The helmet in this listing was made around 30-40 years ago and depicts Nambu Masanaga’s helmet.  Nambu was a samurai active during the Nanbokucho period spanning from 1336 to 1392. It is a carefully crafted piece complete with metal trim, and it comes complete with a beautiful black lacquered box.  Red coloured silk has been woven around the back of the helmet, and the set comes complete with a mounting stand and purple cloth.  The smaller parts detach for easy storage, this particular set has been very well taken care of.  ** Please note that this particular kabuto doesn’t originally come with a small golden shishi attached to the top like some kabuto do.  

Kato Tomomi (b.1934) was born in Tokyo and is the second son of kazari master craftsman Kato Itchu.  He learned the basics of armour making from his father from a very early age.  The Kato family has devoted their time to studying real armour held at various shrines and museums and shrines across Japan, and their specialty is Edo style armour.  One of his best pieces is a 1/7 scale armour housed at the Kyoto Prefectural Museum of Culture, it was crafted using traditional techniques identical to those used for real armour.  Kato is currently ranked as Japan’s number one traditional craft armour maker, and he was designated as a Traditional Craftsman by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  In 2021 he received the highly coveted Order of the Sacred Treasure medal in honour of his achievements.   Here is an English language link:  https://tomomikato.com/en/      **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

On May 5th Children’s Day is celebrated all over Japan. It is a day set aside to celebrate children’s health and happiness. Traditionally the day was just for boys, and families with at least one son would display kabuto and wish for their health and prosperity. During the Edo period this day was to encourage boys to become courageous like samurai.

Sizes
Outer Paper Box: H.23.3cm (9.1”) x 36.4cm (14.3”) x 28.9cm (11.3”)
Box: H. 21.6cm (8.5”) x 30.1cm (11.8”) x 23.1cm (9”)
Total Height:  41cm (16.1”)
Kabuto on Stand: H.20cm (7.8”) x 20.5cm (8”) across x 16cm (6.2”) from back to front

Condition

The ‘antlers’ have some scratches and scuffing, and there’s some minor wear here and there on the helmet.  The lacquer box is in very good condition but there are some ‘wipe marks’ which may disappear with some light waxing.

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  The aforementioned countries have very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to your country.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 11-12 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 10,200 yen. 

**UK , Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 8-12 weeks depending on the destination), an upgrade for EMS Express (7-10 days) available for an additional 8550 yen. 

**Asia:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (5-7 days) available for an additional 4150 yen. 

**Middle East, Central Asia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico:  EMS Express only (7-15 days).

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.