*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 an o-yoroi samurai armour decoration made 38 years ago by master craftsman, Okoshi Tadayasu II. The set consists of a small armour, a wooden stand, an Echizen lacquerware storage chest and also an outer paper box to protect the set during storage.  It also comes with a feather duster, a certificate of authentication, a stamped plaque and a colour pamphlet.  These types of decorations are intended for Tango-no-Sekku celebrations held on May 5th. Tango-no-Sekku was a boy’s day festival although now it is referred to as Children’s Day. The decoration in this listing has been very well taken care of.

Okoshi Tadayasu II (b. Yotaro in 1939) is a second generation craft armour maker from Tokyo.  The Okoshi family were real armour makers for 16 generations, and the Tadayasu name was created when they switched over to craft armour production.  Tadayasu II began studying under his father (Tadayasu I) in 1955, and he received several prestigious awards during his career.  In 1978 he received the Prime Minister's Award, and he received it again in 1981.  In 1987 he received the Governor of Tokyo Award, and in 1993 he received the Minister of Education Award.  In 1994 he received the Gold Award in the Best Technology category, and in 1995 he received the Prime Minister’s Award for the third time.  In 1995 he began teaching his son the art of armour making, and in 1996 he received the Minister of Education Award.  In 1999 he received the Prime Minister’s Award for a Date Masamune (1567-1636) kabuto, and in 2000 he received the Minister of International Trade and Industry Award for a Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) kabuto. In 2001 he received the Prime Minister’s Award for a Maeda Toshiie (1538-1599) kabuto, and in 2002 he received the Prime Minister’s Award for armour making.  In 2003 he received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award, and in 2004 he received the Prime Minister’s Award.  Tadaysu II is a member of the Japan Armour Research and Preservation Association, the Tokyo Festival Doll Promotion Association, the Saitama Festival Doll Promotion Association, the Tokyo Hina Doll Industry Cooperative as well as the Tokyo Traditional Craftsperson Association.  For over fifty years since their founding they have devoted themselves to the production of armour, inheriting the tradition from the first generation to the third.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.

O-yoroi refers to armour worn by the samurai class during feudal times. This particular type of armour was used by cavalry archers, however it was problematic in that it was extremely heavy and restricted movement. Nonetheless it was favoured by high ranking samurai, and tended to be more decorative than the armour worn by lower ranking samurai. Yoroi armour typically consisted of six parts: the cuirass armour consisting of breastplate and backplate fastened together, a kabuto helmet, a menpo mask, kote armoured sleeves, greaves armour to protect the legs, and the cuisses armour to protect the thighs. Scales were laced together with the breastplate and backplate to protect the torso.

Sizes

Paper Box:  H.33cm (12.9”) x 43cm (16.9”) x 33cm (12.9”)
Box: H.31cm (12.2”) x L.38.5cm (15.1”) x W.29cm (11.4”)
Total Height: 76cm (29.9”) x 23.5cm (9.2”) across

Condition

The armour is missing a part (see photo 5, red circle) and there’s some patina on the back of the antlers.  The lacquer chest has been kept in very good condition and just has light wear here and there.  The outer paper box has some wear but it’s in decent condition.

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 16,500 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 14,100 yen. 

**Asia:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (5-7 days) available for an additional 6250 yen.  

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

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.