*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 around 30-40 years ago. The set consists of a small armour, plastic stand, a black lacquered storage box and also an outer paper box to protect everything during storage.  His boots are made of plastic, however his shin guards are metal.  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. This set has been well taken care of and has been in storage for awhile.

Suzukoshi Yuzan is a prestigious armour workshop that is currently in its fourth generation.  About 100 years ago during the Meiji period, the first generation Yuzan (Suzuki Kinehachi) ran a business selling battle equipment for tango no sekku dolls.  Kinehachi then began making armour for tango no sekku dolls, he continued to hone his skills and built the foundations of the Suzukoshi family workshop.  Since then, the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras have passed, and materials and techniques have improved to an extent that is incomparable to the time of Kinehachi, but Kinehachi's craftsmanship has been passed down to the present generation.  Suzukoshi uses a division of labour system, so they have established a reputation for quality and speed.  Currently they have four traditional craftsmen designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and one traditional craftsman from Tokyo.  This is one of the largest groups of traditional craftsmen in the industry.  The doll in this listing was most likely made by the third generation.  Yuzan III received the Minister of International Trade and Industry Award at the National New Doll Festival Competition, and the Excellent Skills Award from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and he is certified as a Tokyo Traditional Craftsman.  The current generation Yuzan IV goes by the name of ‘Ichizo’ and is known as a popular doll maker due to his exquisite Wanpaku Taisho series.   **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

Outer Box:  H.30.8cm (12.1”) x 44cm (17.3”) x 35cm (13.7”)

Box:  H.28.3cm (11.1”) x 37.7cm (14.8”) x 33cm (12.9”)

Total Height Seated on Box:  70.5cm (27.7”)

Condition

The box has some very light scratches, the set also comes with an outer paper box which is discoloured but in good condition.  The “antlers” have minor scratches/scuffing, and the arms are a little crumpled due to being storage for a long period of time.  The tassels on the back are scruffy, and some of the armour’s flap parts (front, back, legs) are slightly misshapen/warped due to being stored for so long without use.

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 13,100 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 11,100 yen. 

**Asia:  SAL Sea Mail (approx. 6-8 weeks), an upgrade for EMS Express (5-7 days) available for an additional 4000 yen. 

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

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.