Kabuto
Kabuto is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors that, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan.
Note that in the Japanese language, the word kabuto is an appellative, not a type description, and can refer to any combat helmet.
Every year on Children's Day, May 5, Japanese households display miniature kabuto and samurai armor in keeping with the tradition of Tango no Sekku. In feudal times, real samurai armor, kabuto, and tachi were displayed.
History
Japanese helmets dating from the fifth century have been found in excavated tombs. Called mabizashi-tsuke kabuto, the style of these kabuto came from China and Korea. They had a pronounced central ridge.Kabuto, now known as samurai helmets, first appeared in the 10th century Heian period with the appearance of ō-yoroi. Until the early Muromachi period, kabuto were made by combining dozens of thin iron plates. Generally, only daimyo and samurai at the rank of commander wore kabuto ornaments called datemono, which were shaped like a pair of hoes. In the middle of the Muromachi period, as the number of large group battles increased, ordinary samurai wore datemono in the shape of a hoe, the sun, the moon, or their flag on their kabuto to show their courage or to distinguish friend from foe.
In the Sengoku period in the 16th century, when the scale of war increased and the guns called Tanegashima became popular, the armor styles called ō-yoroi and dō-maru became outdated. As a response to the popularity of tanegashima, the armor style of tosei-gusoku was created. Tosei-gusoku kabuto were made by combining three to four pieces of iron plates. These were more bulletproof than the conventional style and could be mass produced. The tatemono became more eccentric and huge. Some were made of iron, but for safety reasons on the battlefield, they were often made with molded, lacquer-coated paper. In the Azuchi–Momoyama period, tosei-gusoku kabuto had a simple, bold design in accordance with the popularity of Momoyama culture.
In the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate defeated the Toyotomi clan in the Summer Siege of Osaka. Japanese society became more peaceful and medieval armor styles were revived. Ō- and dōstyle kabuto were made again. Ornamental kawari kabuto were made during this time that had "figures of animals,, or various other objects mounted on top of them". Kabuto during this time were made "from materials including iron, gold-copper alloy, lacquer, leather, silk, wood, gesso, bone and gesso binder".
The kabuto was an important part of the equipment of the samurai, and played a symbolic role as well, which may explain the Japanese expressions, sayings, and codes related to them. For instance, Katte kabuto no o wo shimeyo translates literally to "Tighten the string of the kabuto after winning the war". This refers to not reducing one's efforts after success; an equivalent saying in English would be "Don't rest on your laurels". Kabuto wo nugu means "to surrender".
Parts of the ''kabuto''
The basic parts of the kabuto include:- Hachi, a dome composed of overlapping elongated plates called tate hagi-no-ita
- Tehen, a small opening at the top of the hachi, usually fitted with a tehen kanamono
- Mabizashi, a brim or visor on the front of the hachi
- Ukebari, a cloth lining inside the hachi
- Tsunamoto, mounting points for attaching crests
- Kasa jirushi no kan, a ring at the back of the hachi for securing a kasa jirushi
- Fukigaeshi, wing-like or ear-like projections to the sides of the hachi
- Shikoro, a suspended neck guard composed of multiple overlapping lames
- Shinobi-no-o, often used to secure the mengu
A small opening in the top of the kabuto, called the tehen or hachimanza, was thought to be for passing the warrior's top knot through. Although this practice was largely abandoned after the Muromachi period, this opening may have been retained for purposes of ventilation or simply as an artifact of how the plates were riveted together. The tehen was usually decorated with tehen kanamono, which were rings of intricately worked, soft metal bands often resembling a chrysanthemum. Zunari kabuto and momonari kabuto were two helmet forms that did not usually have an opening at the top.
Kabuto incorporated a suspended neck guard called a shikoro, usually composed of three to seven semicircular, lacquered metal or oxhide lames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing, although some shikoro were composed of 100 or more small metal scales in a row. This lamellar armour style, along with Kusari, was the standard technology of Japanese body armour, and some shikoro were made of mail sewn to a cloth lining.
The kabuto was secured to the head by a chin cord called shinobi-no-o, which would usually be tied to posts or hooks on the mengu or simply tied under the chin.
Kabuto are often adorned with crests called datemono or tatemono; the four types of decorations were the maedate, wakidate, kashiradate, and ushirodate. These can be family crests, or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many kabuto incorporate kuwagata, stylized antlers.