A
kabuto (兜, 冑) is a
helmetA helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries, a variation of the hat. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from sword blows and arrows...
used with traditional
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
armourArmour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat...
as worn by
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. It features a strong bowl, the "
hachi", which protects the crown of the head, a suspended series of articulated plates (the "
shikoro") to protect the neck, and often a crest of the clan (
mon).
A
kabuto was usually constructed from three to over a hundred metal plates, riveted together.
A
kabuto (兜, 冑) is a
helmetA helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries, a variation of the hat. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from sword blows and arrows...
used with traditional
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
armourArmour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat...
as worn by
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. It features a strong bowl, the "
hachi", which protects the crown of the head, a suspended series of articulated plates (the "
shikoro") to protect the neck, and often a crest of the clan (
mon).
A
kabuto was usually constructed from three to over a hundred metal plates, riveted together. The plates are usually arranged vertically, and radiate from an opening in the top called the "
tehen" or "
hachiman-za" (seat of the war god,
Hachimanis the Shinto god of war, and divine protector of Japan and the Japanese people. The name means God of Eight Banners, referring to the eight heavenly banners that signaled the birth of the divine Emperor Ōjin...
). The original purpose of the
tehen was for the warrior to pass his top knot through. Although this usage was largely abandoned after the Kamakura-Muromachi period, the
tehen remained as a feature of most helmets, and was decorated with a "
tehen kanamono", or ring of intricately-worked, soft metal bands surrounding the opening of the
tehen. The rivets that secure the metal plates of the
kabuto to each other could be raised, creating a form known as "
hoshi-bachi", or hammered flat, leaving only the flanges of the plates protruding, a form known as "
suji-bachi". Some of the finer helmets were signed by smiths, usually from one of several known families, such as the Myochin, Saotome, Haruta, Unkai, and Nagasone.
Another form of
kabuto is the "
kawari kabuto", or "strange helmet". During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, the production of helmets was simplified to a three or four plate design that lacked many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets. To offset the plain, utilitarian form of the new helmet, and to provide visibility and presence on the battlefield, armorers began to build fantastic shapes on top of the simple helmets in
harikake, or lacquered paper over a wooden armature. These shapes mimicked forms from Japanese culture and mythology, including fish, cow horns, the head of the god of longevity, bolts of silk, head scarved,
ichi-no-tani canyon, and ace heads, among many others. Some forms were realistically rendered, while others took on a very futuristic, modernist feel. A definitive show of
kawari kabuto was mounted by the Japan Society in 1985. The catalog, entitled "Spectacular Helmets of Japan" (ISBN 0-87011-784-X is a good guide to this form).
Most
kabuto incorporate a suspended neck guard called a "
shikoro". This is usually composed of semi-circular lacquered metal or oxhide lames, attached and articulated by silk or leather lacing. This system of lames is the standard technology of defense employed, along with mail, for the body protection in Japanese armour.
Kabuto are often adorned with "
Maedate" (Front Crests), "
Wakidate" (Side Crests) or "
Ushirodate" (Rear Crests). These can be family or clan emblems, or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols. Horns are particularly common, and many helmets sport "
Kuwagata", or stylized deer horns, as seen in the attached illustration (in this illustration, the
Kuwagata have been mistakenly transposed L-R).
Upon the return of general peace under the Tokogawa Shogunate in the Edo Period, armour became more elaborate and ceremonial. Many very luxurious armours were produced during this period, as well as a great number of simpler armours for lower-ranking
samurai and foot soldiers. Fine armour continued to be produced up to the end of the Edo period in 1867, and slightly beyond. Later armours often emulated the garb of the romanticized Kamakura-Muromachi warriors.
Kabuto were a prominent and important part of the equipment of the
bushi, and played a symbolic role, as well. This explains the number of expressions, sayings and codes related to them. A few examples follow:
- Katte kabuto no o o shimeyo ("Tighten the string of the kabuto after winning the war"): don't lower your efforts after succeeding. Could be compared to not to rest on one's laurels.
- kabuto o nugu ("to take off the kabuto"): to surrender.
Nowadays, smaller-sized
YoroiThe Ō-Yoroi is a prominent example of Japanese armor. The term ō-yoroi means "great armor." For the most part the Ō-Yoroi was a rich man's armor and not used by lower ranking samurai...
and
kabuto are bought and kept by Japanese people as a personal interior collection or a seasonal home decoration item displayed during the Boys' Festival/May 5 for expressing the hope that each boy in the family will grow up healthy and strong.
Kabuto in the West
The
kabuto of
Date Masamunewas a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai. An outstanding tactician, he was made all the more iconic for his missing eye...
, along with the
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
StahlhelmStahlhelm is German for "steel helmet". The Imperial German Army began to replace the traditional boiled-leather Pickelhaube with the Stahlhelm during the First World War in 1916...
, were the inspiration for the helmet of
Darth VaderDarth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars...
, and those of the Stormtroopers. Vader’s helmet, armour and robe is highly reminiscent of
samurai armour. The helmet is taken directly from the
menpōA is a face mask on a Japanese samurai kabuto . Menpō take many forms. They may be made from leather or metal and can have a lacquered finish...
mask and
kabuto helmet of a feudal
samurai. Vader also wore an under-robe of black that resembled long, flared out pants, called
hakamaare a type of traditional Japanese clothing. They were originally worn only by men, but today they are worn by both men and women. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. Hakama are worn over a kimono ....
, a garment worn in feudal Japan. The
kabuto was also the inspiration for the Pokémon Kabuto, and Kabutops.
External links
- SengokuDaimyo.com The website of Samurai Author and Historian Anthony J. Bryant
Anthony J. Bryant is the author of four books for Osprey Military Publishing on samurai history. He is an amateur historian of Japan specializing in Kamakura, Muromachi, and Momoyama period warrior culture. His areas of interest also include Heian-period court structure and society and Japanese...