[Eric S]

I found this image of what looks like a European cuirass that has been converted in Japan, the question...does anyone recognize what country and or era this armor may have come from originally or if it is a replica. It is well known that the Japanese at first converted European plate armor for their own use and then later they manufactured their own armor using the European armor style for some components. This may be someones attempt to replicate such an armor or it may be an original, I am trying to get some more information from someone who knows European armor, thanks.


]img]http://img321.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/4/7/3/5/tsun815815-img600x450-1322131216boyiyw46771.jpg[/img]

[William P]

considering that it was the portuguese the japanese first had major contact with... id say its aportuguese breastplate,

i dont know whether its an original portuguese , modified breastplate, a japanese copy from the sengoku era whether this is a 19th century replica of that style of sengoku period armour

what i do know is that the portuguese came into contact with japan to level of decent relations, was around the 1500's, as you probably know, the portuguese also introduced the matchlock which was adopted with much enthusiasm by the japanese the first matchlocks purchased by the japanese from portuguese men was around 1540,

i dont know when the armour began to be replicated but id assume somethome between then and the end of the sengoku period which was in the early to mid 17th century so were still talking renaissance europe, and the main influence on japanese during that time was from portugese since they had an empire across asia, japan represented its easternmost position, on the island tanegashima (which, aside from teppo, tanegashima is the name often given to these firearms by the japanese)


but then again, i dont think id be that wrong to suggest that style of breastplate was very common in europe around the renaissance period. you might find it in spain portugal, germany, italy britain as well i guess.
since around that time multiple nations adopted very similar infantry tactics centred around pike and shot.

[Eric S]

[Josh Warren]

It looks rather like an 18th-19th century cuirasser's cuirass.

[Christopher Treichel]

I knew those knobs reminded me of something...http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php?topic=260539.0 check out the third picture... armour on the right side... used for affixing the shoulder straps...

Since the plate armour in question is not Peascod it might be older than that fashion but still Spanish or Portuguese... The Dutch were also involved in trading with the Japanese.

[Gottfried P. Doerler]

in my opinion, this cuirass is much younger.
maybe really 18th-19th cent.,
at least I´d say a typical cuirassiers plate,from the time on , when cuirassiers established the style, they wore until their demise in the 1900s, so probably ~1700 onwards.
due to the central ridge i`d say more 18th cent. than later.

[Ruel A. Macaraeg]

For reference, here are two mid/late-17thc Portuguese arcabuzeiro (cavalry arquebusier) breastplates, together with the information from their museum tags. These would date about a generation or two after Ieyasu's famous converted European armor.

http://www.forensicfashion.com/1656PortugueseNobleArmor.html

[Christopher Treichel]

maybe an Edo period item?

[Eric S]

[James Arlen Gillaspie]

Josh was first to the buzzer with the correct answer. It is indeed a cuirassier's cuirass. That makes Eric's armour fairly recent.

[Eric S]