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Japanese Art? | Asian Antiques1676 of 2005 |  |  |
Posted 2 years ago
longm
(4 items)
I found this piece the other day in Illinois. I have no idea what it is. I thought it looked cool and I grabbed it. On first site I thought it was a Japanese war head armor. But it is to small for an adult. It would fit a child. But I do not think it is head gear.
It has me and other antique dealers stumped. Any help would be great and any idea of its value.
Thanks,
Matt
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Japanese AntiquesJapan, with its history of seclusion, has long fascinated Westerners. When …
This is indeed a scaled down samurai battle helmet, meant to be displayed, not worn. Takeda Shingen, (1521 – 1573) a powerful warlord, is sometimes depicted wearing a similar helmet as is 14th century samurai Kusunoke Masashige in a large sculpture near the imperial palace in Japan. Made of nicely cast iron and brass, there are several versions that differ only in ornament and detail. They are post 1950 from Japan, not antique. If you will Google Kusunoke Masashige, you can see one very similar to yours.
I had one like this years ago. It was very heavy and magnetic so I guess it was bronze or copper plated iron.