Minneapolis Institute of Art

Helmet (hoshi kabuto)

Japan

Date

12th–13th century

Medium

Iron, leather, copper

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A helmet was an important part of a samurai’s equipment not only for protection but also as a visual element to impress opponents. The use of iron helmets in Japan for protection is documented from to the 5th century through excavated examples which suggest that the construction was imported from China via Korea. Because the front side that protects the forehead is protruding like the prow of a ship, these early helmets are called shōkakutsuki kabuto, literally ram-shaped helmet. It took until around the turn of the 10th to the 11th century that the earliest indigenous Japanese helmet form emerged which was made of riveted plates and called hoshi kabuto. Hoshi kabuto are no longer purely utilitarian but embellished and decorated, and showcase that already at that time, both design and aesthetics played major roles in armor construction in Japan. Asia

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