The real Last Samurai: Shimazu clan Battle Armor made by Myochin Muneharu

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Myochin Muneharu
The real Last Samurai: Shimazu clan Battle Armor made by Myochin Muneharu
c. 1860

Name: The real Last Samurai: Shimazu clan Battle Armor made by Myochin Muneharu
Brand: Myochin Muneharu
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

About the Item

A full and en-suite battle armor belonging to a Samurai of the Shimazu clan of Kagoshima in Satsuma. The Shimazu were the daimyō (lords) of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. At the time that this armor was used, the Shimazu participated in the Satsuma Rebellion, upon which the film “The Last Samurai” is based. This armor, in excellent unrestored condition, dates to the late Edo period (c. 1860), and was made by Myochin Muneharu, a Jo I ranked armor smith whose mastery is apparent in the expressively wrought iron mask. The signature “Myochin Muneharu” is chiseled into the iron under the chin (see detail). The Tokugawa shogun Iemochi chose Muneharu to create a suit of armor as a state gift for Queen Victoria. The suit of armor by Myochin Muneharu at the Victoria and Albery Museum can be seen on their website. The mon (family crest) of the Shimazu clan emblazons the helmet, and a dramatic kanji forecrest lends an impressive aspect to this warrior’s armor. The three white cloth bands on the sleeves are very unusual, and may represent a special rank or campaign badge, or possibly an indication of the owner’s wish to perish in a particular battle, as samurai employed the color white, which signifies death in Japan, for this purpose. The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama or outsider daimyō families, in contrast with the fudai or insider clans which were hereditary allies of the Tokugawa clan. The Shimazu would become one of the families of Edo period daimyō to have held their territory continuously since the Kamakura period, and would also become, at their peak, the wealthiest and most powerful tozama family with an income in excess of 700,000 koku (one koku, the unit used to measure wealth in feudal Japan, represented the ability to produce enough rice to feed one retainer for one year.) The founder, Shimazu Tadahisa (d. 1227), was a son of Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199). After serving Yoritomo, he went to Satsuma in 1196, subdued Hyūga and Ōsumi provinces, and built a castle in the domain of Shimazu which name he also adopted. The 19th head, Yoshihiro (1535–1619), was the daimyō at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the Siege of Osaka. His nephew and successor was Shimazu Tadatsune. He held significant power during the first two decades of the 17th century, and organized the Shimazu invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom (modern-day Okinawa Prefecture) in 1609. The trade benefits thus acquired, and the political prestige of being the only daimyō family to control an entire foreign country, secured the family's position as one of the most powerful daimyō families in Japan. The Shimazu clan is renowned for the loyalty of its samurai, especially during the Sengoku period. The Shimazu are also famous for being the first to use firearms (arquebuses) on the battlefield in Japan, and began domestic production of the weapons as well. Shimazu battle tactics were very successful in defeating larger enemy armies, particularly during their campaign to conquer Kyūshū in the 1580s. Their tactics included the luring of the opposition into an ambush on both sides by arquebus troops, creating panic and disorder. Central forces would then be deployed to rout the enemy. In this way, the Shimazu were able to defeat much larger clans such as the Itō, Ryūzōji and Ōtomo. Hisamitsu (1817–1887), regent of Tadayoshi, was the daimyō of Satsuma han at the time of the Boshin War and the Meiji Restoration, in which Satsuma played a major role. In 1862, in the Namamugi Incident an Englishman was killed by Shimazu samurai for showing disrespect by failing to dismount as he passed the daimyō’s retinue, leading to the bombardment of Kagoshima by the Royal Navy the following year. Even though Satsuma was able to withstand the attack, this event showed how necessary it was for Japan to import western technology and reform its military. The Shimazu admired the superiority of the Royal Navy and sought a trading relationship with Britain as a result. Later that year, they paid the £25,000 (25 million USD in today’s currency) compensation demanded by the British Government, borrowing (and never repaying) the money from the bakufu — the shogun's government that had only five years to run before being replaced by the restored government of Emperor Meiji. The incident was the basis of James Clavell's novel Gai-Jin. On a muddy field outside Kagoshima on September 25, 1877, the feudal system that had dominated Japan for 700 years died, not with a whimper but with a defiant roar. At 6 that morning, the 40 remaining warriors of the last traditional samurai army in Japanese history rose from their foxholes, drew their swords and charged into the guns of the 30,000-man-strong imperial army. This event, depicted in the Tom Cruise film “The Last Samurai,” marked the end of the Shimazu clan and of the Samurai Era.

Creator:
Myochin Muneharu (Japanese)
Creation Year:
c. 1860
Dimensions:
Height: 65 in (165.1 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)Depth: 22 in (55.88 cm)
Medium:
Mixed Media
Period:
19th Century
Condition:
Excellent unrestored condition consistent with age. Lacquer cracking on lower lame of one tasset (see photo). Stand and footware available separately.
Gallery Location:
Santa Fe, NM
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU912364282

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