
Jeff Olson
Director
Sold for US$106,562.50 inc. premium
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Haramaki (literally "belly wrapping") armors were first produced during the late fourteenth century and were worn almost exclusively by retainers who commonly fought on foot. Gradually, however, in response to changes in military techniques, higher ranking warriors found they needed armor that provided more mobility than the traditional boxy o-yoroi. The haramaki offered close-fitting protection around the torso, and the seven separate sections of kusazuri (as compared to four on an o-yoroi) allowed for greater ease in walking and running. By the fifteenth century many high-ranking warriors were wearing haramaki and their patronage resulted in the production of high-quality examples.
This lot is a remarkably well preserved, retaining much of the original lacing and gilt-copper fittings. The blue-dyed leather lacing running through the lower section of the do and connecting the kusazuri in unbroken lines confirms the near-original condition. The multi-color silk lacing is in keeping with Muromachi-period fashion. Near ubu haramaki are extremely rare.
For a haramaki of similar age and comparable condition in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visit: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/22683; for other haramaki registered as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, see Morihiro Ogawa, ed., Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2009, cat. nos. 8 and 9.