Samurai Shoulder Guard

One of a pair of armored rawhide samurai shoulder guards (tsubo sode). A five lame shoulder guard that attaches to the armored shoulder straps (watagami) of a cuirass. The top of the shoulder guard has two silk cords that attach to the watagami. The shape of the armor is deeply curved and narrows toward the distal end, both features that make it more comfortable to wear. The top plate has an outcurving rim covered with undyed leather and the surface below the rim has a band of blue and white patterned leather. Below the leather on the top plate, lacquer is built up imitating armored scales. Three black metal plates decorated with leaves are riveted to the top plate with chrysanthemum shaped rivets. Each lame is made of a single rawhide plate (ita-mono) coated with black lacquer and connects to the next lame with faded blue silk lacing in the sugake-odoshi style. The bottom lame showcases a row of tweed lacing above a bottom row of faded orange lacing in a cross knot pattern. Tweed laces also line the left and right edges of the shoulder guard.