Samurai Arm Guard

Right sleeve of a pair of black-lacquered, iron, bishamon style samurai arm guards (tetsu kuro urushi nuri bishamon-gote). This style is distinguished by a shoulder guard (sode) built into the structure of the sleeve. The exterior fabric is of yellow silk, heavily deteriorating around the elbow, and the interior fabric is a coarse blue material. The fabrics are joined at an edge made of leather. Much of the exposed exterior is covered with mail (kusari) made of small, circular links. The lower arm has five elongated iron splints (shino) coated with black lacquer. Mail attaches the splints to one another and to the fabric of the sleeve. The hand guard (tekko) is made of four plates and undecorated save for a coating of black lacquer. The underside of the hand guard is covered in leather. The sleeve is tightened and tied with blue silk cords and secured with dark brown toggles made of horn.

The attached shoulder guard is made of seven iron lames coated with black lacquer formed over a strip of wide, double-humped, "false scales" (kiritsuke koishi gashira iyozane) to give the appearance of individual scales. The bottom two lames narrow as they approach the lower arm and elbow. The lames are connected to one another with dark blue lacing in the sugake-odoshi style.