Samurai Shoulder Guard

One of a pair of armored shoulder guards (sode). Two seven lame shoulder guards that attach to the armored shoulder straps (watagami) of a cuirass. The top plate has a wide, trapezoidal upper portion with black, white, and red stenciled leather and a gilded rim (fukurin). The surface below that is covered with blue and white patterned leather. On the right shoulder guard, this blue patterned leather has imagery of animals and people. On the left shoulder guard, the blue patterned leather has imagery of waves and leaves. Three metal plates decorated with orange blossom crests are riveted to the top plate with chrysanthemum shaped rivets. A rectangular metal plate (kogai kanamono) with a ring is riveted to the 4th lame toward the back of the shoulder guard. The kogai kanamono serves to attach the orange tying cord to the shoulder guard which then ties to the back of the cuirass. The reverse is undecorated. Each iron lame is made up of many small, "true scales" (hon kozane) meticulously bound together to form a solid lame, then coated with black lacquer. Lames are connected to one another with orange silk lacing in the kebiki-odoshi style. The bottom lame also showcases a row of tweed lacing above two lower rows of orange lacing in cross knot patterns. The shoulder guards are the only components from this matching suit of armor which use true armor scales instead of false scales.