Samurai Armor Collar

Brigandine armored samurai collar (tate-eri or eri-mawashi) with integrated shoulder pad (eri-dai), which would be affixed beneath a cuirass. This is somewhat unusual in that it does not include shoulder padding, which are separate pieces permanently affixed to the cuirass. This removable auxiliary armor would provide padding for the upper back and protection for the back of the neck. The underside is of blue silk with gold brocade in a complex geometric and flower pattern. The padded portion of the top is of blue fabric and the armored portion is of hexagonal iron plates (kikko) sandwiched between two layers of fabric. The kikko are beneath a layer of black fabric and then orange lacing is sewn through each individual plate. Green thread is sewn around each plate to create a honeycomb pattern. The panel of kikko is surrounded on three sides by a trim (fusegumi) of decorative white, black and green thread sewn in a herringbone pattern. Two metal toggles attach to the top-right and top-left kikko. The edge is of black fabric.