Yoroi chakuyo zusetsu [Illustrated Manual showing the Procedure of Wearing Armour].

SAMURAI MANUSCRIPT

Manuscript with annotations and corrections. 2 colour and 50 line drawings. Plain covers with ms. title-slip, measuring approx. 19,2 x 27cm, minor wear and worming (restored) slightly affecting the illustrations and text but overall a very good copy. 42ff. Dated and signed by Ichinotani Gusha in the colophon Kansei 8 [i.e.

Ise Sadatake's (1717-1784) was a historian with a particular focus on the correct behaviour of the samurai class. The present work was circulated exclusively in manuscript prior to the dissolution of the feudal system in 1869. The text and illustrations explain in detail the consecutive stages of putting on a suit of armour. This complex procedure involved five layers of dress each of which had to be securely tied. The present manual consists of two parts, the 'Kachu chakuyo zusetsu' and the 'Yoshiie Anson yoroi chakuyo zu'. The reference to the famous Minamoto Yoshiie of the Heian period in the title of the second part was a device to connect to the earlier roots of the samurai tradition. While the Edo period was generally speaking a time of peace, all samurai were obliged to train in swordsmanship and martial arts. According to the colophon the present item was copied by Ichinotani Gusha, dated 1796, copied from a 1780 version of Ise Sadatake's manuscript.

Stock Code: 229396