In 2012 the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection was created in Dallas, Texas. A fraction of the holdings from this collection were presented in a special exhibition at the Portland Art Museum in 2013. Shown above is one display of Samurai helmets from this special exhibition.
For the Japanese Samurai helmets provided spiritual protection. From the mid-sixteenth century on, when it became the fashion to embellish helmets with sculptural ornamental designs, many of the Samurai chose religious symbols to provide protection on the battlefield.
In the second half of the sixteenth century, there were dramatic changes in Japanese warfare: black smoke from gunpowder now covered the battlefield, making it difficult to tell friend from foe. Many of the Samurai at this time commissioned helmets that reflected their personal taste. These helmets came in many different shapes, thanks in part to new construction techniques. A simple bowl, made from three to six plates of iron, provided protection for the head. Above this, the helmet makers would make a superstructure with paper maché or leather which would be hardened with dozens of layers of lacquer. Michael Haskew, Christer Jorgensen, Chris McNab, and Rob Rice, in their book Fighting Techniques of the Oriental World, AD 1200-1860: Equipment, Combat Skills, and Tactics, report:
“The interior of the helmet was generally lined with woven hemp for the comfort of the wearer.”
Shown above is a helmet and face mask which dates to about 1600. This was a gift to Kobayakawa Takakage from Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the second of the great generals whose efforts led to the unification of Japan.
The helmet shown above was made with 26 silver-lacquered plates.
A hemispherical ridged helmet constructed with 34 separate plates is shown above. This helmet was made about 1430.
The helmet with a hawk feather shown above was made in the seventeenth or eighteenth century. The frontal crest is the Buddhist Wheel of Law which represents the universal spread of Buddhist teachings. The gigantic hawk feather is made from lacquered wood. Hawks were admired for their sharp eyes, determination, and speed of flight.
The helmet shown above, which dates to the seventeenth century, is made in the shape of a Zen priest’s headdress. The frontal ornament is the Sanskrit letter associated with the Buddhist deity Fudō Myōō.
This helmet, which dates to the seventeenth century, is embellished with a pattern of seven linked stars. In the Buddhist tradition, these stars which represent the brightest starts in the Big Dipper, are gods under the charge of Myōken, the guardian of horses.
The high-sided ridged helmet shown above has a helmet bowl made from 120 plates that were riveted together to form a perfectly symmetrical and harmonious shape.
Shown above is a Nanban helmet from about 1600. “Nanban,” meaning “southern barbarians,” was the Japanese term for the European missionaries and traders. This helmet is a Japanese adaptation of the helmets worn by Portuguese and Spanish soldiers.
The military hat shown above imitates the shape of the traditional Korean scholar’s hat.
The Nanban helmet shown above has gold and silver inlaid designs of stylized Buddhist emblems.
The frontal crest on this helmet from the Momoyama period (1573-1615) shows a painted wooden oni, a horned demon that is portrayed in Japanese folklore as both mischievous and protective.
The helmet shown above is in the shape of a rhinoceros horn and ears. Japan, of course, did not have any rhinoceros, but illustrations of exotic creatures from India and Southeast Asia were found in imported Chinese books.
The seventeenth-century helmet shown above is decorated with yak hair, a rare item imported from Tibet.
The frontal ornament on the helmet shown above is rather unusual: the nine, slightly twisted bamboo leaves can spin in a breeze.
Shown above is an axe-shaped helmet from the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
The six-plate iron helmet shown above is in the shape of the flaming, wish-fulfilling jewel of Buddhist doctrine. The frontal ornament is the stylized heart of Marishiten, goddess of archers. This helmet was made about 1630.
Shown above is a helmet from the early seventeenth-century in the shape of a dorsal fin. The fish is a symbol of happiness, freedom, and prosperity.
Shown above is a fireman’s helmet. During the Edo period (1615-1868), the Samurai, working in rotating teams, were assigned to protect the shogun’s castle and other important buildings. The castles, made from wood and plaster, were very vulnerable to fire. The lacquered leather helmet mimics the shape of the war helmet.
Shown above is a helmet in the shape of a seashell. According to the display:
“The quality of both the iron and the patina here are exceptional. The helmet bowl is made with two joined plates of iron, whose welded seam is hidden with a scalloped flange.”
The helmet shown above is in the shape of an oni demon head. In Japanese folk lore, oni are cruel but protective spirits. Since the oni are invincible, they are a logical choice for a Samurai helmet.
The giant scallop on the helmet shown above was crafted used lacquered paper maché. It is attached to a three-plate iron bowl.