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IWAI YOZAEMON (ACTIVE 1610)

Armour (dōmaru)

1580 - 1610

RCIN 71611

This samurai armour was the first diplomatic gift from Japan to Britain. It was sent to James I in 1613 with a document granting the British permission to trade with Japan. Silk lacing joins individual iron pieces to form a flexible and lightweight covering. An impressive and costly present, it is the work of Iwai Yozaemon, personal armourer to the ruling Tokugawa shōguns.

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