A MID-20TH CENTURY JAPANESE SUIT OF MINIATURE ARMOUR, Showa period, in gilt metal, lacquer, papier-mâché, wood and textiles, comprising a crested helmet, face mask, throat guard, two shoulder guards, two sleeves, one sidepiece, double thigh guard, two greaves or shin guards and two boots, lacking stand, 70cm high in total

The helmet (kabuto) has attached a crest (maedate) which is thought to resemble the front section of a beetle. Below is the face and throat guard (mempō), a type of guard which covers from the nose down which would also have been used to help secure the helmet. The other elements of the armour are the shoulder guards (sode), the sleeves (kote), the shin guards (suneate) and the final element the shoes (tsuranuki), trimmed with bear fur which was supposedly symbolic of the strength of the Samurai warrior.