5th Dec, 2025 10:00
Fine Japanese Art
95
A VERY RARE GILT-LACQUERED IRON ‘AKODA-NARI’ KAWARI KABUTO (ECCENTRICALLY SHAPED HELMET) WITH GOTO CLAN MON
€4,000
€8,000
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
Japan, 17th-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
The bulbous helmet constructed from twenty-four plates riveted together and covered with a layer of gilt-lacquer, the roiro-lacquered mabisashi and fukigaeshi decorated with the four-petal maruni-hanabishi mon, associated with the Goto clan, all above the five-lame shikoro.
HEIGHT 31 cm, LENGTH 30 cm
WEIGHT 2,066 g
Condition: Very good condition with wear. The lacquer with age cracks, losses, and flaking, some with associated touchups.
Among the most distinctive helmet forms of the late Muromachi and Momoyama periods is the akoda nari kabuto, or “squash-shaped” helmet, named after the bulbous akoda gourd that inspired its form. Typically constructed from multiple riveted plates radiating from a central point, the akoda nari became a hallmark of the Haruta and Iwai schools. During the Edo period this shape was reinterpreted within the kawari kabuto, or "eccentric helmet" tradition, where armorers used familiar silhouettes as the basis for increasingly expressive and decorative designs. A kawari kabuto in the akoda nari style bridges early functional aesthetics and later sculptural experimentation, its rounded ribbed form evoking archaic valor while gilt lacquer, clan crests, and refined finishes reflect samurai rank and Edo period taste.
The Goto clan were daimyo of the Goto Islands in Hizen Province, ruling the Fukue Domain from the early seventeenth century until the Meiji Restoration in 1871. Originally vassals of the Ryuzoji and later of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Goto were confirmed in their holdings by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Their island domain, positioned at Japan’s western frontier, served as a maritime outpost for trade control and coastal defense and later became notable for its hidden Christian communities. The clan’s crest, the maruni hanabishi mon, a four petal diamond flower within a circle, appears on armor, banners, and other furnishings associated with the family, symbolizing continuity and refinement. Though not among the largest feudal houses, the Goto maintained a distinguished lineage characterized by loyalty and an enduring aesthetic sophistication.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related akoda-nari kabuto and hanbo, by Haruta Mitsusada, mid-16th century, at Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, 8 October 2013, New York, lot 1021 (sold for USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
Japan, 17th-18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
The bulbous helmet constructed from twenty-four plates riveted together and covered with a layer of gilt-lacquer, the roiro-lacquered mabisashi and fukigaeshi decorated with the four-petal maruni-hanabishi mon, associated with the Goto clan, all above the five-lame shikoro.
HEIGHT 31 cm, LENGTH 30 cm
WEIGHT 2,066 g
Condition: Very good condition with wear. The lacquer with age cracks, losses, and flaking, some with associated touchups.
Among the most distinctive helmet forms of the late Muromachi and Momoyama periods is the akoda nari kabuto, or “squash-shaped” helmet, named after the bulbous akoda gourd that inspired its form. Typically constructed from multiple riveted plates radiating from a central point, the akoda nari became a hallmark of the Haruta and Iwai schools. During the Edo period this shape was reinterpreted within the kawari kabuto, or "eccentric helmet" tradition, where armorers used familiar silhouettes as the basis for increasingly expressive and decorative designs. A kawari kabuto in the akoda nari style bridges early functional aesthetics and later sculptural experimentation, its rounded ribbed form evoking archaic valor while gilt lacquer, clan crests, and refined finishes reflect samurai rank and Edo period taste.
The Goto clan were daimyo of the Goto Islands in Hizen Province, ruling the Fukue Domain from the early seventeenth century until the Meiji Restoration in 1871. Originally vassals of the Ryuzoji and later of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Goto were confirmed in their holdings by Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Their island domain, positioned at Japan’s western frontier, served as a maritime outpost for trade control and coastal defense and later became notable for its hidden Christian communities. The clan’s crest, the maruni hanabishi mon, a four petal diamond flower within a circle, appears on armor, banners, and other furnishings associated with the family, symbolizing continuity and refinement. Though not among the largest feudal houses, the Goto maintained a distinguished lineage characterized by loyalty and an enduring aesthetic sophistication.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related akoda-nari kabuto and hanbo, by Haruta Mitsusada, mid-16th century, at Bonhams, Arts of the Samurai, 8 October 2013, New York, lot 1021 (sold for USD 11,250 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
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Auction: Fine Japanese Art, 5th Dec, 2025
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