Chapter 17 c. Warrior armor restored in museums in Rome –

A rare samurai armor suit from the Museum of Pietro Canonica in Rome re-appreciates the public’s vision after a sophisticated restoration. It is one of the few complete suits in Italian Japanese armor, and the restoration work requires a collaborative approach to blending traditional Japanese crafts and Italian conservation skills.

Located in the 17th century “Fortezzuola” (Forterslet) (Fortress), the museum hosts the works of sculptor Pietro Canonica (1869-1959), as well as an eclectic personal collection of art and objects he has obtained during his travels around the world. Samurai is one of them.

This is a complete suit of armor to protect the body from the head. The helmet (Kabuto) has a front crown, with two long bronze protrusions and a half mask (mempō) covering the nose and chin. The body is protected by breastplate (dō), gesan (skirt covering the waist of the thigh), Haidate (thigh back) and Sode (shoulder back), which are all the characteristic elements of traditional samurai armor. The breastplate was signed by the famous 17th-century master Myōchin Munesuke, and the inscription dates from 1644 to 1648. The helmet was made later. It was made by Yoshinaga Yoshinaga in the mid-19th century and was from Myōchin Mytho School.

The breastplate and straps are tied together by blue silk laces and leather. Knee pads are filled with brocade stitching inside. The shoes are leather. The gloves and shin guards are made of nailed iron plates.

Complex structures and multiple materials (several metals, leather, silk, wood, bones, linen, paint) restore the armor challenge. Weathered, historically poorly maintained, its perishable materials and display stalls, its fragile components exert pressure, severely damaging the armor. The recovery began last year with in-depth research from some of Italy’s greatest Asian art experts. They found that this was actually a set of hybrids that were assembled over time, then repaired and redesigned. Some modifications date back to the 18th century. Others can be traced back to the post-Meiji Reform era, when the samurai caste was suppressed, forcing old families to sell their traditional armor.

This engaging video uses 3D models to partially break down all components of the armor to visualize where each piece fits the body, and then displays details before and after the debris in the photo.