Red-and-blue-laced two-plate cuirass armor from the Kii Tokugawa family

This elaborate suit of Japanese armor is a lightweight, form-fitting type designed to protect the body in close combat: with a face mask, forearm sleeves, thigh and shin guards, and bear-fur boots, every inch of the wearer’s body is protected. Its ownership can be traced to the Kii branch of the Tokugawa family, which ruled Japan for nearly 250 years, and it may have been made for Tokugawa Yorinobu, the founder of the branch. The craftspeople who constructed the armor used the utmost care, using elaborate and expensive materials. The small plates on the skirt consist of lacquered leather covered in gold foil and then covered in lacquer again, creating a metallic sheen. Creatures appear throughout the armor. The Chinese Four Guardians—the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise—provided protection to the wearer. The praying mantis on the helmet suggested what the wearer of this armor would do to his enemies: cut them down.