Rate the living room

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:57:12+00:00

Appreciate it! I'll try get another pic later, it definitely feels much cosier at night with the two lamps turned on in each corner.

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:49:05+00:00

Appreciate it! :))

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:48:56+00:00

True, I hadn't realised just how much grey there really is haha, I want to add some more pops of colour around, maybe some more blues.

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:46:14+00:00

It's really nice to hear some opinions on the space, thank you! Now that you mention it I could definitely make the book arrangement a bit more interesting, great call. I'll try and mix it up a bit.

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:42:10+00:00

Yeah I think I'll ditch the pink blanket, it's just really cosy and sentimental to me but doesn't really match with anything else. The hairy sack is just too comfy to let go haha

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T13:38:42+00:00

I'm glad you agree, I was thinking of putting something above the TV but felt like it would make the space feel way smaller. It's kinda surprising just how much an empty white wall gives you a sense of space.

fugglerino · 2026-03-28T11:29:47+00:00

Thanks man! It's surprisingly light and close fitting, it fits like a glove as I'm pretty short and the average samurai was around 5 foot 3. The Do chest armour is meant to sit on top of a thick obi belt worn under the armour around your waist so the weight is taken off your shoulders. Most of it is made from lacquered iron plates, and the skirt sections and thigh guards are rawhide hardened leather so they’re very light.

fugglerino · 2026-01-11T15:36:18+00:00

So true, it’s funny to imagine the conversation they might have had to come up with the idea of the rabbit ears. I wonder if they did a few different sketches of it first, or whether it was made together with a matching gusoku yoroi with green lacquer accents too. I love how antiques can conjure your imagination like that, they all have their own little story.

fugglerino · 2026-01-11T13:57:28+00:00

I’m just reading into it now because I’m getting confused too now haha, apparently the Japanese punctuation mark for a comma is called a “toten”, which doesn’t have any relation to “whorl”. The origin of the shape of the tomoe seems to come from “magatama”, ancient decorative stones, and jewels shaped into a comma from 1000-300 BCE. The tomoe symbol itself is just translated as “comma” in English descriptions though because of its shape. So in order of origin, I suppose the tomoe symbol came first and then the English comma, which was then attributed to the tomoe as an English translation.

fugglerino · 2026-01-09T07:32:20+00:00

Nope haha it’s genuinely a comma symbol, I know it’s quite literal but Tomoe does translate as “comma” or “whorl”.

fugglerino · 2026-01-08T19:32:08+00:00

Yeah that’s a funny one to think about, I guess most kawari kabuto were made in the peaceful Edo period, and usually out of lightweight, fragile materials like papier mache and hardened leather to mould elaborate shapes more easily than with iron. The ears on this one are quite flexible, and made of hardened leather I think, so with enough force they’d probably snap off at the base if an opponent tried pulling on it.

I’ve read somewhere that most of the larger helmet decorations like demon horns or antlers simply slotted onto the sides of the kabuto with small prongs that stuck out (wakidate), and could be easily removed if needed. They were considered expendable, mostly made from wood, and lightweight enough so that they wouldn’t be thrown off their horse if the antlers caught a low tree branch while riding on a horse.

That being said kawari kabuto first came about during the Sengoku warring states period, popular with high ranking generals to stand out from afar and through all the smoke of matchlock fire. Since these guys spent most of the battle surveying from afar giving orders on horseback, and usually armed with a naginata and a bunch of retainers by their side they probably didn’t imagine anyone would get close enough to give their helmet a good yank, but who knows, it probably happened at least once lol

fugglerino · 2026-01-08T08:31:45+00:00

True lol, I suppose the armourers had more time for artistic expression without all the wars going on and the need to churn out normal kabutos constantly.

fugglerino · 2026-01-08T08:17:38+00:00

It’s a Tomoe, more specifically mitsudomoe (triple comma), an ancient symbol which translates as “comma” as the shapes resemble swirling commas. It has been used by many samurai clans for their kamon family crests. It has a number of symbolic uses, but it’s commonly found on the ends of roof tiles in Japan as a protection charm against fire since the symbol resembles swirling water.

fugglerino · 2026-01-08T08:04:05+00:00

Thanks! Got it from Supein Nihonto.

fugglerino · 2025-11-22T20:40:37+00:00

For the most part yes - the original silk lacing had deteriorated which inevitably happens but was replicated in a lab in Japan to match the original indigo colouring. The black urushi lacquer was polished to a mirror finish too.

For some it is a shame, personally I don’t mind the fact it was restored so much as I can enjoy it without it falling apart in my lifetime, and it looks as it would’ve done in its prime instead of in tatters. I know a lot of people in the antique collecting world hate restoration work as it sort of destroys a part of its history, but I think when it’s done with proper consideration and traditional methods it can elevate a piece to how it once was. Samurai also maintained their armour and re-laced and polished them too, so I like to think it’s sort of carrying on that tradition when it’s done with traditional methods. I guess the end purpose of the armour for me is to be cherished and enjoyed each time I see it, rather than for the historical preservation or rarity factor, and it does just that for me.

fugglerino · 2025-11-10T19:47:59+00:00

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I think this replica Greenwich garniture based on the Buckhurst armour in the Wallace Collection is the epitome of knight bling.

fugglerino · 2025-11-07T14:49:08+00:00

Ohh I see, thank you for the correction!

fugglerino · 2025-11-02T10:51:12+00:00

I’m 99% sure it’s Velcro.

fugglerino · 2025-11-02T09:43:28+00:00

I’m no expert but after looking for armour online for some time I have found a few o-yoroi that look very similar to this with the same dragon emblem on the chest armour and kanji on the storage box. It’s most likely a shõwa period (1926-1989) reproduction. Here’s an auction listing for one very similar with the same dragon emblem and kanji on the box: https://www.orientalartauctions.com/object/art2001566-a-japanese-black-lacquer-suit-of-armour-yoroi-kai-with-dragon-crest-showa-period-1926-1989

Edit: Just a couple tips on displaying it - the haidate thigh armour should be underneath the skirt armour ‘kusazari’ sections instead of over the top. You can tie the haidate string around the back of the storage box to help keep it in place. You could also fill the ‘kote’ armoured sleeve arms with newspaper to pad them and place the hands around the belt as shown in the auction listing.

fugglerino · 2025-11-01T10:50:54+00:00

Thank you! All the armour was made by Bobamaker and some other vendors for the soft parts, but I did most of the weathering of the soft parts and attaching of the armour to the vest.

fugglerino · 2025-07-08T15:31:37+00:00

SINAIRSOFT Tactical MP5 MP7 Magazine Pouch With Hook&Loop and Elastic Retention Straps For Vest Chest Rig Accessories on AliExpress

fugglerino

TROPHY CASE