• 
• Tweet

• Tweet

It’s difficult to believe just how lucky dogs of wealthy, high-ranking and presumably eccentric samurai’s or daimyo’s (feudal lord) in the mid to late Edo period (mid-18th to mid-19th century) were.

Yes this truly bizarre rawhide suit and lacquered wooden mask canine samurai armor,was for sale on the Japanese antiques site Toraba several years back.

According to the seller:

General opinion is that this set was made from a dog belonging to a very senior samurai, possibly a daimyo, who apparently was extremely found of this canine companion [...] This set is of dubious practical value, and was almost certainly produced as a novelty item to appease the whim of an apparently very wealthy, powerful, and one can only assume, somewhat eccentric samurai warrior. The armour was most like used likely limited in its use to being worn during [...] formal parade-like situations.

[Cheers io9]