A JINBAORI (ARMOR SURCOAT) DEPICTING KATO KIYOMASA... Lot 40

A JINBAORI (ARMOR SURCOAT) DEPICTING KATO KIYOMASA SLAYING A TIGER Japan, Edo period (1615-1868) Of red felt, applied with gilt leather and silk brocade, and finely embroidered with silk and metal threads to depict a waterfall and three tigers amid bamboo to the front and Kato Kiyomasa in full armor slaying a tiger above two further tigers in bamboo, the tigers all with inlaid eyes. HEIGHT 72 cm Condition: Very good condition with minor surface wear, minor tears, few minuscule losses, few loose threads. Provenance: Czech private collection. Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611) was a daimyo during the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. His court title was Higo-no-kami. He was one of Hideyoshi's Seven Spears of Shizugatake, his mounted bodyguards at the battle of Shizugatake in 1583. Kiyomasa was one of the three senior commanders during the Seven-Year (Imjin) War (1592-1598) against the Korean Joseon. During the war, he apparently hunted tigers for sport, using a yari (spear), and later presented the pelts to Hideyoshi. Some versions of the story say he was in fact hunting tigers to catch them alive, in order to bring their meat to Hideyoshi, as he thought it would improve his lord's health, but later, the tigers were killed because of the lack of food for his men. Auction comparison: Compare a related jinbaori, also of red felt and dated to the Edo period, 83 cm high, at Christie's, Japanese Art and Design, 10 November 2010, London, lot 141 (sold for 4,375 GBP).