The infinite variety of Japanese face armour is astounding, with many different types, classifications, styles and makers. There are also many reproductions and fakes meant to deceive the unsuspecting and novice collector. Although this forum was created for members of the Japanese Armor Society, we welcome casual visitors to ask questions about anything in the samurai armour world that may interest you. Perhaps you have just bought or are considering buying your first piece, or maybe you saw something in a museum, at an auction house or online. Or, maybe you're just interested because of something you saw in The Last Samurai or a Kurosawa movie. Either way, please feel free to ask questions in this Public Section of the forum. And, if you really get "bitten by the bug", then perhaps you will consider joining the Japanese Armor Society to indulge your interest!
To help novices on their way, here are just a few examples of samurai "mengu" (often referred to colloquially or in general usage as "menpo") or face masks, including their broad classification:
Hanbo (half mask without nosepiece, sometimes also called hanpo/hampo):
- 43f144e309c0f899d2fdd257d58eaa07.jpg (17.42 KiB) Viewed 4510 times
Ressei Menpo ("fierce face" half mask, with wrinkles):
- 5e59ef1f8970c370e33aaebe3775dbb6.jpg (31.26 KiB) Viewed 4510 times
Ryubu Menpo ("noble face" half mask, no wrinkles):
- image.jpg (38.29 KiB) Viewed 4510 times
Somen (full face mask):
- aa2c8a6d70e7f5b6c8449612de2ec0d8.jpg (78.85 KiB) Viewed 4510 times
