"SOLD"

Age: Early-Mid Edo period.

Remarks: A splendid original matched Gusoku from the famous Hajime Fujita collection in Okayama Prefecture. Collected over the course of nearly a half century this collection ranks as one of the worlds finest. This Tachibana Clan Gusoku features hon kozane construction. A beautiful signed Kabuto by Saotome Ieharu trimed in period egawa. Having been featured in a museum exhibition some years ago this Gusoku would make a wonderful addition to any armor collection. Any armor from this family is highly sought after. This suit is of Juuyo grade, in our opinion and should be submitted to the next shinsa in Japan. This is a published suit.

History : The Tachibana clan was a Japanese clan of Daimyo (feudal lords) during Japan's Sengoku and Edo periods. Originally based in Tachibana castle in Kyushu.

The clan originated with Otomo Sadatoshi (d. 1336), who took on the name and assigned it to the family of Otomo vassals who held Tachibana castle. For a time, the Tachibana served as loyal retainers under the Otomo clan, regularly battling the Shimazu clan, rivals to the Otomo. In the mid-16th century, a conflict between Otomo Akitoshi and Otomo Sorin led to the former splitting from the family, and taking the nameTachibana Dosetsu. Dosetsu had no sons, and nominated his daughter to succeed him. Shortly afterwards, she would marry Takahashi Munetora, a vassal of Toytomi Hideyoshi, who helped defeat the Shimazu in Hideyoshi'sKyushu Campaign. Upon inheriting the clan leadership, Takahashi took a new name, and became known asTachibana Muneshige. Muneshige then fought for Hideyoshi in theJapanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598), and was granted the han (fief) of Yanagawa, the land surrounding Tachibana castle. He fought against the Tokugawa, however, during the decisive Battle of Sekigahara of 1600, he was dispossessed of his holdings when theTokugawa Shogunate was established.

Ultimately, he proved his loyalty to the shogunate in 1611, and was granted a fief in Mutsu, far from Kyushu. But when the Tanaka family holding Tachibana castle and Yanagawa died out, due to a lack of heirs, the Tachibana were restored to their old territory. They held onto this fief continuously through the rest of the Edo period.

                                                       The Last Tachibana Clan Daimyo

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