Kabuto - construction methods and the oharaidate (crest holder)
I'm actually looking at different ways to assemble a Chinese headdress, but when I mentioned to fitzw that danabren was working on a complex headdress with parts that stand up and away from the head, he suggested looking at kabutos (Japanese helmets).
Didn't have a lot of success until I did a search that brought up a page from Sengokudaimyo.com. Of course. I didn't know Anthony Bryant well but we had some lovely online chats about Japanese clothing; he is missed. People interested in Japanese armor and underpinnings of same will be happy to know that a devoted group of volunteers are continuing to maintain his site and fill in the gaps - things that were lost or he hadn't had the time to finish are being recovered and worked on as well.
Also, there are links near the bottom of the side menu bar to his related sites on clothing, miscellany, and intro to Classical Japanese.
***
A few pages from his site:
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (Chapter 8)
- Dealing primarily with describing different methods of helmet assembly, but there is this mention of crests: "Datemono (crests) could be attached to the front, sides, back, or even top of the helmet using a fixture called an oharaidate. Some helmet were even fitted with several different types of crest. Crests were usually removable. Even grotesques might have crests attached to them."
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (Chapter 9)
- More detail on helmets. PDFs of templates linked in each section.
Key phrase for oharaidate: "Cut out and form the oharaidate (crest holder). There are more complex versions, but I’ve provided a simple one that should serve you well. Attach it to the front of the kabuto. Note that the central of the three dome rivets goes through the oharaidate. There is a second rivet lower down on the crest-holder, but it must be ground flat and is invisible."
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/oharaidate.PDF
- This is the PDF for the exemplar oharaidate. Diagrams and instructions.
***
When I get to seriously designing and making a Chinese headdress (Chinese opera-style), I plan on photographing the process in the hopes of sharing it with those interested. The opera hats seem to use hook & eye and ties, but I'm thinking snaps and velcro may also be of use. I was also remembering today about how for straps it can be useful to make slots/holes for them to go through - either one or two, depending on which side of a surface you want to have the fastener. The bending of the strap or tie to go under/over a surface redirects some of the force of the tension the strap is under, and makes for a "stronger" attachment because it takes some stress off where the strap is sewn/riveted.
Didn't have a lot of success until I did a search that brought up a page from Sengokudaimyo.com. Of course. I didn't know Anthony Bryant well but we had some lovely online chats about Japanese clothing; he is missed. People interested in Japanese armor and underpinnings of same will be happy to know that a devoted group of volunteers are continuing to maintain his site and fill in the gaps - things that were lost or he hadn't had the time to finish are being recovered and worked on as well.
Also, there are links near the bottom of the side menu bar to his related sites on clothing, miscellany, and intro to Classical Japanese.
***
A few pages from his site:
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (Chapter 8)
- Dealing primarily with describing different methods of helmet assembly, but there is this mention of crests: "Datemono (crests) could be attached to the front, sides, back, or even top of the helmet using a fixture called an oharaidate. Some helmet were even fitted with several different types of crest. Crests were usually removable. Even grotesques might have crests attached to them."
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/katchu.html (Chapter 9)
- More detail on helmets. PDFs of templates linked in each section.
Key phrase for oharaidate: "Cut out and form the oharaidate (crest holder). There are more complex versions, but I’ve provided a simple one that should serve you well. Attach it to the front of the kabuto. Note that the central of the three dome rivets goes through the oharaidate. There is a second rivet lower down on the crest-holder, but it must be ground flat and is invisible."
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/graphics/patterns/oharaidate.PDF
- This is the PDF for the exemplar oharaidate. Diagrams and instructions.
***
When I get to seriously designing and making a Chinese headdress (Chinese opera-style), I plan on photographing the process in the hopes of sharing it with those interested. The opera hats seem to use hook & eye and ties, but I'm thinking snaps and velcro may also be of use. I was also remembering today about how for straps it can be useful to make slots/holes for them to go through - either one or two, depending on which side of a surface you want to have the fastener. The bending of the strap or tie to go under/over a surface redirects some of the force of the tension the strap is under, and makes for a "stronger" attachment because it takes some stress off where the strap is sewn/riveted.