According to Pink Tentacle, this dog armor “is believed to have been created for the pet of a wealthy, high-ranking and presumably eccentric samurai or daimyo (feudal lord) in the mid to late Edo period (mid-18th to mid-19th century).”
He must have been very eccentric indeed, since such armor would not reflect a traditional Japanese attitude toward dogs during the warrior period. According to Pink Tentacle, “The samurai dog armor now belongs to an unnamed UK museum.” (Hmmm.)
For more than six hundred years, Japan’s government depended on a warrior class known as the samurai. As a result of the prowess and loyalty of these fighting men, the highest political authority belonged to the shogun, their ultimate leader. The shogun wielded immense power despite expressing deference to the emperor, who was recognized as the head of the country.
Samurai means “one who serves,” and these men served powerful feudal lords known as daimyo, who governed regional domains throughout Japan. It was by balancing these lords of the samurai against each other that the shogun retained power.
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