The armor from the three territories sent to what is now the Republic of Malta by the "Bunkyu Mission to Europe" sent from Japan at the end of the Edo period has "returned home" for the first time in about 160 years, and is being restored at a workshop in Kyoto City. It is progressing. The country plans to exhibit it at the 2025 Osaka/Kansai Expo as an "important item of friendship." Ambassador Andre Spiteri expressed his hopes for the situation, saying, ''I hope that things will return to their former glory and that a new relationship between the two countries will be built.''
The Republic of Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. The armor was presented to the local governor of Malta, which was a British colony, in 1862 when a delegation from the Edo Shogunate visited various European countries. Through a mutual acquaintance, Ambassador Spiteri met Harumasa Miyashita, president of Miyaobi (Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City), which handles art restoration, and the company decided to take on the responsibility of restoring the work.
The armor has two parts made of iron and one part made of leather, and both parts have been lost. The best surviving iron helmet has the year 1723 on the inside of the helmet, as well as the inscription of Myochin Munekatsu, a famous Gusoku master from the middle of the Edo period, indicating the year of production and the author. I understand. It is believed to be ''high-grade armor used by feudal lords,'' said President Miyashita, and repairs will be made to the missing shoulder parts of the torso and the ''Haidate'' that covers the thighs and knees.
Of the two remaining ones, the leather one appears to have been made in the early to mid-Edo period, and the iron one appears to have been made in the middle to late Edo period. Leather armor has poor defensive performance, but it is possible that it was made for use during the peaceful Edo period during sankin kotai.
The restoration is expected to be completed this summer. President Miyashita said enthusiastically, ''Researching, appraising, and repairing armor is my specialty, but the heavy responsibility makes me nervous.I want to carry out good restorations while feeling the weight of history.''
Bunkyu Mission to Europe: A mission of 38 people sent to Europe from 1862 to the following year to request a postponement of the opening of ports and cities as agreed in the Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed by the Edo Shogunate with Europe and the United States. Yukichi Fukuzawa, who accompanied him, recorded the local situation and wrote ''Western Circumstances.'' Genichiro Fukuchi, who became Japan's leading journalist during the Meiji period, also participated.
