Suit of Armor c. 1830s

This painted image of a suit of armor was made by Mihata Jôryû in Japan sometime in the 19th century. Armor in Japan, as elsewhere, was not just a functional technology of warfare but a marker of social status and identity. The samurai warrior class had a particular code of values, known as Bushido, and the image here can be understood in relation to those values. What does it mean to represent armor alone, without the body of the warrior? Perhaps the image asks us to consider the relationship between inner character and outward appearance. Is it enough to look the part? Or does the armor gain its significance only when worn by a true warrior? An art historian might research the system of warrior patronage that allowed artists like Jôryû to flourish. And we might ask how the image relates to changing military technologies and social structures in 19th-century Japan.