// Listen with headphones for best experience //

Join conservators Dana Melchar, Robert Mitchell and Roisin Morris as they work as a team to dismantle a delicate 18thcentury suit of samurai armour, so that it can be transported to Young V&A. Rather than being used for battle, this armour was a decorative piece, worn when the feudal lords would march from their home domain to Edo (present day Tokyo), to meet and stay with the Tokugawa shogun (military leader). The long journey provided a perfect opportunity for extravagant procession, where they showcased their social status and personal tastes – as seen through the armour.

Watch and listen as Dana, Robert and Roisin carefully untie intricate knots and take photographs to document the process, so that the armour can be correctly reconstructed once moved.

00:00 Who was it made for?
01:27 How was it made?
01:52 How will it be conserved?
02:25 Untying the helmet and lifting it off
04:24 Photographing knot placement
05:08 Removing the mask
06:07 Untying the neckpiece
06:25 Peek at the original colour
07:23 Untying knot on rear cuirass
08:30 Banner holder
09:05 Untying shoulder panel
11:06 Leather strap
12:46 Was this worn for battle?

See the armour at Young V&A: https://www.vam.ac.uk/young

Discover more in our Japan collection: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/japan

More ASMR at the museum:    • ASMR at the museum