Final Requirement

Travelogue 18
February-May

2022 Issue
Eliza Annett B. Juanitez
FA
Asian Art History
JOURNEY TO THE EAST

02 A Kawari Kabuto 04 Taking it Further: 06 Final Piece: The

Searching for more Wrath of Lady
08 The Mind Behind
References Kaede

Cover Art from the Shin bijutsukai by Furuya, 1902

Exploring Art:
in the Edo Period
page
02

A Kawari
Kabuto
"Strange Helmets"
Kawari kabuto is a type of Japanese
helmet that are formed and designed in
a "strange" or eccentric manner, lacking
practical utilitarian features. Unlike the
typical samurai helmet that serves to
protect the head, it is often used for
aesthetic purposes, personal expression,
and status symbol. Although presently,
most are found in auction sites as display
pieces.

This Kawari kabuto takes the likeness of

a shachihoko or a mythical dragon. The
body is made of black lacquer; the lips of
red lacquer; the eyes of metal; and the
rear of iron. Like many kawari kabutos,
this one can be dated back to the Edo
period where its popularity soared.

Photo by: Bonhams

Title: A Kawari Kabuto

Period: Edo Period (1615-1868)
Artist: unsigned
Date: 18th/19th Century
Medium: Iron with lacquered parts
Size: unspecified
Present Location: Bonhams Lot 152, London, New Bond
Street
Exploring Art:
in the Edo Period
page
03

Ko-omote
Noh Mask
"Small Face" Mask
Noh Theatre is a form of traditional
Japanese theatre performed by actors
that convey stories through visual
representation. Actors wear masks to
effectively deliver their roles.

This one in particular is called a Ko-omote

Noh mask, representing a young girl or
a supernatural being. The white-painted
face and black-painted eyebrows, sleekly
combed hair, and black-dyed teeth
illustrates innocent beauty (The Met, n.d.).

Title: Ko-omote Noh Mask

Period: Edo Period (1615-1868)
Artist: unidentified
Date: 18th Century
Medium: Cypress wood with white, black, and red
pigments
Size: W. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); L. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm) Photo by: The Met
Present Location: The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 223

On page 4:

In contrast to the intended innocent representation of the Noh Mask, a

character may intentionally have features resembling innocence while
actually having sinister motivations. This effective juxtaposition is used in
many art forms.
Taking it Further:
Searching for more References
page
04
Aside from
playing a terrific
multidimensional
character, Lady
Kaede's figure
itself is iconic and
well designed. Her
status as a Japanese
woman is easily
identified rom her
stiff huge clothing
alone and she wears
hair and makeup
distingushable to be
similar to Japanese
paintings and Noh
theater depictions of
women. Moreover,

01
the brilliance of
her features is her
ominous and sinister
expression.

Director Akira Kurosawa Language Japanese

Ran
Ran is a 1985 drama film by esteemed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
It is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear. The film unfolds the tragic
aftermath of the Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji's empire after dividing it
amongst his three sons.

On this snippet: is a striking pose of Lady Kaede, a vengeful bitter wife of

Hidetora's second son. Sworn to destroy Hidetora and his entire legacy, she
passionately interferes the ruling affairs of her husband through betrayal.

[ The failed mind sees the heart's failings. ]

02
Shinbijutsukai
Shin-Bijutsukai is a Japanese
Design Magazine from 1902
that features illustrations and
patterns of various artists in
Kyoto.

This is a sketch of the helmet
that blatantly takes inspirations
from the fox on the right and the
helmet at the bottom.
A fox kabuto from Nioh
03
Fox
Animals have been a common
motif in Kawari Kabutos.
Common ones that I have seen
involved octopus, deer, mouse,
and even fish! So of course, I
thought, a fox-themed helmet
would work well!
Photo by: McLean, T. (2012)
04
Taking Inspirations from
Pop Culture
I like looking at video games to
simply admire them for their
art alone. On this case, they
are really useful for my work
as equippable headpieces are
common.
The elaborate and finely-detailed
gold crown of Rennala sparks
a lot of ideas while designing.
Meanwhile, I consider myself
very fortunate for finding an
Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon
existing design of a fox-themed
from Elden Ring
kabuto from a game set in Japan
itself.
The Wrath of Lady Kaede
By: Eliza Annett B. Juanitez Lady Kaede is referened from Akira Kurosawa’s 1985
Date: June 9, 2022 film ‘Ran‘. Her treacherous and deceptive nature is
Medium: Digital art represented by the fox helmet.
Size: 10800 x 14400 pixels, 12 hrs of working time
Breaking it Down:
The Painting Process
page
07

Sketch Underpainting with shadows Sculpted with forms

The painting is made in Photoshop. Despite the digital tool, it borrows traditional painting techniques especially from oil painting
as seen on the use of an underpainting. A green underpainting provides a good complementary base for the

[ Get this Treacherous Look ]

01
Kawari Kabuto of
02
The Fabrics of
Deception
This fox-themed helmet
references the accusation made
of Lady Kaede on Lady Kaede when she was
being compared to a fox for her
trickery.

The material comprises of wood

and paper mache for the form
and was later on lacquered. Gold
leaf was used to decorate its
surface giving that ostentatious
Kimono look. Scales of painted bronze
& are knitted together covering the
Shawl back of her head. A pair of fabric
pieces hangs at the side for the
simple tassel decoration. Lastly,
a red string is not forgotten to
secure the helmet.

03
Tanto Knife
Patterns from Shinbijutsukai This knife is called a tanto and is
carried discreetly like a dagger
The subtle fabric patterns are in the West. Here, she uses it to
directly lifted from the 1902 Shin- threaten her way to power.
Bijutsukai- Japanese Design from
1902. Guaranteed, they are in public
domain.
The Mind Behind

At the beginning of the project, I intended to make a travelogue

of the artistic travails of West Asia. Frankly, I had been struggling
in composing my scene a lot. I kept going back to the storyboard
without much improvement. I explored various concepts -
Mesopotamian propaganda, Islamic inventions, Eqyptian tombs and
courts. It’s been a long time since I painted and without having that
motivation, I was filled with self-doubt.

However when I gave it more thought, I realized how much it is a

waste not to utilize the material from the prior study I conducted in
my report. Designing my own kabuto is such a low hanging fruit! I
also remember in the consultation that the purpose of the report
was for us to conduct a preliminary research for out project. Hence,
I decided to design a kabuto and its wearer. I skimmed back on
my report and realized how Ran is such a good source. Along with
my penchant for armory, weapons, and ornate pieces, it was a no-
brainer.

The process was very fun and exciting, the design came to me
naturally. I genuinely felt satisfied and proud of my painting. It’s
been a while since I felt this way.

References
A Kawari Kabuto (Helmet). Bonhams. (n.d.). Retrieved June 9, 2022, from https://www.bonhams.com/
auctions/24680/lot/152/

Furuya, K., & Japanese Rare Book Collection (Library of Congress) JARB, ART, 270B. (1902). Shin bijutsukai.
Kyoto-shi: Yamada Unsodo.

Ko-omote Noh Mask. Metmuseum.org. (n.d.). Retrieved June 9, 2022, from https://www.metmuseum.org/
art/collection/search/45501

McLean, T. (2012). Red-Fox head detail_3. Flickr. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.flickr.com/
photos/great_driffield/6977672448/.

Rodriguez, J. (2022). Elden Ring: How to beat Rennala Queen of the Full Moon. PCInvasion. Retrieved
June 8, 2022, from https://www.pcinvasion.com/elden-ring-rennala-queen-of-the-full-moon-guide/.