Kabuto

Every year on Children's Day, May 5, Japanese households display miniature kabuto and samurai armor in keeping with the tradition of Tango no Sekku.

Generally, only daimyo and samurai at the rank of commander wore kabuto ornaments called datemono (立物), which were shaped like a pair of hoes.

In the middle of the Muromachi period, as the number of large group battles increased, ordinary samurai wore datemono in the shape of a hoe, the sun, the moon, or their flag on their kabuto to show their courage or to distinguish friend from foe.

[7] Ornamental kawari kabuto ("strange helmet") were made during this time that had "figures of animals, [kami], or various other objects mounted on top of them".

[8] The kabuto was an important part of the equipment of the samurai, and played a symbolic role as well, which may explain the Japanese expressions, sayings, and codes related to them.

[citation needed] A small opening in the top of the kabuto, called the tehen or hachimanza (seat of the war god, Hachiman), was thought[according to whom?]

Although this practice was largely abandoned after the Muromachi period, this opening may have been retained for purposes of ventilation or simply as an artifact of how the plates were riveted together.

These can be family crests (mon), or flat or sculptural objects representing animals, mythical entities, prayers or other symbols.

Hari bachi kabuto is multiple-plate Japanese hachi with no ribs or ridges showing where the helmet plates come and the rivets are filed flush.

A great number of simpler, lightweight, folding, portable armours for lower-ranking samurai and foot soldiers (ashigaru) were also produced.

[18] During the Momoyama period of intense civil warfare, kabuto were made to a simpler design of three or four plates, lacking many of the ornamental features of earlier helmets.