Samurai Jingasa

Samurai Jingasa is a samurai war hat that was in use during the middle to late Edo Period (1603 – 1868). During the wartime, Samurai wore Kabuto or full battle helm. But as the Edo period was relatively peaceful time in Japan and there was no need for Samurai to wear full armour all the time, a new type of armour was introduced and that included war hats (which is a literal meaning of Jingasa – Jin is military and Kasa is a hat). The main function of Samurai Jingasa was still protection, but instead of swords and arrows it was protecting from sunshine or rain. More important function of Jingasa was to show the Samurai's social status and occupation (e.g. policing, hunting, etc.). The use of Jingasa was not restricted to Samurai and other classes of Japanese society could wear them as well.

There were numerous types and kinds of Samurai Jingasa specific to the use and social rank of the owner and they can be roughly grouped into three main categories. Bajo-Gasa, or Riding Caps: those were common among only high-class Samurai as only reach ones could afford a horse at that time. Hence, Bajo-Gasa were usually of a high quality and more sophisticated designs. Another type of Jingasa was Ichimonji-Gasa or Flat Hats. They were of simpler designs and not very easy to use or wear; quite often a padding or a cushion along with chin straps required in order to fix them on one's head. And the last type was Toppai-Gasa or Conical Hats; those were used mainly by "regiment" troops armed with rifles.

Samurai Jingasa were made from different materials, including leather, iron, wood, bamboo, and even paper. The outer side of Jingasa was often varnished with a lacquer of some colour; the black was one of the most popular choices. Some Jingasa were metal plated and even gilded (more often for Bajo-Gasa). The colour of Samurai Jingasa could tell something about social ranking of the owner as well. Quite often, Jingasa were decorated with a mark or a stamp called a Mon, which was a family or a clan sign, identifying the owner as a badge or insignia.

You can see current listings for Samurai Jingasa below: