a truly modern japanese armor watch

an armor that can be worn in the present day

edo armor brand ‘tadayasu’ collaborated with designers and watchmakers to create modern watches. in japan, the custom of decorating traditional armor dolls is shrinking due to changes in lifestyle, declining birthrate, and decline in festival culture. after studying the modeling of armor and the preservation and application of technique, the designers thought ‘what is an armor that can be worn in the present day’. to answer this question, designer yusuke taguchi suggested a wristwatch. he believed that there is something in common between the abundance of watch parts, its manufacturing process, and armor made with various craft techniques using kyoto textiles, braids, woodworking, lacquer work, and human hands.

the tadayasu brand is actively considering passing on the culture and technique of armor to the next generation in a different way. through the production of armor products that have been transformed into kacchu watch and bottle armor—armor products that can be worn on wine bottles and sake bottles—they explore the possibility of supporting armor culture and technique.


all images courtesy of yusuke taguchi design

a watch that matches the modern business scene

the first armor watch is a sengoku warrior or date masamune that is popular outside japan as well. it’s a wristwatch that matches the modern business scene and incorporates the elements of the popular date masamune as the first kacchu watch. armor parts that resemble a watch as a sleeve include a second hand of ‘crescent moon’ that is a symbol of masamune date, coloring and polishing using black color, and historical anecdotes in the design. it is a wristwatch that expresses a profound and splendid ‘date’ culture which means being cool and fashionable in japan.

while grasping the demand for armor watches, the brand carried out crowdfunding to explore the possibilities of armor techniques
 they have been developing products for armor watches, but don’t want to invest in production without pre-order sales. the crowdfunding can be purchased in support only in japan. however, if commercialization is achieved, they are looking to expand to the global market.

a watch with parts that resemble japanese armor

the second hand is a ‘crescent moon’ that is a symbol of masamune date

coloring and polishing using black color

craft techniques using kyoto textiles and braids

kacchu watch deconstructed

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project info:

name: kacchu watch, masamune date
designer: yusuke taguchi

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: yasmina karam | designboom