The Kawagasa is a helmet that was worn by Japanese soldiers and servants of the Samurai.
The Kawagasa is made from a special type of leather (Japanese: Neri-Gawa). After tanning and processing, the leather is coated with lacquer on both sides, which makes the leather very stable and durable.
The lacquer serves both as decoration and as protection for the leather against moisture. The Kawagasa has a semi-round calotte, as well as an eye shield to protect against glare, and a short neck guard.
On top, there is usually a decorative button (Japanese: Tehen-No-Kanamono) for the attachment of helmet decoration. There are many versions of this helmet.