Kabuto design question

[Sakurai Takamori]

I've been given conflicting info re the combat legality of a kabuto.

One tells me that only using metal shikoro lames are not legal...not enough protection to back of head and neck... need to effectively add shikoro to an all-but full head helm.

Another tells me that with the right steel, a steel cap with shikoro added is fine.

Help!!!
Have seen one full-head option (zunari kabuto at dark hearth armoury)

Would appreciate your learned advice (with pics or sketchs if some one has them.)
Am building kabuto with aid of a friend at a sheet metal shop....need some direction on how the parts under the shikoro should go in order to satisfy the marhalls ...design is wavering between zunari and hachi right now and will go one way or t'other depending on what I can find out here.

YIS

MVJ

P.S. finding this form has been the highlight of my month...kudos to you all for filling it with useful tips, and wonderful pics.

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

(1) No matter what you do, some marshal, some where will question you for something that another marshal is going to find perfectly acceptable.

I fight in a kabuto that is composed of a bowl and shikoro. The bowl ends just above my ears. The shikoro is of three lames. The first two are attached rigidly; the last one is attached loosely (ie ... it is laced on). Some marshals asked that I add rigid protection to the back of my neck and upper spine via my gorget (nodowa/guruwa), and I have happily complied.

Check out Date-dono's "15 hours later" thread to see some SCA legal kabuto construction.
tousando.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=armour&action=display&thread=1114993955

Welcome to the board. Tell your friends about us. Hope this helps.

[Sakurai Takamori]

Thanks for the direction...will check it out and likely follow your advice on construction....was headed there myself (sort of)
Am also waiting for my friend Suikazura-hime to find pictures of her old Kabuto (made by Agincourt armoury (I think) but alas sold at Pennsic a while back for some tips on menpo attachment

Arigato

mvj (still working on persona name. . .at least one that's not Saxon...which it's been for 15 odd years)

[Kitadatedenka]

Well, I just won a Crown Tournament wearing kabuto and somen, so it's legal up here. None of my shikoro is rigidly laced. I do tip the hachi pretty severely back on my head, an my somen extends to the back of my ears (bigger than authentic).

Where are you? The marshalling convention differ in different places, even though the actual standards may be the same. If we knew that, we might be able to point you to someone in your Kingdom who wears one. That might help you out with the officials.

Let's face it, most of the marshallate operate on ingrained instinct, not the rules (probably even me, but I try to keep up). I've had marshalls bounce my stuff because they've applied old standards, not current ones.

Really, if it covers correctly, and is made properly, it should pass.