The exquisitely crafted armour was designed to be worn by a diminutive woman under 5 feet tall and the mask was painted with snarling teeth and moustache to hide the fact that it was worn by a female.
The suit is being put up for sale by a private collector who brought it to London, the Daily Mail reported.
"There were a small number of female Samurais. This suit of armour differed from the men's because it was put on differently - more like a komono," said Suzannah Yip from auctioneer Bonhams.
"They were drawn from the upper-middle classes and many did not actually go into battle. The armour was designed to look intimidating and this has a mask that also disguises that it was being worn by a woman," Yip said.
"The style developed over the centuries with different elements coming into fashion. They became more decorative during the 19th century and were designed to be intimidating," Yip was quoted as saying by the paper.
"This would have been worn by a woman less than five feet high and although lighter than a men's suit, she would have had to be strong. It is made from numerous materials including iron," Yip said.
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Samurais were the warriors of pre-industrial Japan who also made up the ruling class from the 12th century to the 19th. During the 15th and 16th centuries there were many warring factions, but later wars reduced in number.
Later, Samurais often became bureaucrats, artists or teachers and their privileged class was abolished in the late 19th century.
This suit for sale dates from the 1800s and was owned by one of the small number of female Samurais.
Many never actually fought but records do describe one of them, the 12th century warrior Tomoe Gozen.
"Tomoe was especially beautiful, with white skin, long hair, and charming features. She was also a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.
"She handled unbroken horses with superb skill; she rode unscathed down perilous descents," according to history books, the paper said.
The sale is on November 6 in London.