Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868Review by Gail S. Myhre
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| Attributed to Masamune. Blade for a Katana (Sword), known as "Nakatsukasa Masamune." Kamakura period (14th Century). Japan. Steel. L. 67.1 cm (26 1/2 in.). Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan. National Treasure. |
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| Momonari-kabuto (Peach-shaped Helmet) with Water Buffalo Horns. Momoyama period (16th Century). Japan. Iron, lacquer, cord, thread and gold. H. of bowl, 23 cm (9 in.), H. of side crests, 62 cm (24 1/2 in.). Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Important Cultural Property. |
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| Ogata Shinko. The Twenty-four Knights of Kuroda. Edo period (19th Century). Hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper. 124.1 x 55.5 cm (48 7/8 x 21 7/8 in.). Fukuoka City Museum, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. |
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| Yokoyo Sōmin. Set of menuku (hilt fittings) and kozuka (utility knife handle) with Ni-ō (Buddhist guardian figures). Edo Period (18th Century). Japan. Shakudō (copper alloy), copper and gold. L of menuki, 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in.); L. of kozuka, 9.9 cm. (3 7/8 in.). Kyoto National Museum, Japan. Important Cultural Property. |
November 28, 2009
The landmark exhibition
Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor 1156-1868 (October 21, 2009-January 10, 2010) at New York's
Metropolitan Museum of Art, its exclusive venue, is the most comprehensive display of its kind ever mounted. It includes 214 works of weaponry, including 34 Japanese National Treasures, 64 Important Cultural Properties and six Important Art Objects, many of which have never traveled outside the Pacific island nation.
Morihiro Ogawa, the museum's Special Consultant for Japanese Arms and Armor and the exhibition's curator, states that the organization of this monumental installation required more than 10 years. Its planning included extensive negotiations that resulted in “an assemblage that would be difficult to experience even in Japan.” Mr. Ogawa notes that some objects on view in New York have never been displayed outside of the Shinto shrines in which they're kept.
"The Soul of a Samurai”The range of arms and armor exhibited is astonishing in its depth. This exposition, while containing beautiful examples of art and clothing that reflect the interior life of the
samurai (the feudal warrior aristocracy of Japan), focuses very strongly on weaponry, specifically swords. The objects are arranged chronologically, each gallery treating a different period so that one may follow the centuries-long development of the art and technology of the Japanese sword. This evolution spans form and time from straight-bladed
chokutō (single-edged) and
ken (double-edged) swords used by foot soldiers beginning in the 5th Century through longer curved
katana and
tachi (slung swords) that gained importance as the use of cavalry became more widespread in 11th- and 12th-Century Japan.
Though the sword was not necessarily the samurai's primary weapon, it was ubiquitous throughout Japanese history; there was never a period in which the sword was not carried. Regardless of any other changes dictated by the necessities of war, whether the samurai used bow, spear or gun, the sword was always present. This is especially clear in the exhibition, where case upon case holds a single naked sword blade, each shown without hilt, guard or other fittings. Above all other objects comprising the equipment of the samurai, the sword was paramount. Many of the excellent and important examples are now known by name, like the
katana pictured here, named after the swordsmith Masamune (ca. 1264-1343 A.D.), its creator.
Omote Dogu – Exterior EquipmentThis is not to say the samurai's other equipment has been neglected in the exhibition. Available for viewing are complete examples of leather laced armor which show astonishing detail of workmanship, accompanied by fanciful
kawari-kabuto (exotic helmets) with distinctive
wakidate (side crests). The most striking example is unquestionably the
zunari-kabuto (head-shaped helmet) in black lacquer with
ō-nakaguri (large “cut away”) side crests. The term “cut away” refers to the form of the crests – a large disk with the center removed. These crests, covered in silver leaf, tower more than five feet above the helmet's crown. Also on display is a dramatic
momonari-kabuto (peach-shaped helmet) with water buffalo horn crests, designated an Important Cultural
Property by the Japanese.
In a fascinating juxtaposition of art and history, The Twenty-four Knights of Kuroda (Edo Period, 19th Century) depicts the helmets described above as worn by their owners in a commemorative group portrait. The Twenty-four Knights were retainers of the warrior Kuroda Nagamasa (1568-1623 A.D.), shown wearing the momonari-kabuto. Kuroda was a close lieutenant of the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), first Edo shogun or military dictator, commander of the Japanese army and founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Shogunate went on to rule Japan from 1600 to 1868. In this way, we're able to see the importance of these objects to their possessor and also appreciate them as the basis for centuries of Japanese cultural and artistic heritage.
The Artistry of Japanese Arms
The military equipment of a samurai was an enormous expense. Every piece of a samurai’s omote dogu or exterior equipment was used as part of a splendid display, the dress in which he would die if defeated in battle. The decoration and embellishment of sword fittings and armor was correspondingly elaborate and beautiful. Sword mountings were lacquered and inlaid with abalone, in strong contrast to the stark simplicity of the blades. Wood saddles were also lacquered and decorated with inlay or fine metalwork reliefs. Even kozuka, the hilts of small utility knives, were treated as distinct artistic expressions.
Art of the Samurai... provides an exhaustive education in the history and arts of the great warrior culture of Japan. As such, the accompanying catalogue provides a fitting accompaniment to the museum's exhibition. The book's editor and contributing essayists (which include the Special Research Chair of the Tokyo National Museum and the Chief Researcher of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese Government) have intended that the volume present the definitive treatment of Japanese arms and armor ever published in English. The catalogue describes and illustrates each work that appeared in the presentation. Arranged thematically by type of object, the text stands not merely as a companion piece to the show, but also as a separate work of scholarly study.
The exhibition's depth of focus may appear daunting to the casual visitor. The installation's encyclopedic nature and display of seemingly similar objects may tend to overwhelm the untrained Western eye. Much effort was expended upon the individual treatment of a great many beautiful and important swords as works of art in their own right. This is appropriate to their significance, both in and of themselves and representative of Japanese culture. When taken in the spirit with which their owners, and in fact, the Japanese nation in general must certainly view them, one cannot help but be awed by the intensity of care afforded each piece. It is not without reason that Japan takes such pride in her National Treasures, for she builds herself upon them.
“What Japan was, she owed to the samurai. They were not only the flower of the nation but its root as well.” From Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul of Japan (1907)
Source
Ogawa, Morihiro (ed.), et al. Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 (exh. cat.). New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009.