The Phoenix Art Museum was a stop of a traveling exhibition of Samurai armor and weapons collected by a Dallas real estate magnate. I looked in vain for a description of how he assembled his collection, but I couldn't find any information about how these pieces were acquired. I couldn't help but wonder why Japanese individuals would sell family heirlooms some of which would have been passed down through several generations.
Japanese was extremely feudal until the late 19th century. The Samurai culture developed as warring clans fought over the limited resources of the Japanese islands. In 1615, one clan managed to unify Japan and that family ruled Japan from 1615 to 1868. Richard Clavell wrote about this unification in his magnificent book of historical fiction, Shogun. The book was dramatized in a made for TV mini series in the late 1970's.
Japanese armor was effective, but very differently constructed from European armor. European armor was an iron suit soldered or welded together and worn with chain mail (little interlocking iron rings). Japanese armor is constructed of small pieces of metal woven together with flat silk cords - some of which look like shoe laces. It is beautifully decorated with natural elements such as flowers.
The armor quickly became completely ceremonial when there was an effective peace imposed by the ruling clan for over 200 years. Armor became more elaborate and more decorative. Families would take a helmet made in the 15th century and 'update' it with decorative elements they added over the next three centuries.
Highly colored armor, elaborate helmets, and oversized fans were used to help commanders be more noticeable on the battlefield, and the fans were used to signals to move troops during a battle.
Also very interesting were the long bows. Bows over six foot tall were the weapons used by cavalry prior to firearms. They used arrows which were almost too pretty to shoot, but you can see how deadly they would be when fired from the back of a horse. There were four mounted samurai with their horses displaying their own armor. There were even specialized bows and arrows designed to be used when the samurai rode in palanquins as they moved between their fiefdoms and Edo - the seat of the government. Each clan was required to travel to Edo twice a year and demonstrate their loyalty to the ruling clan. Armor was worn during ceremonies and parades.
We attended the exhibit with another couple, and you will find their pix in the mix next to their favorite pieces. As always, the pictures tell the story
https://goo.gl/photos/jkwyJMuKnoK8q9MNA
2 comments:
Yet in Japan, today, it may be hard to dress as a Samurai complete with a weapon. We did the dress but there were no weapons - not even stage weapons. Enjoy
Purdy
After WWII, as a part of the surrender terms, all Japanese were required to turn in their weapons to the American occupiers, including swords. Many heirloom Samurai swords made their way into the hands of GIs. That probably accounts for the lack of swords to complete a Samurai costume today.
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