News ReleaseNews ReleaseNews ReleaseNews Release The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028-0198 tel (212) 570-3951 fax (212) 472-2764 communications@metmuseum.org For Immediate ReleaseFor Immediate ReleaseFor Immediate ReleaseFor Immediate Release Elyse TopalianElyse TopalianElyse TopalianElyse Topalian Naomi TakafuchiNaomi TakafuchiNaomi TakafuchiNaomi Takafuchi

Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156115611561156----1868186818681868 Exhibition dates: Exhibition dates: Exhibition dates: Exhibition dates: October 21, 2009October 21, 2009October 21, 2009October 21, 2009----January 10, 2010January 10, 2010January 10, 2010January 10, 2010 Location: Location: Location: Location: The Tisch GalleriesThe Tisch GalleriesThe Tisch GalleriesThe Tisch Galleries, second floor, second floor, second floor, second floor Press Preview: Press Preview: Press Preview: Press Preview: Monday, October 19, 10 a.m. Monday, October 19, 10 a.m. Monday, October 19, 10 a.m. Monday, October 19, 10 a.m. ---- noon noon noon noon The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present the most extraordinary and

comprehensive exhibition of Japanese arms and armor ever to take place in the

United States, beginning October 21. Bringing together some 215 masterpieces,

including 34 National Treasures (more than double the number of National

Treasures ever before allowed to leave Japan for a single loan exhibition), 61

Important Cultural Properties, and six Important Art Objects, Art of the Samurai: Art of the Samurai: Art of the Samurai: Art of the Samurai:

Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156----1868186818681868 will explore the greatest achievements of this

unique facet of Japanese art. Drawn exclusively from public and private collections

in Japan, the exhibition will showcase the finest examples of armor, swords, sword

fittings and mountings, archery and equestrian equipments, banners, surcoats, and

related accessories of rank such as fans and batons, as well as painted screens and

scrolls depicting samurai warriors.

The exhibition is made possible by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Additional support is provided by the Jessica E. Smith and Kevin R. Brine

Charitable Trust, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York, Inc.,

and Oceanic Heritage Foundation.

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The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the

Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Government of Japan, and the Tokyo National

Museum.

Between the 12th and 19th centuries, the military elite dominated Japanese politics,

economics, and social policies. Known as bushi or samurai, these warriors, who first

appear in historical records of the 10th century, rose to power initially through their

martial prowess—in particular, they were expert in archery, swordsmanship, and

horseback riding. The demands of the battlefield inspired these men to value the

virtues of bravery and loyalty and to be keenly aware of the fragility of life. Yet,

mastery of the arts of war was by no means sufficient. To achieve and maintain their

wealth and position, the samurai also needed political, financial, and cultural

acumen. In contract with the brutality of their profession, many leaders of the

military government became highly cultivated individuals. Some were devoted

patrons of Buddhism, especially of the Zen and Jodo schools; and several were

known as accomplished poets, and others as talented calligraphers. During the Edo

period (1615-1868), the cult of the warrior, bushido, became formalized and an

idealized code of behavior developed, focusing on fidelity to one’s lord and honor.

The samurai of this period inherited the traditional aesthetics and practices of their

predecessors and therefore continued the seemingly paradoxical relationship

between the cultivation of bu and bun—the arts of war and culture—that

characterized Japan’s great warriors.

The arms and equipment with which the samurai defined their place in the world are

widely recognized as masterpieces in steel, silk, and lacquer. Works on view will

demonstrate the superb quality, craftsmanship, and fine materials that were valued

highly by samurai patrons of the arts. Highlights among them are: an unparalleled

selection of Japanese sword blades—often called the soul of the samurai—dating

from the 5th century to the 19th century; a 14th-century Cavalry Armor (yoroi)

given by the Emperor Gomurakami to Nanbu Nobumitsu in 1367 (less than a dozen

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examples of this type survive in the world); a group of elaborately decorated helmets

with exotic and naturalistic shapes, including a 17th-century Helmet in the Form of

a Turban Shell; an elegant sword of the tachi type, a classic example of mastery of

materials and form fully developed into a style unique to Japan and for which

Japanese swords have long been famous both as weapons and as works of art; a

richly decorated 17th-century Surcoat (jimbaori), a garment worn by samurai over

their armor, which was given by Oda Nobunaga, one of the most famous samurai in

history, to his equally famous contemporary Toyotomi Hideyoshi; and an extremely

rare 18th-century Armor for a Woman, an outstanding example of armor of the

highest quality from the Edo period with superb metalworking, lacquering, and

leather-making techniques.

The martial skills and daily life of the samurai and their governing lords will also be

evoked through the presence of painted screens depicting such images as battles,

military sports, castles, and through portraits of famous individual samurai

warriors. These include a portrait of the great 17th-century general Honda

Tadakatsu (displayed along side the armor he is seen wearing in the painting), and

the noblewoman Asai Nagamasa-Oichi (d. 1583), a famous beauty whose life ended

tragically.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue. The principal

authors of the catalogue are Morihiro Ogawa, Special Consultant for Japanese Arms

and Armor in the Department of Arms and Armor at the Metropolitan Museum;

Kazutoshi Harada, Special Research Chair of the Tokyo National Museum, and

Hiroshi Ikeda, Chief Researcher of Agency for Cultural Affairs of the Japanese

Government, the world’s leading experts on Japanese sword mountings and fittings,

sword blades, and armor. By combining their paramount knowledge,

connoisseurship, and decades of experience, the catalogue of the exhibition will

present the most detailed and definitive treatment of this relatively inaccessible and

esoteric subject ever published in English.

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The catalogue is made possible by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc. Additional support is provided by the Doris Duke Fund for Publications.

An ancillary gallery at the end of the exhibition will also display a selection of 15

pieces from the Museum’s collection that were carefully restored in Japan as part of

a program sponsored by the Japanese government and devoted to the preservation of

Japanese works of art owned by foreign museums.

The range of educational programming accompanying the exhibition will include:

film screenings, a “Sunday at the Met” lecture program focusing on arms and

armor from the late Heian period (ca. 1156) through the end of the Edo period

(1600-1868), family programs, and gallery talks.

An Audio Guide of the exhibition will be available for rental ($7, $6 for members,

and $5 for children under 12).

The Audio Guide is sponsored by Bloomberg. The exhibition is organized by Morihiro Ogawa, the Agency for Cultural Affairs of

the Japanese Government, and the Tokyo National Museum.

# # ## # ## # ## # # June 1June 1June 1June 1, 2009, 2009, 2009, 2009

News ReleaseNews ReleaseNews ReleaseNews Release The Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028-0198 tel (212) 570-3951 fax (212) 472-2764 communications@metmuseum.org

Contact: Elyse Topalian Naomi Takafuchi

Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868

Image Identification

1. SHORT SWORD, WAKIZASHI TYPE (DT209415) Signed by Echizen Yasutsugu Steel; length 35.3cm, curve 0.45cm Momoyama period 17th century Lender: Atsuta Jingu, Aichi Prefecture Important Cultural Property

10. SWORD MOUNTING (DT209410) Wood, lacquer, gold; L. 89.7 cm Edo Period, 17th century Lender: Aichi Prefecture, Tokugawa Art Museum Important Art Object

14. SWORD STAND (DT209432) Wood, lacquer, and gold; H. 30.9 cm, L. 54.0 cm Edo Period, 18th century Lender: Aichi Prefecture, Tokugawa Art Museum

17. SADDLE AND STIRRUPS WITH DESIGN OF CARP AMONG WAVES (DT209493)

Saddle: Wood base, lacquer, makieStirrups; Wood on iron base, lacquer, makieSaddle H. 27.6 cm; Stirrups H. 24.8 cm Edo Period 19th century Lender: Aichi Prefecture, Tokugawa Art Museum

25. ARMOUR (YOROI) WITH WHITE TRIANGULAR PATTERN LACING (DT209502)

Iron, copper, gold, leather, lacquer, silk H. helmet bowl 13.5cm, H. cuirass 32.5cm, H. skirts 29.5cm Nanbokucho Period, 14th century Lender: Kushibiki Hachimangu Shrine, Aomori Prefecture National Treasure

46. Armor (gusoku) Edo Period (17th century) Iron, gold, leather, lacquer, silk Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History Hyogo, Japan

78. ARMOR FOR A WOMAN (DT209572) Edo Period, 18th century Iron, gold, leather, lacquer, silk H. of cuirass 37 cm Lender: Hayashibara Art Museum, Okayama

80. SWORD (TACHI) (1-1yoshihusaA.tif) Signed, by Yoshifusa Steel; L. 95.8 cm, Curvature 2.7 CM Kamakura Period 13th century Lender: Hayashibara Art Museum, Okayama, Japan National Treasure

84. SURCOAT (JIMBAORI) (DT209578) Textile with velvet ground; H. 97.9cm, W. 54.5cm Edo Period (17th Century) Provenance: Toyotomi Hideyoshi Osaka Castle Donjon, OSAKA

113. SWORD FITTINGS (MITOKOROMONO) (DT209632) Attributed to Goto Joshin, Japanese, 16th century Momoyama period Gold and shakudo; L. 9.8 cm Lender: Sano Art Museum, Shizuoka, Japan

140. Armor (gusoku) of Honda Tadakatsu Edo Period (16th century) Iron, copper, gold, leather, wood, lacquer, silk Private Collection, Japan

141. Portrait of Honda Tadakatsu Hanging scroll

Edo Period (17th century) Colored ink on paper 124 x 64 cm Private Collection

184. Portrait of Sakakibara Yasumasa (DT209923) Hanging Scroll Ink and colors on silkEdo Period, 17th century Lender: Tokyo National Museum Important Cultural Property

188. HELMET IN THE FORM OF A TURBAN SHELL (DT209933) Momoyama Period, late 16th to early 17th century Iron, gold, lacquer, silk; 27.3 x 18.8 cm Lender: Tokyo National Museum

201. PORTRAIT OF ASAI NAGAMASA-OICHI (DT209952) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk; L. 96.0 cm Momoyama Period, 16th century Lender: Jimyoin, Wakayama, Japan Important Cultural Property

June 19, 2009