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

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

Ogawa, Morihiro, ed., with contributions by Kazutoshi Harada, Hiroshi Ikeda, Tetsuo Ito, Ayako Kobayashi, Masato Misumi, Takamasa Saito, and Taeko Watanabe
2009
344 pages
375 illustrations
This title is out of print.
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Samurai arms and equipment are widely recognized as masterpieces in steel, silk, and lacquer. This extensively illustrated volume includes the finest examples of swords, sword mountings and fittings, armor and helmets, saddles, banners, and paintings from Japanese collections. Dating from the fifth to the nineteenth century, these majestic objects offer a complete picture of samurai culture and its unique blend of the martial and the refined.

Met Art in Publication

Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (<i>Ken</i>), Steel, Japanese
Blade for a Double-Edged Sword (Ken)
Japanese
5th century
Sword with Scabbard Mounts, Iron, bronze, gold, silver, wood, Chinese
Sword with Scabbard Mounts
Chinese
ca. 600
Sword Guard (<i>Tsuba</i>) Depicting Guardian of the Buddha (仁王図鐔), Copper (suaka), gold, copper-gold alloy (shakudō), Japanese
Sword Guard (Tsuba) Depicting Guardian of the Buddha (仁王図鐔)
Japanese
19th century

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Citation

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Ogawa, Morihiro. 2009. Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 [Exhibition Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from October 21, 2009 to January 10, 2010]. 2nd printing, 2009. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.