'Lords of the Samurai' @ Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

The samurai culture and code of conduct, bushido, have long captivated the imaginations and aspirations of young and old in the Western world. More than just professional warriors, Japanese samurai of the highest rank were also visionaries who strove to master artistic, cultural, and spiritual pursuits.

Lords of the Samurai takes an intimate look at the daimyo, or provincial lords of the warrior class in feudal Japan. The Hosokawa clan, powerful military nobles with a 600-year-old lineage, embodied this duality of fierce warrior and refined gentleman.

The exhibition features more than 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, and from Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects on view include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea wares, lacquerware, masks, and musical instruments.

The Asian Art Museum is the only U.S. venue for this exhibition. June 12–September 20, 2009

Kumamoto Castle, approx. 1872–1877 By Akahoshi Kan’i (1835–1888) Japan, Meiji period (1868–1912) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper, Eisei-Bunko Museum, 29-aka215 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This painting depicts a grand view of Kumamoto Castle as it stood before 1877. Generations of Hosokawa lords administered the Higo domain from this castle between 1633 and 1868, when feudal rule ended.

Kato Kiyomasa (1562–1611), a daimyo warrior, initiated the building of the castle in 1601. Construction of the main portion was accomplished by 1607 (see the diagram on the panel “Japanese Castles” in this gallery). But Kiyomasa died a few years later, and his son proved unable to manage the domain. The shogun removed him from power and named Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641), then the daimyo of a smaller domain, to be lord of Higo. Tadatoshi took up residence in the castle in 1633.

Castles must be able to endure long-term warfare. If besieged, the inhabitants of this castle would have been able to survive on stored food and on water from the castle’s more than 120 wells. Abundant trees within the castle compound gave shade as well as fruits and nuts.

Surrounded by moats and walls, two towers soared into the sky. Open spaces within the compound were bounded by stone walls topped with parapets. Protected by a large number of turrets, there were many gates that had to be passed through in order to reach the interior. The castle’s winding, mazelike configuration was designed to disorient invaders.

Kumamoto Castle endured throughout the feudal age and into the 1800s, but it was sacked during civil strife in 1877. The castle has been largely restored, and now houses a museum.

Portrait of Hosokawa Sumimoto, 1507. By Kano Motonobu (1476–1559); inscription by Keijo Shurin (1444–1518) Japan, Muromachi period (1392–1573) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 466 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

The period from the mid–1400s through the 1500s was a turbulent, bloody, and brutal time. Consumed by ambition, suspicion, or jealousy, many members of warrior families fought even with their own family members during this period. Hosokawa Sumimoto (1489–1520) exemplifies a warrior who experienced continual intrigue and conflict throughout his short life.

Sumimoto was adopted into the Hosokawa family. His adoptive father had already adopted another son from a powerful family. The sons quarreled over succession to the Hosokawa line, and their adoptive father was murdered by a supporter of Sumimoto’s brother. Sumimoto fled to another province, where he raised troops and then returned to defeat his rival and assume the role of head of the Hosokawa—but only briefly: he was unseated the following year. Despite several subsequent attempts to regain power he died, disappointed, in exile.

In this equestrian portrait, the nineteen-year-old Sumimoto wears armor of the kind exemplified by cat. no. 22, along with a helmet with a hornlike crest. His sword mounting is slung at his left side. He holds a long-handled blade and a whip in his right hand, and the reins in his left hand. A short sword is tucked into his belt.

Keijo Shurin, abbot of Nanzenji temple in Kyoto, added an inscription above the figure, praising Sumimoto as a balanced man of military and civil arts.

Western-style bell with Hosokawa nine-planet family crest, approx. 1602. Japan, Momoyama period (1573–1615). Cast bronze. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 7271 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

The Hosokawa family believes that this bell, with its nine-planet crests, was cast for Hosokawa Sansai (1563–1645), in honor of his wife, Hosokawa Gracia (1563–1600), one of Japan’s early Christians. Tadaoki apparently intended to present the bell to a church located near his castle, but when the shogun banned Christianity the church was destroyed. Its whereabouts unknown for centuries, the bell was discovered hidden in a castle turret.

Portrait of Hosokawa Shigekata, 1786 By Takehara Harumichi; inscription by Shuzan Soki. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 3314 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

To sit for his portrait may have made Hosokawa Shigekata (1720–1785) impatient. Noted for his energy and industry, he would probably have preferred to be out studying or painting the insects, marine animals, or botanical subjects that fascinated him.

Shigekata is remembered as a visionary social reformer. When he became lord of Higo in 1747, the domain was deeply in debt; the Osaka bankers refused to lend any more money—unsurprisingly, as no concrete policy of repaying loans was in place at the time. In addition to stabilizing Higo’s economy, he defied convention by building a school for samurai and commoners alike. He also built a teaching hospital—the ancestor of today’s Kumamoto Medical University—that served commoners as well as samurai.

Shigekata created Japan’s first modern penal system. Rather than being punished by death or exile, as in earlier practice, convicted criminals were imprisoned. They learned skills while serving their time, and the money they earned in prison was invested and returned to them upon their release.

Portrait of Princess Hosokawa Ko, 1826 By Kano Ikei Hironobu. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 3344 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

One of six daughters of the lord Hosokawa Narishige, the little Princess Ko was a child of a late second marriage; she was adopted by Narishige’s oldest son, Naritatsu. Ko died when she was only three years old; the whole family grieved to lose her, and her adoptive father, devastated by her death, commissioned a number of memorial portraits of Ko to hang in temples under Hosokawa patronage.

Suit of oyoroi-type armor, 1829. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron, metal, leather, lacquer, silk, and gilded bronze. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4082 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Oyoroi (“great armor”) was used in the early samurai era (800s–1300s), when one-on-one mounted combat was the primary mode of warfare. Since a warrior’s armor became his funeral attire if he was defeated, a great deal of attention was paid to decorative details such as the color of the lacing and the ornamentation of the metal fixtures. For that reason, armor of this type not only is heavy and showy, but often has high aesthetic value. The lacing may incorporate various colors; these are the primary distinguishing elements. This suit has white braided silk lacing with multicolored diagonal accents.

Made in the 1800s at the order of a Hosokawa lord, this suit is a reproduction of the famous set worn by Hosokawa Yoriari, the family’s founder, in the battle of Kyoto (1358). Yoriari’s portrait can be seen in cat. no. 3.

Suit of dōmaru gusoku–type armor, 1700–1732. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron, leather, lacquer, silk, and gilded metal. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4098 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This eye-catching suit of armor, weighing more than fifty-five pounds, was created in a style emulating armor worn in earlier periods. It was worn for ceremonial occasions by Hosokawa Nobunori (1676–1732), the sixth-generation lord of the family, long after peace had been established in Japan. From the 1600s onward, this type of armor, an amalgamation of two earlier styles, became the most formally correct protective gear for men of the warrior class.

The helmet was crowned with dramatic plumage from a now-endangered species of pheasant whose feathers could not be brought into the US. The main part of the helmet incorporates a much older one made during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). The use of ancient components conveys a sense of the high value placed on history by the daimyo.

Suit of haramaki-type armor, 1800s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron, leather, lacquer, silk, and gilded metal. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4111 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This armor in an ancient style was worn by Hosokawa Narimori, the twelfth-generation lord of the domain, who also saw to the reproduction of armor worn by Hosokawa Yoriari, the family’s founder, who lived in the 1400s (cat. no. 20). Except for a few incongruities, this armor is fairly true to the style of the late Muromachi period (1392–1573)—nearly three hundred years prior to its manufacture. The helmet’s U-shaped crest, with a lion in gilded bronze, was copied from ancient armor in a temple in Kyoto.

Suit of tosei gusoku–type armor, 1800s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868). Iron, leather, lacquer, silk, wood, metal, silver foil. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4122 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Despite its striking curved helmet crest of black-lacquered wood, this armor demonstrates a trend toward more sober decoration. Turning from what had been a highly decorative style to a more solidly practical model, the later Edo period armors in the Hosokawa collection reflect the troubled times at the end of the long feudal era, when the shogunate came to an end. Dark blue was preferred; excessive ornament was avoided.

This suit of “Sansai-style” armor, worn by the fourteenth-generation family head, Hosokawa Morihisa (1839–1893), follows a style adapted by his ancestor Hosokawa Sansai more than two hundred years earlier (cat. no. 23).

Military helmet with headband decoration, 1600s. Worn by Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1563–1646) Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron, paper, silk, lacquer, silver leaf. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4134 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

For the military leaders of Japan’s period of civil wars (from the late 1400s through the 1500s), the battlefield was a stage. One of their major concerns was how to stand out among tens of thousands of enemies and allies. Distinctive helmets were among the methods developed to awe the enemy and identify oneself to friendly troops. These helmets bear a variety of crests: Buddhist and Shinto deities, animals and plants, fish and shellfish, as well as inanimate objects. Unconventional headgear such as this piece became very popular among military leaders toward the end of the period.

This example, with papier-mâché attachments, was used by the third-generation Hokosawa lord. The head covering, or bowl, is made of iron plate; the headband decoration, of layered Japanese paper in the shape of a knotted cloth. The whole helmet was lacquered and coated with silver leaf, which has oxidized to a gray patina.

Military banner, 1800s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4233 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This military banner was used by Hosokawa Yoshikuni (1835–1876). The Hosokawa used a number of variant banner designs before Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641) standardized the family’s banner to have horizontal bands over the nine-planet crest in black on a white background, as in this example. Even then, subtle variations persisted.

Ceremonial long sword (tachi) blade. Signed “Made by Moriie” (active 1249–1256) Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Forged and tempered steel. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 1784 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

A daimyo’s possessions fell generally into two categories: articles for official use and for private use. The accoutrements he used on official occasions included arms appropriate to his rank and family status, and the sword was of preeminent importance.

Osafune, in the province of Bizen (now southeast Okayama prefecture), was the greatest Japanese center of sword manufacture; the town produced many fine smiths, one of whom was Moriie. His style of manufacture emphasizes showiness, boasting bold, irregular “clove-shaped” temper lines alternating with “tadpole” temper lines. This sword, an outstanding example of Moriie’s work, shows both of these signature characteristics.

Mounting for a ceremonial long sword (tachi), 1800–1868. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Lacquered wood, gilded bronze, gold, gold powder, ray skin, leather. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 2924-1 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This mounting is of the “imperial guard sword” type. Used by warriors of the imperial palace guard in the Heian period (794–1185), in later ages it was worn ceremonially by men of high-ranking military families on formal occasions.

The scabbard is decorated in the makie lacquer technique, with nine-planet Hosokawa family crests in gold on a sprinkled gold “pear skin” background; variants of the family’s cherry blossom crest adorn the hilt.

Mounting for a short sword (wakizashi), 1615–1800. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Lacquered wood with gilded bronze, ray skin, iron, gold, gold powder, copper alloy, braided silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 2906 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This mounting’s scabbard is wrapped in a spiraling strip of burnished ray skin edged in gold makie (metallic powder set in lacquer) over black lacquer. The ray skin was treated with a variant lacquering effect achieved by applying black lacquer over its bumpy surface, letting it dry, then polishing it to create a smooth surface that reveals the skin. High-quality ray skin with an even texture and almost pure white color has been used here: the circular pattern brought out by the burnishing is beautiful in its delicacy. Imported from the southern regions, ray skin was an expensive luxury material.

The sword guard is decorated with the Hosokawa nine-planet crest on a background of tool-punched shakudo (a copper-gold alloy that oxidizes to blue-black); also of tool-punched shakudo, the hilt collar and buttcap feature incised nineplanet and cherry blossom crests. The hilt ornaments—nine-planet and cherry blossom crests executed in chased gold—adorn a ray skin hilt. It is not known who owned this mounting, but its components give some sense of his refined taste.

Sword guard (tsuba) with torn fans and cherry blossoms. By Hayashi Matashichi (1613–1699) Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron with gold inlay. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 1796 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Sword guard (tsuba) in the shape of a dancing crane. By Hayashi Matashichi (1613–1699) Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Iron openwork with gold inlay. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 1794 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Coat with horizontal bands, late 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Wool, silk, and gilded paper. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 6940 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This sleeveless jinbaori, which was worn by Hosokawa Narishige (1759–1836), is made from wool imported from Europe in a red-and-white stripe accented with gold-patterned silk. The horizontal bands are not dyed or woven into the cloth; instead, they were made by placing wide strips of red and white felted wool side by side and stitching them together with meticulous, invisible stitches to create the effect of continuous fabric. Such a striped wool textile would have seemed exotic to contemporary Japanese not only for its extravagance (wool was not produced in Japan) but also for the clean lines of its stripes—aesthetically different from the dyed or woven horizontal bands of domestically produced luxury textiles.

The Book of Five Rings (Gorin no sho), 1600s. By Terao Katsunobu. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Set of five handscrolls, ink on paper
Eisei-Bunko Museum, 774 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

1. Scroll of Earth: The basics of Niten-style swordsmanship.
2. Scroll of Water: A detailed discussion of swords.
3. Scroll of Fire: Swordsmanship in general and war fittings.
4. Scroll of Wind: More on general swordsmanship and war fittings.
5. Scroll of Sky: Conclusion on the goals of swordsmanship.

Miyamoto Musashi was the most famous swordsman of his day. Considered a personification of the samurai spirit and the embodiment of the ideal military man, he won renown by developing a style of fencing using two swords.

Following the death of his lord in battle in 1600, Musashi became a masterless samurai, or ronin. Living as a wanderer, he engaged in duels when challenged; he is said to have fought, and won, sixty-eight times. His last duel became a popular subject in literature and the arts.

In 1640 Musashi accepted the position of sword instructor to Hosokawa Tadatoshi (1586–1641). Musashi was provided a salary, in the form of rice, and he spent his last years in relative peace.

The Book of Five Rings synthesizes Musashi’s swordsmanship teachings. He is said to have written it in a mountain cave in 1643. On his deathbed, Musashi gave the book to his disciple Terao Katsunobu. The original scrolls were lost, but the copy transcribed by Katsunobu has survived in the Hosokawa family.

Sake bottle and food box set (sagejū), 1600–1646. By Hosokawa Sansai (aka Tadaoki, 1563–1646) Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Lacquered wood. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 6535 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

This ingeniously conceived picnic set combines an eggplant-shaped sake flask, a food container, and a sake cup in the shape of an eggplant leaf, attached to the bottle stopper.

Warriors were expected to be highly cultured men, but the ability to create a piece as this would have required great patience and talent.

Noh robe (kariginu), 1700s. Japan, Edo period (1615–1868) Silk. Eisei-Bunko Museum, 4911 © Eisei Bunko, Japan.

Its round neckline, partially unattached double-width sleeves, and long narrow body form what would be considered a distinctly masculine silhouette, but the complex gauze with which this unlined kariginu is constructed gives it a translucence and lightness absent in its lined counterpart (cat. no. 144). The design of cherry blossoms, cherry sprays, and rafts, executed in white silk, contribute to its gentler impression; the background, now somewhat faded to brown, was purple when the piece was new.

The “flowers and rafts” motif, often found in visual art and literature, is thought to derive from the “rafts” formed by clustering fallen cherry petals as they float down a stream. The design conveys both the glory of spring and the transience of life.

Unlined kariginu robes are generally chosen for the roles of aged gods, fallen warriors, and young male courtiers of high stature. This example might convey the poetic sensibility of a youthful aristocrat. When skillfully selected, the costumes’ colors and motifs complement the masks’ expressions and the poetic language of the Noh script to give the viewer a richly layered, evocative theatrical experience.

Black teabowl, 2007. By Hosokawa Morihiro (b. 1938) Japan, Heisei period (1989–) Raku ware. Glazed earthenware. Collection of the artist, H2 © Shinchōsha Publishing Co, Ltd. Photo by Nonaka Akio.

Comments

[Juan-Karl]

I'm still wondering why a teabowl made during Heisei is/was on display at this "Lords of the samurai" exhibition.

"Samurai" still exist today? If that is the case, this is frightening.

[Kikuo Mori]

It's beautiful collection of " Kacchu " I was lookin for these photos for long time.
I f you don't mind, i would like to make album of " kacchu " on my face book album. it will be great to introduce to the world. Thank you.
Kikuo Mori