The Met Fifth Avenue is closed Monday, May 6 for The Met Gala. Watch the red carpet livestream on our website.
Return to Art of the Samurai
Haniwa are ritual objects that were made during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th century A.D.) for burial in tombs. Haniwa take many forms, with some, like this fine example, showing detailed representations of the equipment of armored warriors of the period. The figure wears a keik�-type armor, comprising small leather or iron plates and a helmet with a neck guard. The right hand grips the hilt of a sword worn at the waist. The left hand would have held a bow; the left wrist is covered by a bracer, and on the figure's back there is a small quiver containing a number of barbed arrows.
The type of armor worn by high-ranking samurai cavalrymen from about the late Heian through the early Muromachi periods (mid-twelfth–fourteenth century) is referred to as yoroi. Because yoroi tended to be larger and more extensive than the types of armor worn by the infantry, they are often referred to as �-yoroi (great armors).This example has red-dyed, tanned deerskin lacing linking its vertical rows of scales (sane). Although old documents mention armors laced in red leather, this is the only known example that survives. Certain elements of the construction are characteristic of the Heian period: the relatively large scales, the hoshi-bachi-type helmet bowl, and the four rows of the front and back of the skirt (there are usually five). However, the shape of the shikoro (neck guard) and the fukigaeshi (the turned-back edges on either side of the helmet), and the style of the mojishi-gawa (stenciled leather) indicate a slightly later restoration, probably done in the fourteenth century.Unlike most extant armors of the Heian and Kamakura periods, which have generally been preserved in temples and shrines, this armor was until recently still owned by a samurai family, the Akagi of Okayama Prefecture, in whose household it had been passed down through the generations.
The type of armor worn by high-ranking samurai cavalrymen from about the late Heian through the early Muromachi periods (mid-twelfth–fourteenth century) is referred to as yoroi. Because yoroi tended to be larger and more extensive than the types of armor worn by the infantry, they are often referred to as �-yoroi (great armors). In the tsumadori style of armor lacing, seen on this yoroi, various colors are used to form triangular patterns along the edges of the sode (shoulder guards) and kusazuri (skirt). The name relates to the layering of kimonos worn by women and refers to the triangular pattern formed by the edge of the kimono cloth, a style fashionable in the fourteenth century.This piece is unique among armors with tsumadori lacing in that the original helmet, cuirass, and shoulder pieces have survived together. It is believed that this armor was given by the Emperor Go-Murakami to Nanbu Nobumitsu, daimyo of Hachinohe in 1367, and that his successor, Mitsutsune, gave it as an offering to the Kushibiki Hachimang� shrine in 1411.
D�-maru armor, which fastens along a vertical overlap on the right side of the torso, was originally worn in the twelfth century by infantry, as opposed to the yoroi, which was designed for use by mounted archers. At first it comprised just a d� (cuirass) and an eight-section kusazuri (skirt), and was often worn without a helmet or shoulder pieces.Beginning about the fourteenth century, d�-maru such as this, of very fine quality and with matching helmet and shoulder pieces, were developed for use by high-ranking samurai in place of the yoroi. The helmet, a fifty-plate suji-bachi (ridged bowl), originally had large kuwagata (stylized horns) at the front. The armor was passed down in the Tononanbu family of Iwate Prefecture until the late Edo period and was displayed in a tokonoma—an alcove traditionally used to present a venerated object or painting, a vase of flowers, or an evocation of the season.
The second major style of armor in the Muromachi period (1333–1573), along with the d�-maru, was the haramaki, which is distinguished from the d�-maru by the fact that it closes vertically up the center of the back, rather than down the right side. This haramaki is important due to its completeness, retaining its original helmet and shoulder guards, and for its fine condition. The thirty-two-plate ridged helmet (suji-kabuto) is lacquered black and has gilt edging (fukurin); the inset profile of its top is a form known as akoda (referring to the shape of a squashlike fruit). It is adorned with a very beautiful and unusual pair of kuwagata, mounts usually in the form of stylized antlers but here representing kaji leaves, revered since ancient times and used as offerings to Shinto deities.According to tradition this armor was donated to the Sata-jinja Shrine by Amako Tsunehisa (1448–1541), who was later the protector of Izumo province, Shimane Prefecture.
Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610), the original owner of this impressive armor, was among Tokugawa Ieyasu's most trusted commanders: the Shi-Tenn�, or "Four Trusted Retainers," a name normally applied to the Four Guardian Kings of Buddhism. Honda, who followed Tokugawa into battle more than fifty times, was appointed lord of Kuwana Castle in Ise province (present-day Mie Prefecture) in 1601.The helmet of his armor was well known for its distinctive wakidate ("side crests") in the form of a deer's antlers, probably made of lacquered papier-mâché on wood, and was called the "Mitsumatakazuno" ("three-branched deerhorn helmet"). (See a detail of the helmet.) In a scroll painting also included in the exhibition, Honda Tadakatsu can be seen wearing this, his favorite armor, and a large gilt-wood rosary slung over one shoulder. The armor was so highly regarded that it inspired a copy, also in the exhibition, that was made approximately one hundred years later for his young descendant, Honda Tadataka (1698–1709).
This portrait shows Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610) late in his life, wearing his favorite black-laced armor with its famous deerhorn helmet, which is included in the exhibition. (See previous image.) Along with the armor, he wears two swords—a tachi and a wakizashi—at the waist, thrust through his belt, with the cutting edges facing down. Over his right shoulder hangs a large rosary. He is depicted sitting on a folding camp stool with his feet planted firmly and his eyes glimmering intently. His shoulders are squared, and he grips a white saihai (command baton) in his right hand in the attitude of one who is prepared to step into the front line of battle—an accurate representation of Tadakatsu, who was renowned as a powerful and seasoned warrior.
This small, luxurious armor was made for a boy: Honda Tadataka (1698–1709), seventh-generation descendant of Honda Tadakatsu (1548–1610). It was modeled after the famous armor worn by Tadakatsu a century earlier and bears the same impressive, three-branched deerhorn side crests on its helmet. The fukigaeshi (turned-back portions of the neck guard) on either side of the helmet are embellished with the Honda family mon (insignia), the tachi-aoi (standing hollyhock), in gold lacquer. Unlike the armor of the first-generation Tadakatsu, which has black lacing throughout, the cuirass and shoulder guards on this armor are laced in dark blue and red; the skirt is also laced in dark blue except for the front-left section, which is laced in red, and the scales are covered in gold leaf. Limiting the use of colored lacing to the front-left section of the skirt occurs on many armors belonging to the Hosokawa family, suggesting a connection between them and the Honda clan.
This armor, and the pieces displayed with it in the exhibition, belonged to Sakakibara Yasumasa, one of the four commanders serving Tokugawa Ieyasu who were known as the Shi-Tenn�, the "Four Trusted Retainers." The helmet, a sixty-two-plate suji-bachi (ridged bowl) is inscribed on its interior: YOSHIMICHI SAKU (made by Yoshimichi). Its maedate (frontal crest) is in the form of a gilt-bronze ken (straight, double-edged sword) with a vajra hilt, symbolizing the Buddhist sword of wisdom. The cuirass is a black-lacquered nimai-d� (two-piece cuirass), formed of plates linked with offset joints. The chest and hand defenses are embellished with the Sakakibara family mon (insignia), known as the Genji-guruma ("Wheel of Genji"), and a gold-and-silver dragon is depicted across the lower portion of the front of the cuirass. The armor was preserved until recently by the Sakakibara family, together with the portrait of Yasumasa and his personal flag, both displayed nearby.
Sakakibara Yasumasa's umajirushi (a type of standard) was originally mounted on a long pole and placed near the military commander's horse in the line of battle to indicate his position, hence its name, which literally means "horse sign." The shape of the Sakakibara family's umajirushi, which resembles a trumpet opening downward, is known as kikyo after its resemblance to the Chinese bellflower. It was made using kanshitsu ("dried lacquer," a kind of papier-mâché) and other materials covered in gold foil.
A sashimono (personal flag) was worn on a slender bamboo pole fixed to the backplate of a soldier's armor, identifying him or the family he served. Sakakibara Yasumasa's sashimono, which can also be seen in his portrait (see next image), shows the sun with the character mu ("nothingness") in gold on a dark blue silk ground.
Sakakibara Yasumasa (1548–1606) was an important commander, serving both Tokugawa Ieyasu and his successor, Hidetada. In 1590, after distinguishing himself in numerous military campaigns, Yasumasa was made lord of Tatebayashi Castle in K�zuke province (present-day Gunma Prefecture) and given an income of one hundred thousand koku, a vast sum at the time. The portrait shows his armor, arming jacket, and sashimono (personal flag), which are very similar to those displayed in the exhibition (see prevous image). In the portrait Yasumasa wears a tachi-type sword, its scabbard lavishly clad with fukurin (gilt edging), and a rather long koshigatana (short sword). His right hand, sheathed in a tanned-leather glove, holds a saihai (command baton). Seen on the sashimono behind him are representations of a sun and the character mu ("nothingness"), slightly different in color from the version in the exhibition. The painting and armor were both preserved in the Sakakibara house.
This garment, an arming jacket made to be worn beneath a gusoku armor, is said to have been given to Sakakibara Yasumasa by Tokugawa Ieyasu and was handed down in the Sakakibara family. The exterior is a pale blue woven silk decorated with a lotus pattern of small flowering sprigs. The lining is plain white silk with cotton wadding. The high, rounded collar is decorated with chrysanthemums and orchids on a red woven silk ground and is provided with a loop and button. The garment opens at the front, where there are lapels and a lateral band of the same cloth.The sleeves are curved, a European influence unique to the Momoyama period, and the cuffs taper. On both sides under the sleeve openings there are holes for lacing. The armpits are open on both sides and the back has a vent. On the breasts, sleeves, and back are the triple-hollyhock mon—the insignia of the Tokugawa family—depicted in roundels using the tsujigahana technique, a form of resist-dyeing in which silk is painted, stitched, knotted, dipped in dye baths, and then rinsed repeatedly.
This helmet was passed down in the Maeda family, the very powerful daimyo of Kaga province (in present-day Ishikawa Prefecture). It has a rather large eboshi shape (a type of cloth headgear), built up on the iron helmet bowl in papier-mâché and covered with gold ikakeji tataki-nuri, a technique in which a surface is roughened, lacquered, and sprinkled with gold powder. It has an extremely rare and dramatic form of maedate (forecrest) in the shape of a mantis, which is made of wood, while the four projecting wings are made of papier-mâché covered in gold foil.
This helmet was made for Matsudaira Sadamoto, an ardent Buddhist and lord of Imabari, who commissioned it from an armorer of the Iwai family in 1722. Above the zunari (head-shaped) bowl there rises a tall and dramatic zudate (standing headpiece) made of wood in the silhouette of a pagoda. Originally reliquaries of sacred remains, five-tiered pagodas also represent the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and void. On the front of this example are six gold characters for "Namu Amida Butsu" (in the name of Amida Buddha); pierced Sanskrit characters above and below; and, at bottom, an alternative mon (insignia) of the Imabari Matsudaira clan set within a circle. On the front of the bowl is the family's umebachi (stylized plum blossom) mon in black lacquer on a gold ground. The maedate (forecrest) is in the form of a grimacing horned demon.
Kanehira was one of the smiths of the Ko-Bizen (Old Bizen) school, the oldest in the province of Bizen and, from the Heian through the Muromachi period, the most productive site of swordmaking in Japan. This blade is much longer and wider than most tachi of the Heian period, and it has an ikubi-gissaki: a short point section in relation to the length of the blade. The itame (wood grain) forging has a strong jigane (surface texture) with chikei (bright, short curving lines). The hamon (tempering pattern) has ko-midare (small, irregular patterns) mixed with gunome (compact, regular waves). It also includes ashi (notches) and many nie (visible steel crystals) and is rich in variations within the ha (cutting edge).There are many extant Ko-Bizen swords, but none of this length, even among Kanehira's other splendid works. The quality is likewise outstanding among Ko-Bizen blades. It was recorded with the name "�-Kanehira" (Great Kanehira) in the Ky�h� Meibutsu Ch�, a catalogue of Japan's finest swords and swordsmiths published in the early eighteenth century, and is highly esteemed as being meibutsu, or a "famous piece." Indeed the blade is regarded as the greatest of all Japanese swords. It was a treasured possession of Ikeda Terumasa, lord of Okayama Castle, and was long the most important sword in his family's collection.
This is a characteristic sword by Nagamitsu, a second-generation smith of the Osafune school and the son of Mitsutada, the school's founder. Dated blades by Nagamitsu range from 1274 to 1303. This sword is typical of his earlier works, mixing gunome (compact waves) with ch�ji (clove shapes) and some kawazuko ch�ji (tadpole-shaped ch�ji) in what is, overall, an exceptionally grand hamon (tempering pattern). The sword is called "Dai Hannya" because in the Muromachi period it was valued at 600 kan (equal to about 2,250 kilograms of silver), and there are 600 volumes (also, coincidentally, called kan) of the Dai Hannya Sutra (Heart Sutra).Esteemed as being meibutsu, or a "famous piece," it was given by Ashikaga Yoshiteru (r. 1545–65) to Miyoshi Nagayoshi, a powerful daimyo. Later Oda Nobunaga gave it to Tokugawa Ieyasu to honor his success at the Battle of Anegawa (July 30, 1570). Ieyasu then gave it to Okudaira Nobumasa as a reward for his services in the Battle of Nagashino (June 29, 1575), and he in turn passed it to his son Matsudaira Masaaki, in whose family it was ultimately passed down. The sword is thus especially valuable as a well-documented example of a blade being exchanged among military houses as an expression of gratitude.
Yukimitsu is said to have been a pupil of Shintogo Kunimitsu. There are only five known pieces signed by Yukimitsu, all of them tant� (daggers). There are also some tachi (slung swords) attributed to Yukimitsu, but these have all been cut down from their original lengths, losing their signatures in the process.This tant� is reminiscent of the work of Kunimitsu, particularly its suguha hamon (straight tempering pattern), in which Kunimitsu specialized. The hamon of all the signed works by Yukimitsu are suguha. However, Yukimitsu's forging is stronger and more prominent than that of his teacher, and the hamon has more nie (visible crystals of steel). Indeed, the style of this blade can be seen as a bridge between that of Kunimitsu and the S�sh� tradition of Masamune. This tant� was preserved in the collection of the Maeda family.
The scabbard of this luxurious kazaritachi mounting is lacquered in the hiramaki-e, or flat lacquer, technique. It is further embellished with scattered aoi mon (hollyhock insignia) in maki-e lacquer, thin gold sheet, and shell inlay. Its gold fittings are decorated with pierced aoi mon and karakusa (foliate scrollwork), blue cloisonné inlay, and inset gemstones. (See a detail image.)This sumptuous mounting was made for a kodachi (small tachi) by the swordsmith Yoshimochi of the Fukuoka Ichimonji school. In 1618 the mounting was given by the Asano family of Hiroshima to Yoshinao, the first-generation Tokugawa lord of Owari province (in present-day Aichi Prefecture), on the occasion of his marriage to their second daughter, Haruhime. Although Yoshinao was a samurai, he was invested by the imperial court with the high rank of Gonchunagon, and he wore this kazaritachi in his capacity as a nobleman during ceremonies at court. In addition to the mounting's superb manufacture, befitting a wedding gift between two great daimyo families, it is valuable as a datable example of a kazaritachi from the early Edo period.
This mounting is for the tachi blade by Nobufusa, which is said to have been given to the warrior Sakai Tadatsugu by Tokugawa Ieyasu, although there is no clear record of the event. (See a detail of the mounting.) It is of the same type (an ito maki no tachi) as that made for the tachi by Sanemitsu, except that here the scabbard is decorated with hollyhock mon in gold lacquer. (See a detail of the scabbard.) The addition of family mon to the scabbard and fittings represents a ceremonial style that had become formalized by the seventeenth century.
This set, known as futatokoromono, comprises a kozuka (by-knife handle) and a pair of menuki (grip fittings). They are boldly embellished with muscular Ni-� (Buddhist guardian deities) made of colored metals in high relief.
Bukan, who lived in China during the Tang dynasty, is said to have traveled on the back of a tiger he had tamed, the animal's ferocity having yielded to the monk's virtue. The artist who made the piece, Yasuchika (1670–1744), is esteemed for his depictions of people and landscapes that are at once realistic and lyrical and avoid an excessive display of technique. See an alternate view of this tsuba.
About the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, imported dyed textiles such as brocade, damask, wool, velvet, tapestry, and printed cotton were used to make especially luxurious jinbaori (surcoats), some of which even incorporated feathers or animal fur. Imported scarlet-dyed woolens, in particular, were coveted by military commanders during the Sengoku-jidai (Age of Wars, ca. 1467–1568) and were often used to make jinbaori or d�fuku, short, hip-length jackets. This jinbaori is said to have been given to Toyotomi Hideyoshi by Oda Nobunaga. The exterior has the five-petal mokk� mon (insignia) of the Oda family, known as Oda mokk�, in the center of the upper back and several paulownia mon below. The color of the woolen ground is referred to as "sh�j�" scarlet after creatures from Chinese folktales who resemble monkeys and whose blood was said to be of the reddest color on earth.
The powerful design on the back of this jinbaori (surcoat) depicts a stylized volcano in bright yellow wool against a black wool ground. The volcano is edged in green braid. Water-droplet motifs—formed by cutting away the vivid yellow fabric to reveal the black wool beneath—are arrayed along the hem. The swirl of smoke rising up from the mountain's triple peak indicates that it represents a sacred volcano, in this case said to be Mount Fuji, the subject of religious veneration in Japan since ancient times. The lining is gold brocade with small paulownia and circle mon (insignia). Although sleeveless, it has narrow edging around the arm holes. The high collar is finished with a gold brocade of flowering peony, chrysanthemum, and plum-bough motifs. Mount Fuji first came to be used as a motif on craft objects, such as ceramics and textiles, in the Edo period.
The cherry blossom motif has been used since ancient times as a symbol of Japan. This saddle, among the oldest craft objects on which the design is used, represents the pinnacle of a technique of shell inlay developed during the Kamakura period. Such saddles were made either for military use by high-ranking samurai or for dedication to religious institutions. The ornamentation of this notably elegant example is among the most striking found on Japanese saddles.The pommel and cantle are oak, and the side bars are made of sawaguri, a form of wild chestnut. The saddle is lacquered black overall, and the surfaces of the pommel and cantle are covered with symmetrical designs of flowering cherry boughs made in mother-of-pearl inlay that extend down the legs. Boughs of cherry blossoms are also scattered over the inner surfaces and the two side bars. The shell used for the inlay (raden) is yakogai, or "green snail," a marine species of the Turbinidae family. The inlays are skillfully arranged across the curved surfaces to create a colorful effect that is rich in variation as well as three-dimensionality. The saddle was a hereditary possession of the Asano family, daimyo of Hiroshima. See an alternate view of this saddle.
This extraordinary saddle (kura) is a type known as a kagami kura, or "mirror" saddle, referring to the appearance of the pommel (maewa) and cantle (shizuwa), both of which are clad in gilt copper and originally must have had a mirror-like polish. The edges of the seat and the yamagata ("mountain shape," referring to the high profiles of the pommel and cantle) have gilt-copper rims. Gilt-copper pieces are also found on the feet of the pommel and cantle. Gilt-copper shiode, which attached to the ends of straps for other parts of the tack, survive at the front of the pommel. The inner surfaces of the pommel, cantle, and seat are all lacquered black and have circular pieces of mother-of-pearl inlay pierced with a "snake's-eye" design embedded in a regular array. This saddle is notable among medieval saddles for being unusually grand and substantial. The slender stirrups, which are of the shitanaga (long footrest) type, are made of iron with a wooden insert for the tread; they are finished with black lacquer and have red lacquer on the interior surfaces.
Asai Nagamasa (1545–1573) inherited the estate of his family at the relatively young age of sixteen and ruled over a domain that included about half of Omi province, in present-day Shiga Prefecture. He was forced to commit suicide in his own stronghold, Odani Castle, after a sworn friend, Asakura, was ruined by Nagamasa's brother-in-law, the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582). This portrait shows Nagamasa seated on tatami matting wearing a samurai eboshi (formal cap), a black hitatare (a long jacket or overkimono), and a black, white, and green striped inner garment in combination with a red tsuku (a type of undergarment). He is holding a fan in his right hand. The inscription at the top of the portrait indicates that it was painted in 1589, on the seventeenth anniversary of Nagamasa's death. A companion portrait of Oichi no Kata (see next image), who was Nagamasa's wife and Nobunaga's sister, is also included in the exhibition.
Asai Nagamasa's wife, known as "Oichi no Kata," or Lady Oichi (d. 1583), was the younger sister of the warlord Oda Nobunaga and a renowned beauty. Her husband, whose portrait is included in the exhibition (see previous image), was forced to commit suicide following the fall of Odani Castle to Nobunaga in 1573. She then fled with her three daughters and was later married to Shibata Katsuie. She ended her turbulent and tragic life in 1583 in a double suicide with Katsuie after his castle also fell to the forces of Nobunaga. This portrait, believed to have been painted at the same time as that of Nagamasa, depicts her in a modest attitude seated on tatami matting and holding a sutra scroll in her right hand. She wears a white kosode-type kimono (one with small sleeves) decorated with scattered chrysanthemum designs. Around her waist is an uchikake (a long overkimono) with round motifs on a vermilion ground. Her inner garments, arranged in the katamigawari style (diagonal across the body), are white, striped, red, and dark orange with clouds and floral patterns.