Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Iandgt;Samuraiandlt;/Iandgt; means "he who serves," and these fierce warriors acted in the service of powerful feudal lords known as daimyo. Among the most important daimyo families were members of the Hosokawa clan, whose lineage dates back some six hundred years.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Lords of the Samuraiandlt;/Iandgt; illuminates the private and public lives of the daimyo by focusing on approximately 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, the Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects discussed include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea ware, lacquer ware, masks and musical instruments.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Hosokawa Morihiro, eighteenth-generation head of the Hosokawa family and seventy-ninth prime minester of Japan, introduces the book. Takeuchi Jun'ichi, director of the Eisei-Bunko Museum, contributes an essay of the literary world of the daimyo. Yoko Woodson, curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum, surveys the history of the Japanese warrior over several centuries. Deborah Clearwaters, director of education at the Asian Art Museum, considers the artistic world of the samurai, with special emphasis on the Way of Tea andlt;iandgt;(chanoyu)andlt;/iandgt;.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Lords of the Samuraiandlt;/Iandgt; demonstrates that Japanese warriors were not mere fighters but were also dedicated and inspired men of culture. It lays bare the principles that governed the spirit of the samurai, enabling it to endure for hundreds of years and continue to resonate today.
Review
"It seems that when they were not fighting one another the famed samurai liked to indulge in calligraphy and painting and compose poetry. This exhibition brings together more than 150 works from across Japan, including armor, swords and guns, calligraphy and paintings." and#8212;andlt;bandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"It seems that when they were not fighting one another the famed samurai liked to indulge in calligraphy and painting and compose poetry. This exhibition brings together more than 150 works from across Japan, including armor, swords and guns, calligraphy and paintings."—The New York Times
Synopsis
150 superb examples of armor, weaponry, costumes, paintings, and lacquerware from the Hosokawa family
Synopsis
Samurai means "he who serves," and these fierce warriors acted in the service of powerful feudal lords known as daimyo. Among the most important daimyo families were members of the Hosokawa clan, whose lineage dates back some six hundred years.
Lords of the Samurai illuminates the private and public lives of the daimyo by focusing on approximately 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, the Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects discussed include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea ware, lacquer ware, masks and musical instruments.
Featuring an extended essay by Thomas Cleary, Lords of the Samurai lays bare the principles that governed the spirit of the samurai, enabling it to endure for hundreds of years and continue to resonate today.
About the Author
andlt;Bandgt;Yoko Woodsonandlt;/Bandgt;'s books include andlt;Iandgt;Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection and Honolulu Academy of Artsandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Zen: Painting and Calligraphy, 17th-20th centuriesandlt;/Iandgt;. She is curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Preface by andlt;Bandgt;Morihiro Hosokawaandlt;/Bandgt;, the former prime minister of Japan. He is also a widely exhibited potter and special consultant to the andlt;Iandgt;Japan Timesandlt;/Iandgt;.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Bandgt;Thomas Clearyandlt;/Bandgt;'s many books and translations include andlt;Iandgt;Opening the Dragon Gateandlt;/Iandgt; by Chen Kaiguo and Zhen Shunchao, andlt;Iandgt;The Story of Chinese Zenandlt;/Iandgt; by Nan Huai-Chin and andlt;Iandgt;The Book of Five Ringsandlt;/Iandgt; by Miyamoto Musashi, as well as andlt;Iandgt;Code of the Samuraiandlt;/Iandgt; and andlt;Iandgt;Soul of the Samuraiandlt;/Iandgt;.