Sword of the Samurai
December 10, 1999 - December 10, 1999Samurai, the famous warriors of ancient Japan, live by a strict code of honour known as bushido which dealt with their moral and intellectual obligations as civil rulers. The most important ideals of the samurai were personal loyalty to one?s lord and martial bravery.
It has been said that the ?sword is the soul of the Samurai.? Traditionally, the Japanese sword was regarded as a work of art and, by extension, equal attention was lavished on the creation of suitable sword fittings. This exhibition features a large number of swords and fittings from the AGGV collection and from local sword collectors. In addition, there will be suits of armour, prints dealing with samurai themes, Noh masks ? which were part of the samurai?s entertainment ? and other samurai paraphernalia, as well as a recently acquired matchlock gun.