Exhibition/event has ended.
"Meibutsu: Treasured Japanese Swords" Exhibition
The Nezu Museum
Finished
SHARE
This exhibition focuses on the famous swords that have been central to Japanese history. When the term meibutsu, literally famous or masterpiece, is applied to swords, it generally refers to swords that date back to the emergence of Japan’s military class during the Heian through Nanbokuchō periods, from the 9th to 14th centuries.
The evaluation and appreciation of swords in Japan developed under the 3rd Muromachi period shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the 14th century. Then the two generals who brought Japan into its pre-modern era, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, were particularly fervent collectors of masterpiece swords, and even made them prizes for military successes. This longing for masterpiece swords gave birth in turn to more treasured pieces. During the Edo period, a masterpiece sword was the most important family heirloom amongst the military class. The 8th Edo period shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, commissioned the creation of a register of masterpiece swords in 1719, during the Kyōhō era. Known as the Kyōhō meibutsuchō, this register became the authority on the subject, as it is to this day.
The exhibition explores the development of the concept of the masterpiece sword and shows how this development led to the establishment of the Kyōhō meibutsu designation in the mid Edo period.
The evaluation and appreciation of swords in Japan developed under the 3rd Muromachi period shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the 14th century. Then the two generals who brought Japan into its pre-modern era, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, were particularly fervent collectors of masterpiece swords, and even made them prizes for military successes. This longing for masterpiece swords gave birth in turn to more treasured pieces. During the Edo period, a masterpiece sword was the most important family heirloom amongst the military class. The 8th Edo period shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, commissioned the creation of a register of masterpiece swords in 1719, during the Kyōhō era. Known as the Kyōhō meibutsuchō, this register became the authority on the subject, as it is to this day.
The exhibition explores the development of the concept of the masterpiece sword and shows how this development led to the establishment of the Kyōhō meibutsu designation in the mid Edo period.
Schedule | Aug 27 (Sat) 2011-Sep 25 (Sun) 2011 Opening Hours Information
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | [Collection Exhibition] Online ticket: Adults ¥1300, University and High School Students ¥1000. [Special Exhibition] Online ticket: Adults ¥1500, University and High School Students ¥1200 | ||||
| Venue | The Nezu Museum http://www.nezu-muse.or.jp/en/  | ||||
| Location | 6-5-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 | ||||
| Access | 8 minute walk from exit A5 at Omotesando Station on the Ginza, Hanzomon and Chiyoda lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3400-2536 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
Back to Articles
SHARE
No comments yet