Armor, Swords, and Sword Fittings: A Mitsumura Collection Digest

FinishedReservation Required

In 1909, Kaichirō Nezu, Sr., purchased an entire collection of more than three thousand swords and sword fittings, without having even seen the actual objects. While he was not interested in swords, he acquired the collection because it had been assembled with great care: it was the collection of Toshimo Mitsumura, an entrepreneur (also known as Ryūshidō; 1877-1955).

Mitsumura had begun this collection when he purchased a real set of armor, and a sword, to celebrate the first Boy's Day for his eldest son, Toshiyuki. That event occurred in 1897 when Mitsumura was twenty. Amazingly enough, he then went on to build his collection in just a decade. The result was a group of works of extraordinary value, both in terms of their quality and their significance as reference materials.

This exhibition presents a selection from the 1200 objects in this category in our collection, including, for the first time, armor. We hope that it will be an opportunity to learn about Mitsumura's support for the art of metalwork, which went far beyond his being a sword and armor collector.

Schedule

Sep 2 (Sat) 2023-Oct 15 (Sun) 2023

Reservation Required