The Way of the Samurai

The exhibition "The Way of the Samurai. From the collection of the State Museum of History" is dedicated to the works of Japanese master gunsmiths and presents examples of weapons of Japanese warriors from the Edo period (1603-1868), the time of the shogunate - the rule of the Tokugawa military aristocracy, when Japanese culture was formed as it was discovered by Europeans. This is the culture of the knightly military elite, based on the loyalty of the vassals to the head of their clan-the culture of the samurai. 

It was during the Edo period (1600-1867) that the concept of "samurai" in its modern meaning appears - and refers to an armed warrior. The word "samurai" itself consists of a single character and has no counterpart in European languages. During the Heian period (794-1185), the period in which the main cultural traditions of Japan were formed, this word was used to denote the occupation, but not always to refer to an armed bodyguard. It was during this period, marked by the gradual weakening of imperial power and the outbreak of long internecine wars known as the Taira and Minamoto clan wars, that a new military caste of samurai began to form. The word "samurai" is a distorted version of the verb saburau - "to be in the service of a nobleman. 

In Japan, weapons manufacture has always occupied an important place; no country in the world has such a developed tradition of sword veneration as Japan. The efforts of blacksmiths, polishers, jewelers, and bone carvers have created objects that, while maintaining their functionality, are true works of art, preserving the collective creative experience of outstanding master gunsmiths. The exhibition demonstrates the diversity of traditional forms and types of Japanese weapons and their distinctive features. It shows weaponry tradition not only as part of the military household, but also as iconic artistic objects, unique monuments of arts and crafts, reflecting the aesthetics and philosophy of Japanese culture.

The exhibition presents the protective armor of the samurai - armor homeuruThe most important of these are the traditional types of bladed weapons such as katana, tachi, wakizashi, tanto and their frames designed in the style of various schools, as well as examples of firearms and throwing weapons made during the Edo period (1603-1868). 

One of the most striking exhibits is the blade of master Hidekage from the province of Bijen, who worked at the end of the Muromachi period (15th century), as evidenced by the inscription on the sheath made by Honami Koson (1879-1955), the founder of modern Japanese sword expertise.