Catalogue
The fully illustrated
catalogue Lords of the Samurai: The Legacy of a Daimyo
Family published by the Asian Art Museum, includes a preface by Hosokawa Morihiro,
chairman of the Eisei-Bunko Museum and former prime minister
of Japan; essays by Dr. Yoko Woodson, curator of Japanese
art at the Asian Art Museum; Takeuchi Jun’ichi, director of
the Eisei-Bunko Museum; Asian Art Museum director of Education
Deborah Clearwaters; and scholar Thomas Cleary; as well as
contributions by Abe Junko, Miyake Hidekazu, Melissa M. Rinne,
Jennifer Chen, and Natasha Reichle.
Samurai means “he who serves,” and these fierce warriors acted in the service of powerful lords known as daimyo. Among the most important daimyo families was the Hosokawa clan. By focusing on 166 objects from the Hosokawa family collection—including suits of armor, armaments, formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea wares, lacquer wares, masks, musical instruments, and more—Lords of the Samurai illuminates the private and public lives of these gentlemen-warriors who led Japan in battle and in peace for hundreds of years.
The catalogue will be available by the end of May 2009. It may be ordered from the Asian Art Museum store ($30 softcover, $45 hardcover). To order, call (415) 581-3600 or email shop@asianart.org
240 pp., 9 x 12 in., approx. 250 color illustrations, bibliography, index
