Lords of the Samurai

by Woodson, Yoko

• ISBN13: 9780939117468
• ISBN10: 0939117460
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-06-24
• Publisher: Asian Art Museum of San

Summary

Samurai means ohe who serves,o and these fierce warriors acted in the service of powerful feudal lords known as daimyo. Among the most important daimyo families were members of the Hosokawa clan, whose lineage dates back some six hundred years. Lords of the Samuraiilluminates the private and public lives of the daimyo by focusing on approximately 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, the Kumamoto Castle and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects discussed include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, tea ware, lacquer ware, masks and musical instruments. Featuring an extended essay by Thomas Cleary,Lords of the Samurailays bare the principles that governed the spirit of the samurai, enabling it to endure for hundreds of years and continue to resonate today.

Author Biography

Thomas Cleary's many books and translations include Opening the Dragon Gate by Chen Kaiguo and Zhen Shunchao, The Story of Chinese Zen by Nan Huai-Chin and The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, as well as Code of the Samurai and Soul of the Samurai. He lives in Oakland, CA.

Yoko Woodson's books include Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection and Honolulu Academy of Arts and Zen: Painting and Calligraphy, 17th-20th centuries. She is curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Preface by Morihiro Hosokawa, the former prime minister of Japan. He is also a widely exhibited potter and special consultant to the Japan Times.