Jidai: Timeless Works of Samurai Art*

Jidai: Timeless Works of Samurai Art: Museum Exhibited Swords, Fittings and Related Weaponry

This is the catalog created for the display that was on view at JANM in 2015. Contains full-color photography and a history of the collection and its contents.

Curated by Michael Yamasaki, Gary Yoshino, and Darin S. Furukawa.

Jidai looks at the weaponry and armor of the samurai—Japan’s elite warrior class. Assembled from collections in the greater Los Angeles area, Jidai features rare and historically significant samurai artifacts dating as far back as the Kamakura Period (AD 1185–1333) in Japan.

The swords, armor, and other traditional tools and vestments of the samurai have been prized and collected for centuries in Japan. This was continued in the United States by Japanese immigrants and other collectors. At the end of World War II, an estimated three million swords left Japan in the hands of veterans. Sword collecting soon became highly popular in the Japanese American community. In the 1960s, a group of Nikkei enthusiasts in Los Angeles established Nihon Token Hozon Kai, the first club in America dedicated to the study, celebration, and preservation of the Japanese sword. Numerous organizations subsequently emerged throughout the country, connecting and educating new generations of samurai artifact enthusiasts.

Paper: 80 pp.

* No additional discounts on sale items. All sales final.