Samurai Armour & Katana.

[Dave_Holden]

I just got back from a flying visit to London. In between business I nipped into the British Museum and took a look at the Japanese Empire items from early 1500s to 1800s.

The Samurai Armour & Katana are not strictly belonging to this forum, but hey its just a first post to open things up.

The armour has a thick breast plate that was added after the Portuguese arrived with gun-powder and lead balls. The plate helped, but of course at long range the Samurai were killed easily. At close range the skilled Samurai were lethal.

The Katana was incredibly beautiful - the blade like a long thing razor. This type of blade would cut silk if a floated down onto it without force. Sword-smith Sukesada from the Bizen province, Western Japan.

I have other things to post latter.

Cheers Dave.

[David]

Nice post Dave :thumbsup: Japanese arms and armour is a fascinating subject.
I had the pleasure of spending a day at the British Museum, some years ago. Great museum with some fantastic bits and pieces you just don't see on this side of the hemisphere. I could spend years in there looking around :thumbsup:

[Dave_Holden]

Thanks David - yes its a great museum, but I had little time to explore. I just went for the Japanese items so as to get this forum open :thumbsup:

[pepe le pew]

We went to a house in the Cotswolds called Snowshill, it contains one mans collection, He basically collected anything that was of quality construction. One room contained all Samurai armour which is so impressive that I believe the British Museum have visited it for reference purposes. I snapped away like a good un until I late found out that you`re not supposed to use flash photography, but it was too late by then.
The mans collection was so big that he had to move out of the main house and into an out building.
I would thoroughly recommend a visit if you are in the area.
The interesting thing is that virtually all the items he collected are foreign but he never left the country (if memeory serves).
If I can sort out the photos I`ll post them up but they are on my wife`s camera along with several thousand others. :roll:

Here`s a link to the house.
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/snowshi ... and-garden

[muckaroon1960]

Charles Pagett Wade born 1883 was the last private owner of Snowshill. In 1911 he inherited his fathers sugar cane business and after his service in the first world war he bought Snowshill in 1919 and renovated it. He filled it with such a big collection he eventually lived in one of the smaller out buildings. In 1951 he gave Snowshill to the National Trust having since WW2 been married and moved to St Kitts in the Caribbean. He died in 1956 whilst visiting England and is buried in Snowshill Churchyard.

I'm not that far from Snowshill and when I need inspiration for the collecting bug I sometimes pay a visit and every time I go there I find something different. A Mecca for all you collectors out there... :thumbsup: