Detail: This will be the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the arts of the samurai. Arms and armour will be the principal focus, bringing together the finest examples of armor, swords and sword mountings, archery equipment and firearms, equestrian equipment, banners, surcoats and related accessories of rank such as fans and batons. Drawn entirely from public and private collections in Japan, the majority of objects date from the rise of the samurai in the late Heian period to the early modern Edo period. The martial skills and daily life of the samurai, their governing lords, the daimyo, and the ruling shoguns will also be evoked through the presence of painted scrolls and screens depicting battles and martial sports, castles, and portraits of individual warriors. The exhibition will conclude with a related exhibition documenting the recent restoration in Japan of a selection of arms and armor from the MetropolitanMuseum's permanent collection. This will be the first exhibition ever devoted to the subject of Japanese arms and armor conservation. The exhibition is made possible by The Yomiuri Shimbun.