Look at the picture. What do you think they are? (for larger view click here) Hint ... samurai warrior.
This is a picture of iron sword guards. They are exhibited at Kiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum in Kyoto. Have a close look at them, and find out their elaborate designs and how fashionable samurai warriors were to the detail!
Duration: ~2011.2.20
Time:10:00-17:00(enter before 16:30)
Admission: Adults 500yen, Students (with ID) 300yen, Children(6-12 years old) 200yen, Children under 5 years old are free
Access : click here
~from the exhibition's poster~
Iron sword guards are made by poring melting iron into molds ... that is what many people think. Not true for most of them. Iron sword guards making is much like that of sword blades, formed through numerous heating and hammering. Hardened guard bodies are then sculpted using chisels and hammers.
Sculpting a hardened iron takes a great endeavour. It would take a few weeks to make one iron sword guard, one to two months if the design requires fine, detailed sculpting. Iron sword guards with relief are marvelous iron sculptures.
Enjoy this exhibition, and do remember while enjoying the difficulty and perseverance of sculpting hardened irons.
~~
Sue
-NARAWALK guide
No comments:
Post a Comment