Thanks for the feed back.
Did anyone get a chance to attend this? I wonder how extreme the koshirae was in the Edo period.
"In the relatively stable era of the Edo period (1603-1867), elaborately designed swords and Koshirae (sword-mountings) emerged outside of those designs officially determined. These swords and mountings became crafted rather, according to the preference of the owner which allowed for freedom from convention. Developed as special personal items reflecting their owner's social class, financial strength, and education, they also incorporated a sense of the four seasons. Elaborate, elegant and spectacular blade patterns were preferred, swords becoming more decorative items that were embellished with dragons or stylized sword patterns etc.
Koshirae (sword-mountings) are composed of the tsuka (a handle), menuki (ornaments on the tsuka), tsuba (a hand guard), kozuka (a decorative handle fitting), kogai (a small knife-like object that was inserted into the hilt of Japanese sword), and saya (a wooden scabbard). These parts incorporate a diversity of themes such as seasonal plants, animals or themes related to historical events, and the subtlety of how they are combined is one fascinating aspect of appreciating Japanese swords. These accouterments and scabbards are exquisitely made with superb metal carving, gold lacquering, and mother-of-pearl craftsmanship; masterpieces on a tiny ‘canvas’.
A man’s personal items such as the inro (a case for holding small objects) and netsuke (miniature carving attached to the end of a cord hanging from a pouch) were also crafted decoratively. Inro and netsuke of innovative, original design were crafted with abundant use of precious materials such as gold, silver, gems, and ivory representing the owner's fancies in an essential way.
In this exhibition, on display are approximately 100 items selected from the museum collection; a collection renowned for its variety of gorgeous koshirae and accouterments dating from the end of the Edo through to the Meiji period.