Armor and Swords at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

[cchu518]

I wasn't sure if everyone on the board has or would have the chance to visit NYC but this is one of my favorite sections of the museum as a kid and still today.

I was going to get a bagel and the store closed (it was one of my favorite places, I guess that's what happens as you get old) so the Met was close enough to get to during my lunchbreak relative to where the bagel shop was. Sorry for some of the bad photos as I tried to run through the armor section in under an hour.

The complete album folder is here. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151940217183399.1073741831.792813398&type=1&l=e3eed04579



Here's some teaser photos let me know what you think.

 

[Chris Meyer]

I checked out your linked photos. Very cool, thanks for posting. It's a PITA trying to get photos through glass displays, isn't it?

I notice that one of your images shows a Japanese type sword tang (I'm not up on the correct terms) with Western lettering. Anybody know what's up with that? It's not something I have seen before. The lettering appears to read "Pyhrr Ogawa". There's another name under it, but I can't make it out.

 

[cchu518]

I found it! Take a peek below. The swordsmith is contemporary!
http://metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/27697

This sword blade was made by the contemporary master swordsmith Gassan Sadatoshi, in cooperation with his son Ichiro. The staff members of the Arms and Armor Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art named in the inscription (Stuart Phyrr, Morhiro Ogawa, Donald LaRocca, and Robert Carroll) also participated in the initial forging of the blade during a visit to Mr. Gassan's workshop in Nara, Japan.

Inscription: Inscribed (obverse): Yamato–no–kuni–no Ju Gassan, Sadatoshi Chakushi Ichiro; (back): Heisei–Jurokunen–Gogatsu–Kichijitsu, (reverse): Aizuchi–Pyhrr–Ogawa–LaRocca–Carrol

 

[Chris Meyer]

Thanks for the update. I guess it pays to be on the staff of the Arms and Armor Dept at the museum!