After our trek through the park, we realized that we had a full day. We met the local celebrity (Panda) and saw the local temple and shrine. We decided to cap the day by broadening our horizons at the National Museum.
This turned out to be a special trip to the Museum. The National Museum in Ueno's regular exhibits are spectacular and extensive in itself. The buildings that comprise the National Museum are of marvelous western architecture. Roaming their regular exhibits can last a day or longer as it is easy to get yourself lost in the many treasures.
However, we were fortunate to be able to see the Dai Tokugawa Ten. This is a special exhibit that for the first time brought together the treasures of the Tokugawa family from various private and public collections from around Japan. Awesome, this word does not do this exhibit justice.
We saw the armor worn by the Shogun from various periods. They ranged from silk and leather to western influenced chain mail. The sword collection was spectacular The detail and quality of the swords on display were breathtaking.
Being in the exhibit sent a chill through my body as I realized that what I was seeing were things that were over 500 years old.
We saw a scroll of the ten commandments translated in Japanese. We saw many great Chinese works on scroll.
There was also an impressive display of NOH masks and kimono used by the shogun to entertain guests. These were over 300 years old but preserved to look almost new. The robes were made of silk.
Check out the National Museum website for more details.
The exhibit is from October 10 to December 2, 2007. Note that the museum closes early.
This is a major exhibition. As such, there are literally hundreds of people viewing. The rooms are crowded. We learned that the best time to go is early morning or at lunch. Do not go in the afternoon, we were dodging people.
http://www.tnm.jp/en/guide/index.html
There is also a special website www.daitokugawa.com it is only in Japanese.
Definitely worth seeing It is a once in a lifetime event.
My friends being fans of the Tokugawa shogunate as they were raised watching KIKU's jidaigeki and Japanese movies were left impressed.
I got a discount with my grutto pass.
Sorry, no cameras were allowed in the exibit.
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