| Since the opening of the museum, one of our great concerns has been the acquisition of a proper selection of clothes, fabrics, ornamental hairpins and other items intimately related to women's fashion. Concerning Japanese textiles, the museum houses not only ornate kimono and Noh drama costumes, but also indigenous products, such as kogin embroidery from the Tsugaru district and Okinawa bingata-dyed fabric. The collection of hairdressing articles, such as combs, ornamental hairpins and related documents, are based on smaller collections which were assembled shortly after the opening of the museum. In the area of metalwork, the Ashiya ironware kettle and the Tenmyo ironware kettle, used in the tea ceremony, are noted for their artistic value. Also noteworthy are the wine bottles frequently used by the common people, and the armour and weapons that embodied the aesthetic sense of the samurai who lived in the Momoyama and Edo periods. Among these the red lacquered, blue stringed coat of mail (reportedly worn by Toyotomi Hidetsugu), is outstanding. |
