A Brief History of Samurai Armor
Learn about samurai armor by exploring artworks in the Asian Art Museum's collection.
Learn about samurai armor by exploring artworks in the Asian Art Museum's collection.
A guardian king, Heian period (794–1185), approx. 900–1000. Japan. Wood. The Avery Brundage Collection, B67S1.
Andrea Horbinski of the UC Berkeley History–Social Science Project, gives a talk to teachers at the Japan Teacher Institute at the Asian Art Museum on Japanese history, folktales, anime, and more.
A True Picture of the Steamship Powhatan; A Ship Generally Called a Steam Frigate..., from the Black Ship Scroll, Edo period (1615-1868); approx. 1854. Japan. Handscroll segment mounted as a hanging scroll; ink and colors on paper. Museum purchase with assistance from the Japan Society of Northern California, 2012.60.2.
Abbreviated Map of All the World's Nations, approx. 1800-1850. Japan. Woodblock print; ink on paper. Gift to honor the Reverend Hodo Tobase, 2010.452.
Warning: Contains explicit language. Join influential playwright Philip Kan Gotanda to get the inside scoop on the ideas and inspirations behind his groundbreaking body of work, including his play, After the War Blues.
Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Liz Nichols, tells a Japanese story about Amaterasu, the sun goddess, in the museum's Japan galleries.
America: Depiction of an American Ship and Portraits of the First Ambassador Perry and the Deputy Ambassador Adams, by, Shinsei (Japanese, 1850's), 1854. Ink and colors on paper. Bequest of Marshall Dill, F2001.23.1.
America: Van Reed (Amerika koku, Uen riito) from Picture of the Residence of a Foreign Merchant in Yokohama (Yokohama torai isho juka no zu), by Hashimoto Sadahide (Japanese (1807-1873)), 1861. Ink and colors on paper. Fred M. and Nancy Livingston Levin, The Shenson Foundation in memory of Ben and A. Jess Shenson, 2006.7.
Buddhism has deeply influenced the character and evolution of Asian civilization over the past 2,500 years. It is based on the teachings of a historical figure, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived around the fifth century BCE. As it moved across Asia, Buddhism absorbed indigenous beliefs and incorporated a wide range of imagery, both local and foreign, into its art and religious practices. Buddhism continues to evolve as a religion in many parts of the world.