" Tokaido "
The Journey of a Shogun

After more than 100 years of war, the Tokugawa Era (1603-1868) marked the beginning of more than 250 years of peace under shogun rule. The brilliant and ruthless administration combined with the rigid seclusion of the country allowed for the flowering of Japan’s culture in an unprecedented way. During this time the warrior or samurai class were made an exclusive and privileged class. At the top of this class was the Shogun himself.

During peacetime, the purpose of the samurai class was to serve as a model for the rest of society. For a Shogun, it was not enough to understand moral behavior; he must put it into action to be truly moral. A Shogun would serve as a model of cultural, moral, and intellectual development; in particular, the Shogun would exemplify a devotion to duties (giri) and unswerving loyalty. The moral life of the Shogun would center on the obligations he had made to his country; his life would be one of temperance, self-sacrifice, high discipline, and fearlessness, particularly fearlessness in the face of death. In addition to these qualities he would cultivate intellectual, cultural, and political arts.

Tokaido literally means “Eastern Sea Road”. It was the road between the old imperial capital, Kyoto, and the capital of the shoguns, Edo (Tokyo), and it was the main road of feudal Japan. A geisha would have used this road to travel to Edo to entertain her powerful patron. A Shogun would have traversed this road to convene with his Yoshiwara bijin.

This ceremonial piece attempts to embody the grandeur and strength antipified by the 17th century Shogun. The centerpiece is representational of the “Dō” or breastplate of the samurai battle-gear. It is made of individual leather kozane or scales. During the mid 17th century battle-gear was changing, small scales laced together were very expensive because of the enormous work required in the lacing. It would have only been used by high nobles. Surrounding the Dō are unprocessed leather cut into squares and individual hand sewn together forming a part of the Kote or sleeves. The other part of the Kote is made from brocade silk. High nobles, again only wore the color scarlet. In the early Tokugawa period there was an emulation of Chinese culture. Thus, the brocade has a pattern with kanji script called “love story stones” and embellished with ancient Chinese coins. The coins are believed to be for good luck. At the edges of the piece there are two Hussu or fly whisk. Hussu are Buddhist auspicious symbols and in ancient Japan were used to signify authority and honor. High-ranking samurai would have only carried Hussu. (84in x 79in)