Sep 1, 2025
Cicada Helmet (Kawari-kabuto)
Japan, Edo / Tokugawa Period (1615-1868)
Iron, gold, papier-mâché, lacquer, silk, textile
Samurai Museum, Berlin
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Bosnia & Herzegovina
seen from Mexico
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Germany
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Netherlands
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Poland
seen from Spain
seen from Latvia
seen from Germany
Cicada Helmet (Kawari-kabuto)
Japan, Edo / Tokugawa Period (1615-1868)
Iron, gold, papier-mâché, lacquer, silk, textile
Samurai Museum, Berlin
Gunbai
The uchiwa gunbai was a war fan carried by high-ranking military leaders and generals during battle to communicate commands on battlefield. However since they were made from tougher materials like iron or hardwood they could withstand the blows of swords and arrows and were actually used as a weapon as well. One of known user of gunbai was Takeda Shingen, whom used it to fight in the fourth battle of Kawanakajima against daimyo Uesugi Kenshin. As he did not have time to grab a sword, he used his gunbai to fend off the enemy forcing him to retreat. Supposedly he managed to land number of blows with it.
Many of them were decorated with family crests as well as dragons, sun, moon and constellations, sanskrit characters and quotations from Sun Tzu's 'the Art of War.' Also they are still used in present day in sumo wrestling by referees.
source: Berlin Samurai museum
Found these on my boyfriend's phone. Pics from when we visited the Samurai Museum. God, I miss Japan.... But I miss my boyfriend more because I won't be seeing him for two weeks. 😭 (ugh. When have I become so clingy? 🙄) anyway...
Aren't they gorgeous?
Making my way down the Shinjuku streets, I found my next exciting adventure: The Samurai Museum. This place was quite interesting and was extra nice because a tour guide came with you while you went through the museum. That way, you could understand a lot more of the history and also get to temporarily wield a samurai sword. I’ve always been quite fascinated by samurai culture and really enjoyed hearing about the differences in dress and headpieces, and a much clearer distinction between the relationship of samurais and ninjas. Plus I always enjoy wandering around Shinjuku so I would highly recommend taking a journey over there if you have the time.
Berlin's new Samurai Museum kind of appeared out of nowhere, but it turns out it's actually legit.. and very good. It's built from a private collection, and every item feels hand-selected with deep love for detail and genuine respect for Japanese craft. I probably spent one hour with the sword guards alone (tsuba; it's its own art form). Also appreciated the well-placed interactive bits and the many Inari messengers 🦊 It honestly rivals some museums in Japan..
So cool
Prismz talks about japanese pop culture before being trapped in a tiny enclosure forever
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