The World of Edo Dandyism

The average samurai didn't see much swordfighting action during the long peace of the Edo era, while most well-off warriors hardly ever needed to draw their blade in earnest. This fortuitous state of affairs gave birth to more than a little vanity among the weapon-carrying class, with elaborately decorated swords, mountings and other equipment coming into vogue. Designed to express the changing seasons or the owner's status and sophistication, these intricate symbols of 'dandyism' can be viewed at the Nezu Museum's early-summer exhibit, which showcases around 100 swords, sword fittings, inro medicine cases and netsuke toggles representing 'samurai chic'.