The elegance of Hosokawa: Tradition of a Samurai Family

Members of the Daimyo Hosokawa family served the shogun during the Muromachi Period (1333–1568) as samurai. But the Hosokawa achieved fame not only for their success as warriors. As patrons of the arts and artists across the centuries, they enlarged and cared for an exclusive art collection that is the subject of this exquisite volume. Through the patronage and collecting documented here, the Hosokawa name came to stand not only for military achievements but also for its support of famous poets, scholars, and artists, with a particular focus on No theater and the tea ceremony.

Continuing the family tradition, Hosokawa Morihiro, a former prime minister of Japan, has devoted himself since his retirement from politics to the creation of tea ceramics and calligraphy. Through reproductions of some eighty-five magnificent objects, including weapons, splendid armor, China-ink drawings and paintings, ceramics and lacquer work, and theater masks and costumes, this volume reveals the glittering panorama of a samurai family with traditions of both martial elitism and artistry.