The Sengoku Period – A Century of Dreams

An era of great turmoil that saw the decline of the Muromachi shogunate and the rise of regional warlords all across the country, Japan's Sengoku Period (1454-1573) was also a time of progress – particularly in politics and the traditional arts. This was when legendary samurai like Saito Dosan, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga emerged as major players, consolidating the territories of their respective domains while encouraging the practice of arts like classical painting, architecture and the tea ceremony. This exhibit shines a light on the lives of both these great warriors and their subjects by looking at art, documents and objects depicting battles, commanders, dramatic events and common people in Sengoku Japan. Should be an interesting one for history buffs – just make sure to catch the exhibition before it moves on to Kyoto and Yamagata later in winter.