The Last Samurai

Another photo (one of many!) from my dad and I's trip to the amazing Glenbow Museum in downtown Calgary on Friday; here you can see traditional and beautifully ornate late 19th century Japanese Samurai armour.

This part of the museum, and this stunning set of antique armour in particular, has always been one of my very favorite exhibits in the museum; I have always been keenly interested in samurais, samurai culture, and Bushido, and this amazing exhibit exemplifies all those things!

I also believe that this whole exhibit and how it is posed is symbolic of the era and times it represents; the era of the samurai was coming to an end, to be replaced by modern culture and values, there were many old, displaced samurais who had no purpose anymore, and the fact that the armour displays an aged visage in the mask and the fact that it is sitting down, as if weary and in need of a rest, seems to display all that!

Many samurais enjoyed composing poetry, especially haikus, the traditional Japanese poetry style of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, respectively, so here is one I composed myself in honor of this regal old samurai.

Tired samurai,
Please lay down your weary swords,
History moves on.

Flickr page for this photo.

Visit the Eye for Science Flickr group.

Get the "Eye for Science" widget here and install it on your own blog. Spread the scienticity!

Like this image? Want it for your smartphone wallpaper?
Use this QR Code to load it on your smartphone and enjoy!