Description
This saddle was likely owned by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598), a samurai warlord renowned as one of the “Three Unifiers of Japan.” Using lacquer and gold dust, a master artisan decorated the surface with reeds, a popular motif in Japanese arts and crafts. Large silver rivets, now tarnished, create the illusion of morning dew on the leaves.
Data source
ColBase
"ColBase: Integrated Collections Database of the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan" is a service that enables a multi-database search of the collections in the four national museums (To...
Contents holder/Provider
Aggregator
National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
The National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH) comprise four National Museums (Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, and Kyushu National Museum) and two National Research Institutes for Cultural Properties (Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), as well as the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI) in Sakai City, for a total of seven institutions.
Last updated
July 20, 2026