Am I Cultured Yet!?!

The Victoria and Albert Museum was awesome to see although, I would say it was my least favorite out of all of the museums that we have been to so far. There were displays from all over the world such as Middle Eastern exhibits, Japanese, and Greek exhibits. Obviously at a place like this you are going to see quite a bit of cultural fusion. Although they are very different you can see quite a bit of cultural fusion in Japanese and Chinese culture. A lot of the history and stories portrayed were similar on the pottery and armor and you could see similarities in the delicate features of their pottery and artwork. Both cultures are focused around the family and honor is the ultimate judgment of one’s social and moral fabric. There are extreme voids between social castes and this can be seen through examining the extreme poverty that characterized the lower class and the immense wealth and power of high class families and individuals. Both cultures also took immense pride in their military power. These cultures emphasize discipline and this can be seen in the images of samurai in Japan and other warriors such as the ninjas of China. 

                Besides the cultural fusion I noticed a great deal of artistic expression in not just the art but also the creations of each culture. These creations could and are sometimes considered an alternative form of artwork themselves. One such example of this that I thought was so amazing was the armor and weaponry of the Samuri. Having been around the culture all my life and having been to Tokyo really gave me an appreciation for the Japanese exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Something that I thought was very cool was all of the different katanas and in particular the hand guards that were on each sword. Each hand guard was different and unique. There were different patterns and symbols on each guard that meant something different. Each of these hilts told a story or something about the individual and their family that owned this sword. Many of these swords were passed from generation to generation so people really took pride in creating pieces of art out of these weapons. Besides the weapons the armor was also very unique and could be an array of colors. This exhibit was just one example of the blood, sweat and tears that goes in to creating this art that the English have so kindly collected for our entertainment and viewing pleasure.