Japan

The exhibit devoted to the traditional culture of the Japanese features collections of instruments of agriculture and fishing, tools and items to make silk. Models of traditional housing give an idea on the functionality and aesthetics of the Japanese home. 

Works by Japanese craftsmen are widely represented. It is impossible not to value the subtle taste and perfection of work by craftsmen who created items from lacquer and bronze, bone and wood, ceramics and porcelain. The domestic functions of these items are harmoniously combined with elegance and laconism of decor. 

There are interesting items for the traditional festivals of boys and girls, examples of traditional clothing, tea ceremony attributes, masks and other attributes of the Japanese theatre (Noh, Kabuki, Kagura), and items of the main religions of Japan – Shintoism and Buddhism. 

The collection of old armour and samurai swords is of great value. The weapons of the 18^th-19^th century are richly adorned. 

There are also collections on the culture of the Ainu, the descendents of the ancient people of the Japanese archipelago, a people who can still be found today on the island of Hokkaido. Items collected in the late 19^th-early 20^th century reveal various sides of the traditional way of life of this people. Scholarly discussions on the origin of the language, culture and anthropological type of the Ainu’s continue to this day.