The Japanese Collection - Swords

As a result of Denys Bower’s lifelong interest in Japanese swords Chiddingstone Castle has an exquisite collection, an important selection of which are on display.  Denys's love of swords was inspired by his father and in a diary entitled "Childhood Collecting Preferences", Denys quoted his grandfather speaking to his father in about 1895 as saying: "There must be no more of this silly sword business".  But his grandfather evidently relented, and Denys's father amassed a large collection of the swords from different countries.  His collecting inspired Denys and there started his collection.

The collection demonstrates a wide variety of types of swords and sword fittings, collected not necessarily for their quality, or maker, but based on Denys's aesthetic taste and interest - a trait that is found across all of the collections at Chiddingstone.  As well as swords made specifically for fighting, the collection has examples of blades and fittings made during the Edo period (1603-1867), a time of relative peace in Japan which followed centuries of civil war and unrest.  As weaponry and armour were not in such high demand at this time, sword smiths and armourers had time to create more elaborate and decorative pieces.  There are also examples of sword fittings in the collection made specifically for the export market which are not necessarily in Japanese style or taste.

Japanese swords are designed to be dismantled easily, so while some of the blades date back as far as the 13th century, some of their current fittings (koshirae) may have been manufactured and added hundreds of years later.  This is very common as Japanese blades are incredibly durable and flexible, therefore long outlasting their fittings.

Conservation of the swords is still taken very seriously and traditional methods of cleaning and restoration are being used here at the Castle.