My Visit to Japanese American National Museum - Essay Example

The museum is a place legally set aside to conserve historical and cultural objects like buildings, clothing, and weapons. In addition, museums provide educational and inquiry services related to such items. Japanese American National museum, located in the western region of Los Angeles, links the Japanese American's ancestral way of life to the overall American history as a way of appreciating the diversity in American culture.

I was amused by how tiny personal effects like small knives were tucked into the garment’s sleeves which are made to slip below the sash (obi), or kept in some hanging vessels called sagemono. It was amazing how ‘netsuke’, which sounds like ‘nets-keh’, was incorporated as toggles in the garments to ensure the vessels carrying the personal effects was balanced. I learned the ancient Japanese valued tobacco as the pouches were also part of the garment. The carvings were accurate and smooth, and all details were portrayed. For instance, one could easily perceive that the hanging containers were balanced. Some objects made of wood or coral and looking looked like animals were kept together with the garment carvings.

I learnt that the animal carvings portrayed the shapes of the initial garments learned before netsuke. Japanese civilization is the act of the ancient Japanese leaving their traditional ways of life in terms of education, clothing, and socioeconomic activities to adopt the western kind of living. This began in the 19th century when foreigners were allowed to move to Japan to do some trade, during which ancient Japan was under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The western rulers forced the Japanese to enter into an agreement that granted them more powers in terms of economy and law.

Since all foreign offenses were to be tried in western counties, it limited the powers of the Japanese. The Japanese adopted the western political system where the emperor never ruled alone but accepted opinions or advice from other groups. In ancient rule, the emperor gave direct unquestionable orders. Uniting armies from different domains and having common training also symbolized civilization. Payment of taxes shifted from giving out rice to paying money to the government.

This was used in nation-building by both the samurai and the commoners, unlike before when taxes were paid by only commoners. Change in clothing occurred when the government demanded a common mode of clothes among both the samurai and the Japanese who were always half naked. The samurai had to abandon wearing their swords (Slade 29-52). Not all groups were for the civilization more so the samurai who lost their power as the government adopted the civilized life; however, they were wiped out in 1877 by the western-trained government army who were equipped with guns while samurai stuck to their traditional swords.

The paintings and carvings of the traditional samurai swords and those of the modern guns were in the museum enabling complete understanding of the traditional and civilization conflict in ancient Japan.