12. Collection of Items from Japan and Korea

13 * Japanese Kazukas - Kazuka is a small handle, which was kept in a pocket on the rear side of the scabbard of the largest sword, and constitutes part of the sword's equipment.  The Kazukas in the Museum's collection date from the 19th century C.E. and are made from compounds of various metals casted with tin and lead, copper and silver, copper and tin, and brass; all of them are decorated with reliefs in diverse patterns, including plants, animals, dragons, some of which are coated with silver or gold. 

14 * "Noh" Mask – Nowadays the most familiar Japanese masks are those used during dances, in the theater, at festivals and Shinto and Buddhist religious ceremonies. Many masks were brought to Japan from Asia together with Buddhism. The masks were carved in the form of human beings, deities, demons, ghosts, or legendary creatures, all in accordance with the ceremonies and performances, in which they were used.  They were created from clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper or wood.  The manner in which the masks were prepared changed very little during the past five hundred years.   

15 * The Haniva are terracotta clay figures that were made for ritual use and buried with the dead as funerary objects during the Kofun period (3rd to 6th centuries AD). The statues were not placed in the grave but always upon and around it.  The statues were designed with a free hand and naively, while their forms were condensed, and their limbs were implied and not realistic at all. The faces had many expressions but were reduced in size 

During the next sentries more images were founded: warriors, hunters, dancers, animals, birds as well as models of buildings.   

16* Ceramic Vessels – The Museum's collection include a kind of plate-tray, which was handmade by Ogata Kanzen, who is one of Japan's outstanding ceramicists. He specialized in poetry, "Noh" theater, calligraphy, painting, Zen philosophy and tea-drinking ceremonies.  In 1699 when Ogata Kanzen worked as a potter in Kyoto he began to make vessels for tea-drinking ceremonies, and decorated them with paintings of plants. As he was also a calligraphy artist, his lines excel in their vitality, momentum and their brevity, bordering on the abstract. When painting he uses solutions of iron oxides on a background of white angobe combined with grayish blue and black colors.
   

17. Korean ceramics – Similarly to all the other art forms the ceramics were also influenced to a large extent by Chinese ceramics. In the 12th century the Korean potters' developed designs and style, which reflected those of the indigenous population and thereby distanced themselves from the Chinese influence. In Chinese writings from that same period, documents praising and exalting this style of Korean vessels can be found as they have a radiating brilliance similar to jade  The design is delicate and a large proportion of the vessels are decorated by painting flowers, leaves, delicate birds, twigs, in a brighter shade than the color of the glaze - a kind of bright green (almost white), under the glaze, or also by carving under the glaze, all of which makes the decoration darker under the glaze and more prominently (prominent) 

18*  Calligraphy Scrolls –(in the far east) The written word as well as how it is written with  the brush have a visual and energetic force. This is indeed a creation of the spirit: The stroke of the brush expresses the spirit of the artist who instils life in the drawn line.  This is the means of expression to deliver a message, a sense and a feeling.  Therefore, calligraphy and painting in the far East constitute a direct continuation of "the art of life" and serves as a tool for attaining self-control on the one hand as opposed to emancipation and spontaneity on the other hand. Constant practice leads to perfect control of the brush as though it was part of the trainee's body and soul.  The harmony, "wa" in Japanese, is the principle on which writing with ink and a brush is based.  There is a spiritual and meditative dimension to the actual practicing and in the far East this idea is referred to as: "The way is more important than the result". 

19* The print made from wood cuttings was widespread throughout Japan and those who practiced this craft reached a high art level. They succeeded in carving with the finest lines in diverse styles, spectacular prints (on thin paper, mostly rice or berries, which they produced themselves).  The Museum's collection includes several wood cuttings as well as experimental print pages, and additional color paintings. 

20* Japanese Bronze Mirrors from the 18th and 19th centuries and Korean mirrors from the 9th to the 19th centuries. These mirrors were used in a similar fashion to the way they were used in China.  All were made by casting with models in relief on them, and some were more prominent than others. The motifs are the same featuring decorations of plants, mysterious creatures, landscape pictures and in addition, there are also geometric patterns; some of these patterns were in the form of a complete circle while others appear as flowers with 6-8 petals, symbolizing the cosmological belief, while other patterns are square. 

•Additionally, the collection also includes ornaments, brooches, combs, boxes, and swords.