A stone lantern stood alone in the mossy Ryusenen Garden

The Sano Art Museum is located in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The museum houses a collection of Japanese swords, ceramics, bronzes, and other arts and crafts. The museum is particularly famous for its collection of Japanese swords, of which the museum has five Important Cultural Properties and one National Treasure. When I visited the Japanese swords on display, I found that the blades were as shiny as those in the treasure halls of other museums, shrines, and temples. Even though the swords were made hundreds of years ago, they still look as if they could cut through a piece of paper. Of course, this is probably due to the fact that the swords have been cared for for a long time, but the swords seem to retain the same shine as when they were made, even though the swordsmith who made them and the owner who ordered them are both no longer with us today.

There are many works of art that are hundreds of years old, but most of them have been damaged over time, and many of them have been restored. White porcelain vessels that were once pure white have become a bit dull, and even some paintings have faded. Considering these circumstances, Japanese swords seen at the museum, whether made 500 years ago or 800 years ago, are so shiny that one wonders if this is the meaning of eternity. The Ryusen-en garden next to the museum was beautiful, but compared to the swords that have been shining for hundreds of years, it looked like a mere child's play.

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