Our curator will be giving tours of the Castle’s Japanese Room focused on the collection which includes samurai arms and armour, lacquerware, ancient tomb figures, and articulated animals or jizai okimono.

The collection belonged to the last private owner of the Castle, Denys Eyre Bower (1905 – 1977). He bought all of his Japanese objects at auction in the UK. It was Denys’ lifelong dream to be able to visit Japan. He was only able to do so once for a short holiday towards the end of his life, having sold some of his Japanese swords to fund the trip.

The tours on 8 April will be aimed at families – fun, interactive, and perfect for the Easter holidays.

The 26 April tours will be aimed at visitors interested in Japanese art, history and culture, and will explore the story of the collection and its original context in the history of Japan.

The tours are included in the normal price of entry to the Castle (£9.50 for adults, £4.50 for children 5 – 13, free for children under 5).