A collection of centuries-old Japanese military artifacts will open to the public Wednesday in Tulsa.
The Philbrook Museum of Art’s latest exhibition features the armor of samurai warriors spanning almost nine centuries.
Japanese samurai were the country’s medieval elite, often practicing the arts alongside their military lifestyle. Their armor sets, including for horses, are detailed with ornamentation.
“We’ve not had a show like this in decades,” said Philbrook’s Interim Executive Director Megan Nesbit. “We really jumped on the opportunity to bring this cultural triumph to Tulsa.”
The collection is borrowed from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum in Dallas, the largest private collection of samurai armor outside of Japan.
“We have the small museum in Dallas… people are always quite surprised to find it and see the Japanese armor collection there,” said Jessica Beasley, the Barbier-Mueller Museum’s director.
“To be able to bring it here to Tulsa is just another wonderful opportunity to share these objects.”
Philbrook’s exhibit houses almost 80 pieces of armor, some fully assembled.
It also includes an analysis of samurai in popular culture, including Hollywood movies and television cartoons.
Philbrook’s Native Art Curator, Kalyn Fay Barnoski, said there are overlapping aspects of samurai warrior culture and historical warrior culture of many Indigenous communities.
“There’s so many intersections between Native culture and Native warrior culture alongside the samurai warrior culture,” Barnoski said. “To find those intersections and break down these barriers between cultures, especially right now, is so important for all of us.”
The exhibit at Philbrook opens to the public on March 12.
--
We must note, the Philbrook Museum of Art and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, a sponsor of the exhibit, are both supporters of Public Radio Tulsa. Neither had any say in the reporting of this story.
