Samurai: Japanese Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection

[GeneChing]

Samurai: Japanese Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection. October 19, 2014 - February 1, 2015

Travel back in time and discover remarkable objects that illuminate the life, culture, and pageantry of the samurai, the revered and feared warriors of Japan. The Samurai Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, one of the finest and most comprehensive collections in the world, presents a treasure trove of battle gear made for high-ranking warriors and daimyo (provincial governors) of the 14th through 19th centuries. The exhibition illustrates the evolution of samurai equipment through the centuries, featuring more than 140 objects of warrior regalia, with full suits of armor, helmets and face guards, weapons, horse trappings, and other battle gear.

During the centuries covered by the exhibition, warfare evolved from combat between small bands of equestrian archers to the clash of vast armies of infantry and cavalry equipped with swords, spears, and even matchlock guns. Arms and armor were needed in unprecedented quantities, and craftsmen responded with an astonishingly varied array of armor that was both functional and visually spectacular, a celebration of the warrior’s prowess. Even after 1615, when the Tokugawa military dictatorship brought an end to battle, samurai families continued to commission splendid arms and armor for ceremonial purposes. Because the social rank, income, and prestige of a samurai family were strictly determined by the battlefield valor of their ancestors, armor became ever more sumptuous as the embodiment of an elite warrior family’s heritage.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue, Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection, with essays by leading Japanese samurai armor experts. Buy the catalogue.

Join now and see it free, or reserve a ticket.

Organized by The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas

Tengu tōsei gusoku armor

Kiyotoshi, Munekiyo, Ryūsuiken, Japan, Late Edo period, 1854, © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photography: Brad Flowers.

Bummer. I can't make it down to LACMA this week. Wish i had heard of this sooner.

[GeneChing]

SAMURAI
ARMOR FROM THE ANN AND GABRIEL BARBIER-MUELLER COLLECTION
On View through June 5, 2016


Nimaitachidō tōsei gusoku armor. Attributed: Myōchin Yoshimichi (helmet bowl); Myōchin Munenori (armor). Muromachi period, ca. 1400 (helmet bowl); mid Edo period, 18th century (armor). Iron, shakudō, lacing, silver, wood, gold, brocade, fur, bronze, brass, leather. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo: Brad Flowers.


Eboshi kabuto (eboshi-shaped helmet) and menpō (half mask). Late Muromachi to Momoyama period, late 16th century. Iron, gold lacquer, bronze, horn, horsehair. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo: Brad Flowers.


Sōmen (full-face mask). Signed: Hōei shichi kanoetora reki hachigatsu kichinichi Bukō ni oite Myōchin Munenaga nijūhachisai kore saku (made by Myōchin Ki no Munenaga at the age of twenty-eight on an auspicious day of the eighth month of Hōei [1710] in Edo). Edo period, 1710. Iron. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo: Brad Flowers.


Yokohagidō tōsei gusoku armor. Nanbokuchō period, 1336-1392 (helmet); mid-Edo period, 18th century (suit). Iron, shakudō, gold and silver lacquer, lacing, leather, bronze, wood, silk, brocade, bear fur. © The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Photo: Brad Flowers.

Hamilton Building - Level 2
Ticketed with member discount.
For tickets, purchase online or call 720-913-0130.
The exhibition Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection tells the iconic story of Japanese samurai through 140 objects from one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of samurai armor and accoutrements in the world.

Surrounded by murals and war regalia, visitors will be immersed in the life, culture, and pageantry of samurai in the 1100s through the 1800s. Exquisitely decorated suits of armor, helmets, weapons, horse trappings, and additional battle gear are on display, demonstrating masterful craftsmanship. Samurai highlights the artistic inspiration for these elaborate suits of armor.

The exhibition is curated in collaboration with the Denver Art Museum and The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, Dallas. An exhibition catalog, Art of Armor: Samurai Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection, is available in The Shops and online.

Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection is organized by The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas. Local support is provided by the generous donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine, CBS4, Comcast Spotlight, and The Denver Post.

I can't think of an excuse to go to Denver before this closes.

[GeneChing]

Cardboard armor

Awesome craft project alert: Cardboard samurai armor kits from Japan!
Casey Baseel 11 hours ago



With both adult and kid sizes available, samurai of all ages will be ready for cardboard battle.

Since you can never be sure of when ninja are going to suddenly try to assassinate you, investing in some samurai-style armor is always a sound decision. But if you’ve priced sets of lamellar at your local blacksmith recently, you know that such stylish protection can cost you a pretty penny.

Thankfully, there’s now a more affordable option: cardboard samurai armor from Tokyo-based paper products company Showa Note.



Two sets are on offer, one modeled after the crimson armor of historical samurai Sanada Yukimura and the other after daimyo Date Masamune’s, complete with crescent moon-shaped helmet ornament. The suits provide extensive coverage of the arms and legs, and even include mustache-equipped face plates.

Because of their cardboard construction, no hammering or smelting is required. Instead, the pieces are held together with plastic brackets, with assembly taking about 90 minutes, giving you a manageable craft project to work on while waiting for your spies to report back about the Takeda Clan’s latest troop movements.

▼ Prefect for fans of Japanese history and the Sengoku Basara anime/video game franchise alike!



The sets seen above will fit would-be samurai between 150 and 180 centimeters (59 and 71 inches) in height, and are priced at 2,980 yen (US$28). If you’re planning to take your kids with you on your next invasion of a neighboring fief, Showa Note also has a kids size (100-120 centimeters) which sells for just 2,480 yen.



However, be aware that it will become much more difficult to scare your kid into being careful about poking his eye out once he discovers how awesome he looks with an eye patch.

Follow Casey on Twitter to keep up on all the must-know information for samurai on a tight budget.

Source: IT Media
Top image: Showa Note
Insert images: Showa Note (1, 2) (edited by RocketNews24)

[sanjuro_ronin]

Works of art AND functional.
What martial arts are all about.