Samurai to the Imperial Court: Japanese Metalwork at the Dallas Museum of Art

 

Dragon King Presenting a Jewel to Fujiwara no Hidesato, 1879-1881, Japan, bronze and rock crystal, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.11.FA

 
 

Samurai to the Imperial Court

Japanese Metalwork

March 29, 2026 — September 6, 2026

 

Marvel at the artistry and beauty of Japan’s metalworking tradition across five centuries in Samurai to the Imperial Court: Japanese Metalwork. Through more than 90 works of art drawn from the DMA’s significant holdings and other leading collections, including The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, Dallas, Samurai to the Imperial Court celebrates the technical mastery, innovative spirit, and aesthetic brilliance of Japanese metal artists. From samurai arms and armor to imperial court commissions, from luminous enameled vessels to sculptures of fantastical animals and figures, this exhibition showcases a dazzling array of objects shaped by centuries of imagination and craftsmanship.

Samurai to the Imperial Court: Japanese Metalwork is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art. The Dallas Museum of Art is supported, in part, by generous DMA Members and donors, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the citizens of Dallas through the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture. 

 
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Exhibition Highlights

 

Armor (Haramaki Gusoku) with War Fan (Gunsen), Helmet by Masanobu, 18th century, iron, gold, lacquer, lacing, shakudō, leather, boar hair, silver and washi (paper), wood, The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, Dallas, Photo by Brad Flowers

Iron Kettle, 15th century, iron, The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, Dallas, Photo by Michel Gurfinkel

Namikawa Sosuke, Tray with Pigeons, about 1895-1900, enamel, gold wire, silver wire, and cloisonne, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.22.FA

Norihisa, Articulated Figure of a Spiny Lobster, 1870, iron, Private Collection, Photography courtesy of Gavin Ashworth

Dragon King Presenting a Jewel to Fujiwara no Hidesato, 1879-1881, Japan, bronze and rock crystal, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.11.FA

Komai Company, Charger with Central Panel of Daruma Scowling and Holding His Head in His Hands, about 1880, iron and gold, Private Collection, Photography courtesy of Gavin Ashworth

Hirayama Kantei, Phoenix, about 1900, silver, gold, copper, and shakudō, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.13.FA

Okamura Sugaji, Sake Fountain, about 1825-1850, bronze, tin, gold, silver, shibuichi, and shakudo, Private Collection, Photography courtesy of Julia Featheringill

Sato Kazuhide, Pair of Imperial Presentation Vases, about 1900, silver and gold, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.14.1-2.FA

Hattori Tadasaburō, Vase with Yatsude (Fatsia Japonica), about 1912-1920, enamel and silver, Private Collection, Image courtesy of Bonhams & Butterfields, London, Photography by Steve Gyurina

Jitsumei, Vase, about 1895, shakudō, gold, and enamel, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, The John R. Young Collection, gift of M. Frances and John R. Young, 1993.86.12.FA

 
News 16Editorial TeamArt of the Ancestors, Steven G. Alpert, Asian Art, Island Southeast Asian Art, Oceanic Art, Asiatica, Ethnographica, Ethnographic Art, Art Collection, Fine Art, Primitive Art, Indonesian Art, Tribal Art, Eyes of the Ancestors, Dr. Reimar Schefold