Curators’ introduction: Samurai

Join the exhibition curators Rosina Buckland and Joe Nickols as they discuss the context, scope, themes and highlight objects of this sweeping exhibition.
 
The samurai is an iconic figure, evoking images of formidable fighters possessing ideals of courage, honour and self-sacrifice. Yet much of what we think we know about samurai is invented tradition.
 
The modern mythology of the ‘samurai’ emerged gradually across the 20th century through interactions between Japan and the wider world, with idealised images of the historical warriors increasingly consumed by foreign visitors.
 
This talk will offer a candid look at the real men and women whom we know as samurai, from the battlefields of medieval Japan to the global pop culture of today.
 
Photo: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), Takeda Shingen from Famous Warriors at the Battle of Kawanakajima. Colour woodblock print, 1845–6. Photo © 2025 The Trustees of the British Museum.