Pioneering British Museum display challenges samurai myths | British Museum

A pioneering samurai exhibition that promises to challenge “everything we think we know about Japan’s warrior elite” and spans a millennium of myth and reality, is set to open at the British Museum next year.

The blockbuster Samurai-themed show will reveal a world beyond armor-clad warriors and epic duels, as popularized by the noble, katana-wielding heroes of Akira Kurosawa’s classic action films and hit PlayStation video games.

Many samurai myths – including even the word “samurai” – were invented long after their heyday, a modern phenomenon associated with mass media and popular culture.

The exhibition, which will open in February, will show that samurai women, far from being the worship of male warriors, were literate, governed and even fought.

Rosina Buckland, the exhibition’s lead curator, told The Guardian: “This is the first exhibition to deal with mythology. Most of the previous exhibitions have been about ‘boys’ toys’, as I sometimes call them, in some way – weapons.”

“There have also been exhibitions, especially in Japan, about samurai arts. But this is trying to say that there is a lot that is misunderstood and based on mythology.”

She noted that the British Museum had previously organized two exhibitions on samurai swords, and said: “Swords are important, but they are by no means the whole story. So this will be much larger than what has been attempted before…

“What I want to address in the exhibition is the way in which the perception of the samurai has become limited to this male warrior wearing armor and carrying a sword.

“This is a small part of what they were like over hundreds of years. They were warriors first, but there was a balance between the military and the literary and the artistic. So that’s a big part of the story.”

“Rediscovering the history of the female samurai reframes centuries of gender mythology and challenges the hyper-masculine image of the samurai that still dominates films, anime, and games,” she added.

Samurai emerged in the 19th century as mercenaries for the imperial court. They were formidable and fearsome warriors during the Middle Ages.

They gained political dominance from the 12th century, and during a long era of peace from 1615, they became government officials, scholars, and patrons of the arts. By the late 19th century, their hereditary status was abolished as Japan modernized itself.

The exhibition will feature more than 280 objects, many of which have never been seen in the UK before. It will also draw on the British Museum’s private collection – one of the largest outside Japan – whose holdings are considered too sensitive to be on permanent display.

In addition to weapons and armour, there will be paintings, woodblock prints, books, clothing and ceramics.

“Because the samurai were elite, the best things were made for them,” Buckland said. “The different types of clothing worn by samurai men and women set them apart from other classes in society. Most importantly, men were allowed to wear two swords.”

Exhibits that can be viewed for the first time include a stunning suit of armor recently acquired by the British Museum. Its helmet and gold standard, shaped like iris leaves and covered in gold leaf, made its wearer distinctive and fearsome.

Such suits have been recycled over the centuries, with sturdy parts reused from those inherited from previous generations and more delicate parts such as silk sleeves remade, among other elements, Buckland said. Even away from the battlefield, a suit of armor was a status symbol.

In one of these galleries, the oldest part dates from 1519, while other details are given in the early 19th century.

The exhibition will reflect how samurai enjoyed centuries of peace and had ample time to pursue their artistic and intellectual interests. The paintings range from a cute cat depicted by a samurai’s wife to botanical studies.

There is also a fire jacket that women wore while serving inside Edo Castle. Fires were so common in the wooden city of Edo—now Tokyo—that fires were known as “Edo Flowers,” and this jacket’s watercolor motif of anchors and tasseled waves evokes protection from flames. Senior samurai were responsible for sounding the alarm and supervising firefighting and evacuations.

Buckland said the word “samurai” is increasingly being used in Japan, but only because foreigners use it: “It’s hard to find out when foreigners started using it. It was a long time ago.”

“But there are other words in Japanese that mean warrior or member of the military class. Literally, samurai means something like ‘subordinate.’ In fact, it has a quite pejorative meaning, which is why it has never been used in Japanese before.”

“In early times, the word for warrior was musha, and in later times when samurai were in charge of everything, they were called bushi.”

Buckland noted that the Japanese imported some Western perceptions “because it is good for the tourism industry.”

She added: “I went to a hotel last year and was greeted by three virtual receptionists, Godzilla, a geisha – and a samurai warrior.”