The British Museum has announced a major 2026 exhibition titled "Samurai" that will trace the 1,000-year history of Japan's warrior class. Spanning armor, woodblock prints, paintings, clothing, ceramics, and contemporary media, the show brings together 280 objects from the museum's own collection and international lenders. Highlights include a 17th-century suit of armor recently acquired by the museum, a portrait of envoy Mancio Itō by Domenico Tintoretto, and works by Katsushika Hokusai. The exhibition also examines the modern myth of the samurai as shaped by film, manga, and video games such as Akira Kurosawa's movies and Assassin's Creed: Shadows.
This exhibition matters because it is the first to critically interrogate the samurai myth rather than simply celebrate it, revealing the gap between popular imagination and historical reality. By including women samurai, the political and administrative roles of the warrior class during peacetime, and the modern reinvention of bushidō, the show offers a nuanced, revisionist perspective on a globally iconic figure. It also highlights the British Museum's ongoing commitment to presenting Japanese cultural history through a scholarly, object-rich lens.