British Museum to Unveil Major Samurai Exhibition Separating Myth from Reality

The British Museum is set to challenge everything you think you know about samurai with a groundbreaking new exhibition opening next February.

Samurai, running from February 3 to May 4, 2026, will be the first major exhibition to explore how the legendary image of Japan’s warrior class was created, fabricated, and adapted over the past 1,000 years—both within Japan and around the world.

While armour-clad warriors, epic duels, and strict codes of honour dominate popular imagination, much of what is commonly understood about the samurai is actually myth. This exhibition traces the evolution of these remarkable figures from medieval Japan to modern video games, revealing how their story spans a millennium of both reality and carefully constructed legend.

The exhibition brings together around 280 objects and digital media from the British Museum’s collection and 29 national and international lenders. Visitors will discover that the samurai—known in Japan as musha or bushi—were far more complex than popular culture suggests.

While they gained political dominance through warfare from the 1100s, during a long era of peace beginning in 1615, the samurai moved away from battlefields to serve as government officials, scholars, and arts patrons. Surprisingly, women made up half of the samurai class. By the late 19th century, their hereditary status had been abolished, and the myth of bushidō—promoting patriotism and self-sacrifice—was deliberately promoted.

Beyond Swords and Armour

The exhibition goes far beyond traditional arms and armour displays, presenting paintings, woodblock prints, books, clothing, ceramics, photographs, and examples of film, television, manga, video games, and contemporary art, including newly commissioned works by celebrated Japanese artist Noguchi Tetsuya.

Among the highlights is an exquisite suit of samurai armour newly acquired by the Museum, featuring a prestigious helmet and golden standard shaped like iris leaves, designed to make the wearer both identifiable and fearsome.

A striking vermilion red firefighting jacket and hood, on loan from the John C. Weber Collection, was worn by women serving within Edo Castle. Fires were so common in wooden Edo (present-day Tokyo) that they were known as the “flowers of Edo,” and this jacket’s watery motifs of tasselled anchors and waves evoke protection against flames.

East Meets West

The exhibition explores fascinating moments of cross-cultural exchange. A rare portrait by Domenico Tintoretto depicts 13-year-old samurai Itō Mancio, who led an embassy to the Vatican in 1582—Japan’s first diplomatic mission to Europe following the arrival of Christianity through Portuguese traders and missionaries in 1545.

Another intriguing piece shows Henry of Bourbon, Count of Bardi, who while visiting Japan in 1889 commissioned a portrait of himself as a Japanese warrior. His fascination captures the 19th-century Western idealisation of the samurai at a time when their world was rapidly disappearing.

Modern Legacy

The samurai’s influence extends into contemporary culture through fashion, film, and gaming. The exhibition includes a Louis Vuitton outfit inspired by Japanese armour and references popular video games including Assassin’s Creed: Shadows (2025) and Nioh 3 (2026)—the latter launching just three days after the exhibition opens.

Dr Rosina Buckland, Asahi Shimbun Curator of Japanese Collections, said: “The samurai dominated Japan’s history for centuries, but the reality of their lives was often quite different from popular understanding. This is the first exhibition to interrogate the myth, right through to the present day.”

British Museum Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan OBE added: “The samurai have long captured the imagination of people around the world, yet much of what we think we know about them is shaped by myth and legend. This exhibition allows visitors to explore the real lives of these remarkable men and women.”

Samurai will run in The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery at the British Museum from February 3 to May 4, 2026. The Museum is open Saturday to Thursday 10:00–17:00, and Friday 10:00–20:30. Early bird tickets are available from £17, with under-16s free when accompanied by a paying adult. Students can take advantage of 2-for-1 tickets on Fridays.

For more information, visit britishmuseum.org/samurai.