A major new exhibition opening at the British Museum next year will challenge widespread misconceptions about samurai, revealing how the legendary warriors’ image has been shaped by centuries of myth-making.
Samurai, opening February 3, 2026, marks the first exhibition to comprehensively explore how the iconic image of Japan’s warrior class was created and adapted over 1,000 years—often diverging dramatically from historical reality.
“The samurai dominated Japan’s history for centuries, but the reality of their lives was often quite different from popular understanding,” said Dr Rosina Buckland, the museum’s curator of Japanese collections. “This is the first exhibition to interrogate the myth, right through to the present day.”
The exhibition features around 280 objects spanning medieval Japan to modern pop culture, including armour, paintings, clothing, photographs, video games, and contemporary art. Many items will be displayed in the UK for the first time.
Women Warriors and Government Officials
Among the exhibition’s revelations: women made up half of the samurai class, and these warriors spent much of their history away from battlefields entirely.
While the samurai gained political power through warfare starting in the 1100s, a long peace beginning in 1615 transformed their role. They became government officials, scholars, and arts patrons rather than fighters.
One striking exhibit is a vermilion firefighting jacket and hood worn by women serving in Edo Castle (in present-day Tokyo), where fires were so frequent they were called the “flowers of Edo.”
By the late 1800s, the samurai’s hereditary status was abolished, and the myth of bushidō—emphasizing patriotism and self-sacrifice—was deliberately promoted, creating much of the romanticized image that persists today.
Global Fascination
The exhibition traces how samurai imagery spread globally through cultural exchange. One portrait shows a 13-year-old samurai named Itō Mancio who led Japan’s first diplomatic mission to the Vatican in 1582.
Another depicts Henry of Bourbon, a European count who commissioned a portrait of himself dressed as a Japanese warrior during an 1889 visit to Japan, capturing Western fascination with samurai culture just as it was disappearing.
The samurai’s influence continues today through fashion, film, and gaming. The exhibition includes a Louis Vuitton outfit inspired by Japanese armour and references video games like Assassin’s Creed: Shadows and Nioh 3, the latter releasing just days after the exhibition opens.
“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,” said British Museum Director Dr Nicholas Cullinan. “This exhibition allows visitors to explore the real lives of these remarkable men and women.”
Samurai runs from February 3 through May 4, 2026, at the British Museum in London. Tickets start at £17, with free admission for under-16s accompanied by adults.
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