Today's print edition

The exhibition, set to run until May 4, showcases some 280 items collected in and outside Britain, including those from the museum’s own collection.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); });

Visitors can see armor sent from Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, as a gift to King James I of England, along with swords, kabuto helmets, folding screens and woodblock prints.

Armor sent from Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, as a gift to King James I of England, displayed in London on Friday | JIJI

The exhibition also shows samurai’s influence on modern culture, such as "Star Wars" villain Darth Vader.

Rosina Buckland, curator of the museum’s Japanese collections, said that it is “the first exhibition to range beyond the presentation of spectacular military equipment and sophisticated artworks” and “interrogate” the mythologization of samurai.

She said that “the word ‘samurai’ conjures up an image of formidable warriors,” indicating that the general public’s knowledge of samurai is based on misunderstanding, invented traditions or partial understanding.

The image of samurai common around the world is “a man in armor holding a weapon,” but Buckland said that “women formed half” of the samurai military class. She has spotlighted samurai women, who played roles different from those of men.

She also said that idealizing samurai “helped to legitimize the continuing superior social status of the samurai,” adding that Japan used the spirit of Bushido, or the samurai code, in propaganda during World War II.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.

Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ

広告出稿に関するおといあわせはこちらまで