A New British Museum Exhibition Peels Back the Layers of the Samurai Myth
Jimmy Chen | The Collector | 12th January 2026
This exhibition illustrates the inseparability of art and culture. Samurai emerged as a warrior class in the protracted feudal conflicts of Japan’s 12th century. Once peace was established in 1615, samurai moved into administrative or academic roles and were expected to support the arts and be attentive to religious matters. A significant proportion were women. Codes of honour are mostly myths arising from avid Western interest. If all this sounds like far away history, consider this name – Darth Vader.