Rosina Buckland - Böcker

Explores the reality and myths of the samurai from medieval times to today’s popular cultureThe figure of the samurai is unique in its global intelligibility, read both as a symbol of Japan and as a universal icon of the virtuous and fearless warrior. While the term is now common worldwide, there is little understanding of the historical reality, or of the wide variety of ways in which the stereotype has been used over time. This is the first book to explore the centuries-long trajectory of the samurai through objects from international collections. It discusses the warrior class’s historical origins in the medieval period’s civil wars and stories they told of their own achievements. With the establishment of peace, the samurai became an official class fulfilling a bureaucratic role. The ideal of the medieval warrior took on legendary status. Although the samurai social class was abolished in 1876, with the full opening of Japan to international visitors, the concept of the samurai was packaged for foreign tourists and repurposed as a model for the modern soldier in a period of military conflict and colonial expansion. The image of the samurai has been interpreted and reimagined in Japan and across the world in myriad ways. Discussions of national myth and global samurai bring the story up to the present day through a selection of films, television shows, manga, anime, video games, and more.

The word ‘samurai’ stands for ideals of courage, honour, self-sacrifice and loyalty. Yet much of the common understanding is imaginative fiction. This book explores the concept from medieval reality, through early modern changes, to today’s hugely varied popular culture, challenging preconceptions and exploding myths.The figure of the samurai is unique in its global intelligibility, read both as a symbol of Japan and as a universal icon of the virtuous and fearless warrior.Published to accompany a major exhibition at the British Museum, this is the first book to explore the centuries-long trajectory of the samurai through objects from international collections. It discusses the historical origins of the samurai warrior class in the civil wars of the medieval period and examines the stories they told of their own achievements. From the early 1600s, with the establishment of peace, the samurai became an official class fulfilling a bureaucratic role. The ideal of the medieval warrior took on legendary status, leading to endless representations in popular culture of past examples of heroic valour. As the highest social class, samurai were consumers of deluxe products and their tastes set the standard for the rest of society. Political tensions intensified during the 1850s, culminating in civil war in 1868 and the abolition of the samurai social class in 1876. With the full opening of Japan to international visitors, the concept of the samurai was packaged for foreign tourists and repurposed to provide a model for the modern soldier in a period of military conflict and colonial expansion. The image of the samurai has been interpreted and reimagined in Japan and across the world in myriad ways. Discussions of national myth and global samurai bring the story up to the present day through a broad selection of films, television shows, manga, anime, video games and much more.