New Books in East Asian Studies Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch, "Samurai" (British Museum, 2025)
Feb 7, 2026
Oleg Benesch, a historian of samurai, and Rosina Buckland, British Museum curator of Japanese collections, discuss how samurai imagery evolved from medieval warriors to global pop culture icons. They explore museum curation, visual culture, myths versus reality, diplomacy and display, gendered roles, and controversies over representation in games and media.
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Image And Object Shape Samurai Identity
- The exhibition blends three-dimensional objects and mass-produced images to reveal how samurai identity is both made and marketed.
- Rosina Buckland argues visual culture is essential to understanding samurai history, not merely decorative accompaniment.
Look Critically At Samurai Imagery
- Visitors should question samurai imagery and not accept romanticized portrayals at face value.
- Rosina Buckland says learning semiotics helps viewers detect how images manipulate perception.
Samurai As A Diverse Social Category
- The samurai is more than armed fighters; it includes bureaucrats, women, and children across history.
- Oleg Benesch stresses broadening the definition beyond the postwar male warrior stereotype.
