Samurai is one of those words that vibrates with mystique and excitement. And suggestions of oceans of blood. But it’s a long peacetime period that is at the heart of this exhibition. From the 1330s to around 1868 a samurai class headed up by a shogunate ruled over Japan, and during this relatively stable period, they turned their attention from slaughter to art and intellectual life and displays of wealth and prestige, which centred around legends of the original samurai. This set the tone for a poring over of samurai culture that still exists today.
In fact, it’s bigger than ever, particularly among the young (something the closest equivalent, the Western has never managed). Anime and manga are global phenomena, with last year’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle becoming the fifth highest grossing film at the box office, putting Marvel’s films to shame. Demon Slayer is a supernatural manga/anime but is firmly rooted in samurai style, values and katana-wielding action. Meanwhile Shogun on Disney+ was a spectacular award-winning epic based on James Cleverley’s novel, depicting the intrigue and violence around the establishing of the first shogunate.
