Podcast Summary: New Books Network

Episode: "Samurai" (British Museum, 2025) with Dr. Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch
Release Date: February 7, 2026
Host: Nathan Hobson (with co-host Ron Zwigenberg)
Guests: Dr. Rosina Buckland (British Museum), Oleg Benesch (University of York)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode delves into the newly released exhibition catalog Samurai (British Museum Press, 2026), co-authored by Rosina Buckland and Oleg Benesch. The episode explores the richly illustrated book accompanying the major British Museum exhibition, which challenges and contextualizes the layered myths, cultural histories, and global trajectories of the samurai. More than an exhibition guide, the book (and conversation) reveal how the samurai's image has been constructed, contested, and reimagined from the medieval period to global pop culture today.

Key Discussion Points

1. Origins & Conception of the Exhibition and Book

Timestamps: 03:02 – 05:58

• Genesis: Dr. Buckland conceived the project to present both samurai history and imagery, initially inspired by museum armor collections ("It started right at the beginning as the idea was Six and a Half Samurai." – Buckland, 04:54).
• Expanding Scope: Oleg Benesch joined after connecting at an academic conference. The project evolved to move beyond just military equipment, reflecting Buckland’s focus on visual culture, prints, and paintings, and Benesch’s work on bushidō and castles.

2. Interplay Between Image and Reality

Timestamps: 05:58 – 12:06

• Multimedia Approach: The exhibition and book use both three-dimensional artifacts and 2D material (prints, paintings) to illustrate the shifting myth and reality of the samurai.
• Motivation: Buckland: "There’s a lot more to samurai history than...the image of the male warrior holding a sword..." (06:25)
• Critical Thinking: Encouraging visitors to "be more critical themselves, that they won’t receive this imagery, take it at face value, believe everything that it’s projecting." (07:16)
• Self-Representation and Diplomacy: Examples like the armor sent by Tokugawa Hidetada to King James I (10:18), demonstrating how objects serve as both reality and self-fashioned image.
• Pop Culture Influence: The visual connection between samurai armor and Darth Vader is intentionally highlighted in the exhibition.

3. Global Connections and Invented Traditions

Timestamps: 12:51 – 15:26

• Armour and Function: Not all armor had a battlefield purpose; in the Tokugawa period, much became more symbolic or decorative.
• Ceremonial Meanings: Battles and rituals (e.g., donning armor as a coming-of-age) shaped the evolution of real and symbolic samurai display.

4. Modern and Global Samurai Identities

Timestamps: 16:58 – 26:47

• Rehabilitation of Samurai: The samurai image was rejected post-Meiji Restoration but revived as a symbol after the 1890s, especially post-Russo-Japanese War (16:58).
• Global Pop Icon: "I think in 1905-1910, if you mention the word Bushido to just about anyone in the world, they will know what you’re talking about..." – Benesch, 18:25
• Language and Concept: The term 'samurai' in Japanese has shifted, now often written in katakana to signal its status as a "foreign" or globalized icon (21:01–24:13).

5. Popular Culture and Samurai Controversies

Timestamps: 25:21 – 30:05

• Representation in Games and Film: Controversies around diverse depictions of samurai, such as in the Assassin’s Creed franchise featuring an African warrior and a woman ninja.
• Cultural Politics: These pop culture representations can ignite debates about historical accuracy and identity—"the samurai is this kind of global property almost." (26:47)
• Japanese Reception of Global Samurai Media: The Last Samurai (accepted); 47 Ronin (rejected)—illustrates varied transnational responses depending on alignment with Japanese popular images.

6. Historical Emergence of the Samurai Class

Timestamps: 30:52 – 36:20

• Rise of Samurai: "There have been warriors from pre-history...by the 1100s you’ve really got very powerful clans exerting power..." – Buckland (30:52)
• Birth of Shogunate: The Genpei Wars (1180s) and the establishment of the Kamakura Bakufu mark the beginning of samurai as a governing force, which still had to court legitimacy from the imperial system.

7. Medieval Warfare: Reality vs Myth

Timestamps: 36:20 – 42:11

• Myth of Noble Warriors: The samurai image projects loyalty and honor, but reality included economic motivations: "the battlefield can be a place to earn a living..." – Buckland (37:18)
• Material Reality: Brutal, often opportunistic warfare—including head-taking for rewards and warriors switching sides.
• Objects and Combat: Earlier periods focused on archery and polearms rather than the overemphasized sword.

8. Weapons and Status: Beyond the Sword

Timestamps: 42:11 – 47:46

• Actual Weapons Used: "The primary combat technique was the bow and arrow..." – Buckland (42:11); swords more symbolic, polearms central to actual warfare.
• Swords as Status Symbol: Swords’ prominence, especially as a badge of status in the peaceful Tokugawa era, led to their later mythic centrality.

9. The Power of Imagery: From Prints to Performance

Timestamps: 51:19 – 63:29

• Women as Samurai: Highlighted by both historical accounts and Edo-period legend—women’s crucial household and sometimes martial roles in samurai society (51:19–54:29).
• Print Culture, Literature, Theater: Edo period commercial culture fueled the samurai mythos—books, prints, kabuki theater all expanded and solidified the collective imagination.
• Performance of Samurai Ideals: Legends (like the 47 Ronin) and their representations shaped and even caused real events (like Mishima Yukio’s actions); the samurai’s mythic behavior often reflected back onto real individuals.

10. Samurai and Style: Identity and Distinction

Timestamps: 63:29 – 64:26

• Visual Prestige: Armor, dress, hairstyle, and accessories were crucial for signaling status and differentiating samurai from other classes, especially as military roles receded in peacetime.

11. Curatorial and Research Collaboration

Timestamps: 64:26 – 68:53

• Research Project: The book features columns from over 20 international scholars, presenting new research and perspectives, including global appropriations of the samurai figure (65:10).
• Brutality and Beauty: The team aimed to address not just the stylish side of samurai, but also their brutality—e.g. colonial violence in Korea, as explored in Nam-lin Hur’s essay.
• Challenging Nostalgic Narratives: Reflection on representations of samurai in war (like the Satsuma Rebellion) and how such images take shape during and after events.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Critical Thinking and Image:
  "We should all be studying this [semiotics] in grade school... Fundamental to going out into society and being a thoughtful person, critical in some sense, self aware." – Dr. Rosina Buckland, 07:28

• On the Enduring Appeal of the Samurai
  "All of that is feeding on, you know, these many layers of kind of...reinterpretation from, you know, the last 150 years and beyond." – Oleg Benesch, 19:39

• On Reimagining Samurai in Popular Culture
  "The samurai is this kind of global property almost. Anyone can kind of come in and create kind of samurai content." – Oleg Benesch, 26:56

• On Women’s Roles in Samurai Society
  "Half of that class is composed of women... These women are playing an equally important role in society." – Dr. Rosina Buckland, 52:36

• On the Nature of Samurai Representation
  "The status as warrior is inversely important to your actual fighting experience...it's even more important to present yourself as a warrior or to assert your status as a warrior." – Dr. Rosina Buckland, 59:20

• On Style and Status
  "Hashtag samurai looks maxing. Yeah, definitely. It's very much about image because as I said, your status is everything in Edo period society." – Dr. Rosina Buckland, 63:29

• On Research Collaboration
  "There’s a lot of brutality here. And this is one. And not just within Japan, but going out as well. And so we really want to talk about those things..." – Oleg Benesch, 66:03

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction of Guests and Exhibition: 01:05 – 02:35
• Origins & Conception of the Project: 03:02 – 05:58
• Image vs. Reality & Pop Culture: 10:18 – 12:06
• Post-Meiji and Global Samurai: 16:58 – 21:01
• Samurai in Video Games and Film: 25:21 – 30:05
• Origins of Samurai Class: 30:52 – 34:50
• Samurai Warfare Reality: 37:18 – 40:12
• Weapons: Bows, Polearms, Swords: 42:11 – 47:46
• Women and the Samurai Class: 51:19 – 56:14
• Prints, Theatre, Performance: 61:43
• Style and Identity: 63:29
• Research and Collaboration: 65:10 – 68:53

Additional Highlights

• Online Database: Buckland encourages listeners to explore the British Museum’s database for high-resolution images to appreciate object details (51:19).
• Academic Columns: The catalog features columns by leading scholars on topics like samurai violence in Korea and media mythmaking, aiming to confront both the "cool" and the "cruel" aspects.
• Last Samurai Film: Benesch reflects that the film, often critiqued by historians, may accurately capture the nostalgic view of samurai present in late-19th-century Japanese society (68:13).

Conclusion

This episode offers a nuanced, critical, yet accessible investigation of how samurai have been created, admired, and contested—both in Japanese history and global imagination. The conversation moves fluidly from material artifacts, social realities, and gender, to broad debates about culture, meaning, and representation. Visitors are encouraged to consult both the exhibition and catalog, and to think deeply about the images and narratives surrounding this iconic figure.