Samurai

The warrior class and the centuries it ruled: armour and castles, the Sengoku wars and the unification, the shogunates, sumo and the martial arts, and the long afterlife of bushido, much of which was written down in 1900, well after the last samurai.

Part of Japan

34 moments in this segment.

1. 1300 - Armor (Yoroi) of Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358), a second example by Unknown. Armor (<i>Yoroi</i>), early 14th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
2. 1300 - Armor (Yoroi) of Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358). Armor (<i>Yoroi</i>), early, mid-14th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
3. 1325 - Helmet of Ashikaga Takauji (1305–1358). Helmet, mid-14th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
4. 1501 - Armor (Gusoku), a third example by Saotome Ietada. Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), 16th and 18th centuries, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
5. 1501 - Arrowhead (Yanone). Arrowhead (<i>Yanone</i>), 16th, 19th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
6. 1501 - Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto). Helmet (<i>Zukinnari kabuto</i>), 16th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
7. 1501 - Armor (Gusoku). Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), 16th and 18th centuries, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
8. 1550 - Armor (Nimai-Dō Gusoku) with Box. Armor (<i>Nimai-Dō Gusoku</i>) with box, late 16th, early 17th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
9. 1573 - Portrait of a Warrior. Hanging scroll, late 16th century, Japan, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
10. 1590 - Mask (Ho-ate) with Gorget. 1615–1868, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
11. 1600 - Mounting for a Slung Sword (Itomaki-tachi Koshirae) with Storage Box. Mounting for a slung sword (<i>Itomaki-tachi Koshirae</i>) with storage box, ca. 1615–1868; storage box, ca. 1932, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
12. 1601 - Helmet in the Shape of a Crouching Rabbit. 17th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
13. 1601 - Armor (Gusoku), example 4 by Yukinoshita Sadaiyé. Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), 17th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
14. 1645 - Ceremonial Arrowhead (Yanone). Ceremonial arrowhead (<i>Yanone</i>), dated 1645, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
15. 1645 - Ceremonial Arrowhead (Yanone), a third example by Umetada Motoshige. Ceremonial arrowhead (<i>Yanone</i>), dated 1645, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
16. 1645 - Ceremonial Arrowhead (Yanone), a second example by Umetada Motoshige. Ceremonial arrowhead (<i>Yanone</i>), dated 1645, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
17. 1650 - Helmet (Hoshi Kabuto) and Mask with Gorget. Helmet (<i>Hoshi Kabuto</i>) and mask with gorget, late 17th or early 18th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
18. 1700 - Samurai and Wakashu (Male Youth). Hanging scroll, early 18th century, Japan, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
19. 1701 - Arrowhead (Yanone), a second example by Kanabo Masatsugu. Arrowhead (<i>Yanone</i>), 18th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
20. 1701 - Armor (Gusoku), a second example by Bamen Tomotsugu. Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), 18th century, Japanese, Toyohara, Echizen province, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
21. 1701 - Armor (Gusoku) with Box, a second example by Neo Masanobu 根尾正信. Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>) with box, 19th century; helmet bowl, early 18th century, Japanese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
22. 1725 - Sword (Peidao) with Scabbard. 1750–1800, blade, Japanese; mounting, Chinese, Metropolitan Museum of Art open-access; digitised reproduction of the original artefact.
23. 1860 - Samurai. 1860s Japan. Samurai in complete armour
24. 2017-05-11 - Shoguns, samurai and the Japanese middle ages. Khan Academy overview of the bakufu system, in which shoguns rather than emperors held power through the medieval period.
25. 2022-05-02 - Morning Practice at Sadogatake Stable. Japan Sumo Association film of an uncut morning training session at Sadogatake-beya, watched from beside the stablemaster, with wrestlers including Kotonowaka.
26. 2023-08-02 - Japanese armour and the invention of bushido. Royal Armouries lecture on how bushido, the 'way of the warrior', gained currency through Inazo Nitobe's 1899 book at a moment of national identity crisis, and on Japanese armour in Western collections.
27. 2025 - U S Marines in Henoko Village’s Okinawan Sumo Competition (9569412). sumo wrestlers bout tournament photograph. U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Inera Glover, an administrative specialist with 4th Combat Logistics Battalion, 4th Combat Logistics Regiment, receives awards after winning a woman’s bout during an Okinawan Sumo tournament in Henoko, Okinawa, Japan, July 5, 20
28. 2025-10-28 - Ninety Years of Okinawan Traditional Karate. Okinawa TV report tracing the ninety-year arc of traditional Okinawan karate and what the founding generation intended for it.
29. 2025-11-04 - Chanko: The Food That Builds Sumo Wrestlers. Fukuoka TNC investigation into chanko-nabe, the communal stew each sumo stable makes its own, from a milk-based version to the chicken-miso pot credited with a yokozuna's strength.
30. 2026-04-23 - Samurai: the making of a global icon. British Museum panel chaired by Satona Suzuki of SOAS with historians Oleg Benesch and others, arguing that much of what is popularly believed about the samurai is invented tradition.
31. 2026-07-30 - Inside Naruto Stable: A Day in a Sumo Heya. Naruto-beya's own film of morning practice and the ordinary domestic life of a sumo stable afterwards, including the communal meal.
32. 2026-08-14 - Morning Training at Shikoroyama Stable. Stable-run record of a full morning keiko session: suriashi footwork drills, butsukari-geiko and moshiai bouts with the new recruits.
33. 2026-08-19 - Okinawa Karate World Festival: Masters Teaching Kata. Ryukyu Shimpo footage from the third Okinawa World Karate Tournament, where 3,000 karateka from 49 countries gathered and 12 of 18 seminar instructors were prefecturally designated holders of intangible cultural property.
34. 2026-08-21 - Grand Sumo in Paris: The First Overseas Tour in 31 Years. Japan Sumo Association film covering the June 2026 Paris exhibition tournament, the first grand sumo tour to France in 31 years, with the surrounding ceremonies and events.