The Japanese warrior is a figure of the Asian history as intriguing as fantasized… But especially an imaginary the Musée Guimet devotes an exhibition to, from March 16 to August 29, 2022, and called “L'Arc et le Sabre. Imaginaire guerrier du Japon”. The exhibition focused on this almost guardian figure in the history of medieval Japan that – when replaced in its historic context – delivers many facets of this warrior and their cultural environment.

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Aristocratic culture, strong taste for the noh drama, tea ritual, poetry… As many little-known facets of the samurai shared through hundred works of art including etchings, weaponry, art items. An exhibition also aiming at showing “the way a samurai is seen, fantasized or parodied” through a series of etchings, “L’Histoire des 47 rônins” kept at the museum.

The exhibition also shines a light on the use of the samurai’s image in pop culture, through cinema, video games and even comics. As the highlight of this argument, a Star Wards Darth Vader figurine is displayed at the very end of he exhibition, echoing the Samurai's helmet that inspired the character's outfit, also exhibited there.

Medias also supporting the vision of the soldier in modern Japan and the West, embodying the very identity of the Country of the Rising Sun in the collective imaginary. In other words, a great exhibition to know everything about the samurais!