British-Japanese author and cultural historian Sumiko Nakano has released a statement responding to public discussion that has emerged following the opening of a major samurai exhibition at the British Museum.
The exhibition, which opened to visitors earlier this month, explores over a millennium of samurai history, tracing how the warrior class developed and later evolved into a hereditary social and administrative elite during Japan’s Edo period between 1603 and 1868.
While the exhibition presents academically grounded research into samurai society, Nakano notes that recent headlines in UK and international media have prompted debate by suggesting that “half of Japan’s samurai were women”.
Nakano explains that while the exhibition itself provides essential historical context, some interpretations risk blurring the distinction between samurai as a hereditary class and samurai as formally appointed military and administrative retainers.
“The exhibition highlights the complexity of samurai society and the many roles that existed within it,” Nakano explains. “Women played essential and influential roles within samurai households and elite class structures. However, historical documentation shows that formal samurai service roles were defined by legal, military, and administrative duties that were predominantly carried out by male retainers.”
During the Edo period, the role of the samurai shifted away from active warfare towards governance, administration, cultural leadership and social organisation. Within elite households, women were responsible for managing estates, overseeing finances, educating heirs, maintaining clan continuity and sustaining political alliances.
Historical sources also record women training in martial skills, particularly for defensive purposes. Nakano notes that in rare and exceptional circumstances, such as castle sieges or times of political instability, some women participated in combat, but these instances were responses to crisis rather than evidence of formal inclusion within samurai military hierarchies.
“These women played a vital role in sustaining the social and political stability of samurai households,” Nakano states. “Their influence extended across economic, cultural, and strategic domains, and their contributions remain an important part of Japan’s historical legacy.”
Nakano adds that the attention surrounding the British Museum exhibition should be seen as an opportunity to encourage deeper public engagement with samurai history rather than simplified conclusions.
“Major exhibitions like this encourage valuable public interest in historical subjects,” she says. “They also remind audiences that samurai society included administrators, families, scholars, artists, and political networks alongside warriors. Preserving that full historical context is essential.”
She encourages readers and museum visitors to approach widely circulated historical claims with curiosity and a willingness to explore further scholarship.
“Public engagement with history is strongest when supported by context and nuance,” she adds. “The story of samurai society is already rich, complex, and culturally significant. It deserves to be understood in its full historical depth.”
