Samurai – Private View with Project Curator Joe Nickols (Members-only)

Date
Thursday 9 April 2026
Time
9.00-10.00am
*Meeting time: 8:45am at the Main Entrance

Venue
British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG

Booking Details
Free - Booking essential

Exclusive event for Members of The Japan Society

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The Japan Society is pleased to invite members to an exclusive private view of Samurai, introduced by Project Curator Joe Nickols. This special event offers an opportunity to delve into the world of the samurai through remarkable artworks and artefacts spanning centuries of Japanese history.

The exhibition extends far beyond arms and armour, bringing together an exceptional range of paintings, woodblock prints, books, clothing, ceramics, photographs, and works from film, television, manga, video games, and contemporary art. These works illuminate the evolving role of the samurai—from elite warriors of medieval Japan to powerful cultural icons of the early modern era.

Samurai offers a timely exploration of how history is written and rewritten, and how national identities are shaped through culture, storytelling and global exchange.

Joe Nickols will open the event with an introduction to the exhibition’s central themes and curatorial approach, highlighting key works and the ideas behind their selection. Following the introduction, attendees are welcome to explore the exhibition at their own pace.

Joe Nickols is Project Curator in the Japan section of the Department of Asia, British Museum working on the Samurai exhibition and curating rotations for the Mitsubishi Corporation Japanese Galleries. Joe has worked as a freelance curator in the UK, working at the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate and the Messums Gallery in London.  Alongside this, Joe is a PhD researcher at SOAS, University of London, examining 1920s Japanese avant-garde art.  For this, Joe was awarded the Sasakawa Scholarship for 2023/24 by the The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

Images: (left) Minamoto no Tametomo on the Isle of Demons, Katsushika Hokusai © The Trustees of the British Museum; (right) Noguchi Tetsuya, Duck and Man (2025) Commissioned by the Trustees of the British Museum © Noguchi Tetsuya Photography © The Trustees of the British Museum.

If you have any questions, please call The Japan Society office on 020 3075 1996 or email us at events@japansociety.org.uk

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