New Video from British Museum

[MassiveMoonHeh]

Found this video by one of the curators of the new Samurai Exhibition opening this week at the British Museum and was quite excited to watch it.

 

He starts off explaining that the British Museum has one of the largest collections of Samurai artefacts outside of Japan. Unfortunately if you visit it you would not know as the permanent collection on display is rather poor.

 

But hopefully the Exhibition will right this wrong...

 

Unfortunately it appears it will not.

 

The curator goes on to explain sword history but shows only one sword but does not even mention the smith and then focuses on the Koshirae of the various periods. Kind of like the Louvre explaining French history by their choice Louis Vuitton hand bags - cause they are pretty, rather than showing the Imperial collection.

 

I guess it is interesting for a newbie but I was left very disappointed.

 

I fear if this is the level we are engaging for the Samurai Exhibition, then unfortunately this Exhibition will leave the enthusiast and even the general public with a lot to be desired.

 

Nice if you like unusual pretty things but otherwise very frustrating as they continue to hide the good stuff in their warehouse.

 

I hope to be proven wrong.

 

 

 

Edited February 2 by MassiveMoonHeh

[Barrett Hiebert]

Totally agree. 

 

[Lewis B]

Ditto. I was equally underwhelmed at the V&A too. Here they seemed to focus on the connection with a historical figure rather than celebrate the sword and show something of consequence from a nihonto perspective. 

[Matsunoki]

4 hours ago, MassiveMoonHeh said:

very frustrating as they continue to hide the good stuff in their warehouse.

Where doubtless it is slowly deteriorating …….or being stolen! 
Sad but same old story with museums.😡

[Robert S]

And some of the details mentioned weren't even correct... sigh.

[Rawa]

11 hours ago, Matsunoki said:

Where doubtless it is slowly deteriorating …….or being stolen! 
Sad but same old story with museums.😡

In China with their seals and many items made with gold - so new reality

[Jussi Ekholm]

The tachi in the video is by Ko-Bizen Yoshikane, it is from Jūyō 23: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1992-0523-1 in my opinion this is the most interesting item at the British Museum.

They also have Aoe Sueyuki that passed Jūyō 26: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_2002-0508-1

And tachi by Kageyasu: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1984-0723-1

 

Unfortunately those three tachi are pretty much the only items I find interesting in whole collection of The British Museum from what pictures I can see online.

 

This is the naginata in the video by Shigetaka: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_JA-66 I would think it is their best naginata but it is just an average item.

 

I do believe they do have several hundred swords as they are listed in the online database but majority of them are just not interesting at all to me personally. They have few nice swords that will be featured in this 2026 exhibition. Of course I might be overly critical about the items but I don't think they have better stuff hidden in the warehouse, I do think their several of their best items are featured in this 2026 display.

[Lewis B]

3 hours ago, Jussi Ekholm said:

this is the most interesting item at the British Museum.

 

The Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles might argue that statement 

 

At least the photos are quite high quality. I can even see the cat number for the Yoshikane, which to me is a really nice piece. Entered the BM inventory in 1992 and came from the Walter Compton Collection through the Christie's auction. They paid $143k.

The Zufu states it's quite tired but the fact it's signed/ubu makes it important. And it's almost 1000 years old, so I guess we can cut it some slack.

 

I prefer the Ko Bizen Kageyasu tachi though. 

 

[Hokke]

That vid was hard to watch, for me at least, that guys voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Also, that snake blade looked as if it needed some attention, the oxidation looked active. 

[Hector]

I looked the guy on the video up.

Sure ain't no Victor Harris. 😳

 

https://www.joenickols.com

[PNSSHOGUN]

Considering the pedigree of former V&A curators and presentations, this is rather insipid. Looking at the other exhibitions this fellow has put together you don't hold high hopes of the situation improving. 

[MassiveMoonHeh]

3 hours ago, Hector said:

I looked the guy on the video up.

Sure ain't no Victor Harris. 😳

 

https://www.joenickols.com

Well, I am gobsmacked. When I read his CV, https://www.joenickols.com/about, I am not sure what specifically jumps out at the most venerable British Museum for them to say, yes we must get this kid to be the next curator of our most important exhibition on Samurai culture we have ever held? It is certainly not his vast experience in the field.

[Brian]

Sigh.
I have an open mind, really I do. But this is weaponry. Yes, it's art...but the basis is still weaponry. How his forte for inclusiveness and the avantgarde in art is going to assist in his efforts to present Japanese swords, Lord only knows. Perhaps we will have a thesis on the sword as symbol of Japanese virility or how a Samurai's sword compensated for his lack of manhood.
Maybe I should just keep quiet. Oh dear.

Edit to add: Oh dear. Above I said "his forte..." and "his efforts"
I meant of course "their" forte and efforts. Wouldn't want the internet to cancel me.

[Bugyotsuji]

Well, as long as he does not talk directly over the blade!

Oh wait… he did.

 

Don't they have a Yosozaemon no Jo Sukesada on semi-permanent display up in the Japanese Gallery?

[sabiji]

Well, it is a “samurai exhibition.” I'm afraid it will be less about the art of sword smithing of the museum's important blades.

Regardless, the success of a presentation of important blades at such an exhibition depends on perfect lighting.

If this is not taken into account, even the best blades will remain uninteresting.

But an experienced curator will surely know this, or at least experienced curatorial staff.

I think. I hope...

 

 

T

[Hector]

If it's focussed on "samurai" rather than swords, I suspect this particular curator will have a whole display devoted to Matsudaira Ken.

[Jussi Ekholm]

I must say I am very single minded person when it comes to museums. I do focus only on weapons and little bit on armor and skip majority of amazing items in general. I do think the British Museum might have many European swords that would be to my liking even more than their Japanese items.

 

In overall I do think the exhibition will be nice and if you live in UK or visit London during that time I might recommend visiting. I believe you can see the items in the exhibition grouped in here: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/AUTH242520 for some reason it keeps loading and loading for me so I have had to search the swords 1 by 1 from their database. It is very unfortunate how few swords of their collection have pictures online (I would assume they would be the best items) and some do have only the koshirae pictured. I cannot understand why in this modern day and age museums around the world do not document their items to their online databases. That blows my mind as they do have personnel in departments and you can take decent pictures with any 10 year old phone.

 

The factual errors and the information about items is not told on Youtube video are some things that I do dislike a lot. It may not be on the curator but rather on the format itself as it is very fast paced. As I do think it is easy to get the feeling from the video that for example the naginata is presented as Kamakura period item while it actually is from early-mid Edo period depending on the generation of Shigetaka. Likewise it is totally absurd that this koshirae and sword is being presented as Kamakura work: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1958-0730-56-a_1 Even the museum page clearly states that the blade is suriage Kanesada and for the Koshirae individual makers are identified and the koshirae as whole has been classified as Meiji period work.

 

I do believe there are nice items in the exhibition like this Taikei Naotane wakizashi for example: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1952-1028-19-a-d

This daishō with Yoshioka Ichimonji and Yasumitsu blades: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1952-1028-16-a-d , https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1952-1028-17-a-e

This might be the Sukesada that Piers mentioned, unfortunately no blade pictures: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1958-0730-3-a-d

 

[Matsunoki]

I only lasted about 4 mins into the video.

Embarrassing to think this the best they can do. 

[Lewis B]

Well we were warned.

 

https://Japan-forward.com/is-the-british-museum-rewriting-samurai-history/

[nulldevice]

On 2/2/2026 at 12:52 PM, Lewis B said:

The Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles might argue that statement 

 

At least the photos are quite high quality. I can even see the cat number for the Yoshikane, which to me is a really nice piece. Entered the BM inventory in 1992 and came from the Walter Compton Collection through the Christie's auction. They paid $143k.

The Zufu states it's quite tired but the fact it's signed/ubu makes it important. And it's almost 1000 years old, so I guess we can cut it some slack.

 

I prefer the Ko Bizen Kageyasu tachi though. 

 

The blade was also a part o the Walter Compton collection but yes it seems it passed based on the explanation due to its signature and ubu status rather than sporting a healthy ji and ha. 

 

The video could have been great, but I found myself uninterested mid-way through. It seems like they have some real gems in their collection and could put out some wonderful quality videos with a bit more effort. 

[Shugyosha]

The British Museum had a big chunk of their collection polished by Kenji Mishina some years ago and it formed the basis of an exhibition then. If anyone is interested, the book cataloguing the items that formed the exhibition is still available and is entitled "cutting edge: Japanese swords in the British Museum".

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Japanese-Swords-British/dp/0804847347

 

 

[MassiveMoonHeh]

24 minutes ago, Shugyosha said:

The British Museum had a big chunk of their collection polished by Kenji Mishina some years ago and it formed the basis of an exhibition then. If anyone is interested, the book cataloguing the items that formed the exhibition is still available and is entitled "cutting edge: Japanese swords in the British Museum".

 

https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Japanese-Swords-British/dp/0804847347

 

 

I have a copy of this book and again I was hoping for something a little more here.

 

The book published in 2005 is unusual in it's layout. The first half of the book 82 pages explains the Japanese sword and it's makeup. The majority of the book is in black and white (photos included) except for 25 pages from from pg 49 to page 64 that are in glorious colour and offer some wonderful colour photos of paintings and some koshirae - no blades unfortunately. I suspect that this was a cost cutting exercise which just made what could of been a rather exciting book rather dull.

 

The actual discussion of the swords in the exhibition starts from page 40 where it gives a brief outline on the 99 blades in the exhibition in chronological order (with no pictures - did I mention dull) and then once that is all done it shows the 99 blades and korshirae from page 82 - again as mentioned before abandoning all colour and showing them in NBTHK TJ certificate style with the tang, tip of the blade and small full frame image of the blade in black and white - even the attachments like koshirae are in black and white. It is very academic in approach following the NBTHK protocol down the line for the photos. What makes this approach frustrating is that this is not an academic paper and therefore for a catalogue it would have been lovely to see some colour photographs.

 

Makes you realise how just in the last 20 years blade photography and book publishing have progressed. Photography still has a long way to go but you now have the likes of eirakuda.shop leading the way with regard to showing off this wonderful art form - if you have not seen their photos do a favour and go have a look.

 

Back to the book, as mentioned above the layout of this catalogue definitely makes for some interesting reading as the reader is required to flip back and forth between the pictures of the blade and the explanation of the blade that are separated by some 40+ pages. Not sure why they did this other than again it was a cost saving exercise as part of some crazy British notion of austerity. Would not have wanted to be a fly on the wall of that meeting - super boring. 

 

As a result the book is as dull as a British summer (again I realise the last few years have been rather exceptional so perhaps a bad example here.)

 

All in all I was left rather flat reading this book and I was quite excited when I purchase it. It could have been a real treasure instead because of the austerity measures, the lack of colour and unusual layout I would say unless you have a massive desire to see what the Bristish Museum own or it is part of some sort of academic research, skip this book.

[Hoshi]

Alas, 

 

This video is very difficult to watch.

 

Beyond the factual errors, it is representative of the lack of museum budgets for qualified curators and European decline in museum scholarship on Arms & Armor. 

 

This is not to blame the presenter. His effort is earnest, and I am sympathetic to his predicament in the society he is embedded in, it is a survival strategy.

 

He is but a symptom of a deeper societal issue. 

 

This is a general trend, museums follow the elite taste and ideology of their donors and subsidizing government bodies. Sadly, the BM has been marred in a battle against the Woke Mind Virus and its denunciation of colonial history that renders everything it owns, hires, and does, suspect. The presenter is a product of this tension. It is an unfortunate situation, but this too will come to pass in the broader arc of history when necessity calls back for common sense. 

 

Best,

 

Hoshi

[Lewis B]

58 minutes ago, MassiveMoonHeh said:

I have a copy of this book and again I was hoping for something a little more here.

 

The book published in 2005 is unusual in it's layout. The first half of the book 82 pages explains the Japanese sword and it's makeup. The majority of the book is in black and white (photos included) except for 25 pages from from pg 49 to page 64 that are in glorious colour and offer some wonderful colour photos of paintings and some koshirae - no blades unfortunately. I suspect that this was a cost cutting exercise which just made what could of been a rather exciting book rather dull.

 

The actual discussion of the swords in the exhibition starts from page 40 where it gives a brief outline on the 99 blades in the exhibition in chronological order (with no pictures - did I mention dull) and then once that is all done it shows the 99 blades and korshirae from page 82 - again as mentioned before abandoning all colour and showing them in NBTHK TJ certificate style with the tang, tip of the blade and small full frame image of the blade in black and white - even the attachments like koshirae are in black and white. It is very academic in approach following the NBTHK protocol down the line for the photos. What makes this approach frustrating is that this is not an academic paper and therefore for a catalogue it would have been lovely to see some colour photographs.

 

Makes you realise how just in the last 20 years blade photography and book publishing have progressed. Photography still has a long way to go but you now have the likes of eirakuda.shop leading the way with regard to showing off this wonderful art form - if you have not seen their photos do a favour and go have a look.

 

Back to the book, as mentioned above the layout of this catalogue definitely makes for some interesting reading as the reader is required to flip back and forth between the pictures of the blade and the explanation of the blade that are separated by some 40+ pages. Not sure why they did this other than again it was a cost saving exercise as part of some crazy British notion of austerity. Would not have wanted to be a fly on the wall of that meeting - super boring. 

 

As a result the book is as dull as a British summer (again I realise the last few years have been rather exceptional so perhaps a bad example here.)

 

All in all I was left rather flat reading this book and I was quite excited when I purchase it. It could have been a real treasure instead because of the austerity measures, the lack of colour and unusual layout I would say unless you have a massive desire to see what the Bristish Museum own or it is part of some sort of academic research, skip this book.

Thank you for the clear and detailed review as to why I should now take this out of my Amazon basket. I had particular interest when I read of Kenji Mishina's involvement (its not often we know the togishi who polished a sword), but if the blades are not presented so they can be appreciated in print (especially as B&W images), what is the point. I will skip this publication. 

[sabiji]

1 hour ago, Lewis B said:

Vielen Dank für die klare und detaillierte Rezension, die mir erklärt, warum ich dieses Produkt nun aus meinem Amazon-Warenkorb entfernen sollte. Ich war besonders interessiert, als ich von Kenji Mishinas Beteiligung las (man erfährt ja nicht oft, wer das Schwert poliert hat), aber wenn die Klingen nicht so präsentiert werden, dass man sie in gedruckter Form (vor allem als Schwarz-Weiß-Abbildungen) richtig würdigen kann, was soll das Ganze dann? Ich werde diese Publikation nicht kaufen. 

I still have my book from back then in connection with the event and lectures related to the exhibition at the BM. I think that was in the fall of 2004.

 

At that time, you could see some of the newly restored blades at this event. I admit that I basically only remember the Shintogo Kunimitsu.

 

When I buy literature today, it is almost always with meaningful oshigata.

 

However, it is an exhibition catalog in which the blades on display are described and the photos are of relatively good quality. One must not forget how much effort, work, and expense is involved in producing a catalog.

 

In this respect, the catalog is a nice reminder of a special exhibition over 20 years ago, at which (I believe) never again since then have so many blades been presented to the public in a museum outside Japan.

 

 

 

[Gakusee]

Just to balance the discourse a bit.
 

Interesting how many inaccuracies can be presented even here on this single thread webpage and discussion about the 2004 BM exhibition which Victor curated, about what the BM owns and the condition of the swords etc etc. I shall leave it to someone with more time and energy to debunk these notions. 
 

And the person in the video …. Well, the curator is different. 
 

Just for information to all those who have been moaning and complaining…. The BM is actually one of the more accommodating state-owned museums where a person can request to study in hand their blades. I have personally done it 3-4 times and know of fellow members who do it regularly. As I have studied their top 15 or so blades several times, the urge is lesser, but they have fairly good Shinto/Shinshinto stuff too. There is a procedure to follow but it works and they are open-minded about it and facilitate personal study. 
 

So, with a bit of pre-planning and foresight, all of you could have submitted a request, planned your trip/visit accordingly and studied some of the treasures in hand. Go try that in the Tokyo National or other museums. 
 

 

[Davis]

I still have my copy of "cutting edge" and thumb through it often. I recall To-Ken members received a free copy as a large donation had been made by then to the BM.  More to the point an event was held at the museum to coincide with that exhibition.  It was held I think on a Saturday, Clive Sinclaire was on the door and there were a large number of swords on display.  A Japanese expert talked about each sword, alongside him stood Victor Harris translating, sometimes frowning or raising his eyebrows at what he had just translated.  It was a hands on experience but due to the large number in attendance members only had about a minute or two with a sword.  In my early days of collecting I would sometimes take a sword into the London museums.  The curators then were very generous with their time and knowledge. What they did have though was a very real passion.

[Matsunoki]

21 minutes ago, Gakusee said:

about what the BM owns and the condition of the swords etc etc. I shall leave it so someone with more time and energy to debunk these notions. 

Some of these notions are justified……..I wonder if a full inventory of the Japanese collection has ever been undertaken?

Yes, the museum may facilitate private study of some objects, but that is not what the debate is here.

 

[Gakusee]

Colin 

There is a very apparent critical overtone running through this thread. That is at the core of the comments throughout. 
It is easy to criticise and you have demonstrated that you are very adept at it. I have to admit, I have also developed an aptitude for being overly critical. But sometimes we need to pause, actually analyse what the reality is, why it is the case and what the alternatives might be. 
 

The exhibition, its merits or shortcomings, has nothing to do with collection inventorisation, cataloguing or theft. 

[Matsunoki]

 

2 minutes ago, Gakusee said:

There is a very apparent critical overtone running through this thread. That is at the core of the comments throughout. 
It is easy to criticise and you have demonstrated that you are very adept at it. I have to admit, I have also developed an aptitude for being overly critical. But sometimes we need to pause, actually analyse what the reality is, why it is the case and what the alternatives might be. 

Michael, I am equally happy to praise and often do but what I have pointed out about the British Museum and its problems is factual, not an opinion.…..and maybe the the critical overtones are justified…..the video in question certainly does not deserve much praise does it?

The BM holds far more stuff than it can ever really look after adequately let alone display to the public and whilst facilitating private viewings is admirable that isn’t what is under discussion. 
What is the actual reality?