Following widespread public discussion sparked by media coverage of a newly opened samurai exhibition, British-Japanese historical author and commentator Sumiko Nakano has offered clarification on the interpretation of samurai history.
The exhibition, currently on display at the British Museum, examines more than one thousand years of samurai culture, including the transformation of the warrior class into a hereditary elite during Japan’s Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
Nakano acknowledges the academic value of the exhibition but notes that some media headlines have generated controversy by claiming that “half of Japan’s samurai were women”, a statement she says requires careful contextualisation.
According to Nakano, such interpretations risk conflating samurai as a broad social class with samurai as formally recognised military and administrative retainers, roles that were governed by legal and institutional structures.
“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.”
Over time, particularly during the Edo period, samurai responsibilities shifted towards governance, bureaucracy and cultural leadership. Within this system, women held critical responsibilities related to estate administration, financial management, education, lineage continuity and the maintenance of political and social alliances.
Historical records also indicate that some women received training in martial disciplines, mainly for defensive purposes. Nakano notes that while women did participate in combat during rare emergencies such as sieges or periods of political collapse, these situations were exceptional rather than indicative of formal inclusion within samurai rank structures.
“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 stresses that the attention surrounding the exhibition provides an opportunity to broaden understanding of samurai society rather than reduce it to simplified narratives.
“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 concludes by encouraging audiences to engage more deeply with historical research when encountering widely shared claims.
“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.”
