Samurai – in War and Peace

In collaboration with the Historical Museum, we are showing the samurai film HARAKIRI (1962) by Masaki Kobayashi.

HARAKIRI is one of the most visually powerful, but at the same time poetically refined, of the so-called Jidaigeki (period films) from Japan after the war. At the same time, the film is far more than the traditional samurai film's series of well-choreographed sword duels and battle scenes; Kobayashi's aim is primarily to de-romanticize and de-heroize the samurai myth by problematizing the well-known code of honor that underlies the samurai's activities.

Both before and after the film HARAKIRI, there will be an opportunity to try on a real Samurai helmet and sword! There will also be an opportunity to hear the traditional Japanese instrument koto by Liv Lande.

Related to its exhibition Samurai, the Historical Museum is exhibiting helmets and swords at the Cinemateket.

Collaborating partners: Historical Museum and the Embassy of Japan

About the exhibition 

In the exhibition, you can see a selection of 15 samurai armours, as well as swords and other items the samurai used. Among the highlights is the suit of armor Roald Amundsen received as a gift on his travels in Japan. See the samurai’s characteristic helmets, decorated with fantastic figures inspired by nature - status symbols used to tell the warriors apart and scare the enemy.

When the civil wars ended around 1600, an era of peace began that lasted nearly 270 years – the Edo period. The samurai warrior became a bureaucrat and exchanged his sword for a pen. However, in his heart and mind, he was still a warrior, and continued to wear his armor with pride.

As a paid civil servant, the samurai now had leisure time he could use to pursue art and culture. We see how the samurai are closely connected to traditional Japanese arts, such as poetry, calligraphy, theater, flower arrangement and the tea- ceremony.

The culture of the samurai is still alive today. We meet modern “samurai” in public parades, in historical re-enactments, and in other types of popular culture, such as manga, gaming and anime.

About the film

With HARAKIRI, Kobayashi offers much more than the traditional samurai film's series of well-choreographed sword duels and battle scenes. His aim is primarily to demystify and de-heroize the samurai myth by problematizing the well-known code of honor that underlies the samurai's actions. In HARAKIRI, he depicts a hollow and corrupt samurai society that does not even respect the last honorable act – the ritual suicide, harakiri.

Photo credit: Historisk museum