The British Museum‘s Samurai exhibiton was understandably hugely popular. We’re all familiar with images of samurai armour but one of the things I appreciated about the show was learning about other aspects of this warrior class.
I wanted to share here a small part of the show: the spear cover standards used to identify different clans. Weapons were covered when in processions and each clan had its own symbolism in covers as well as standards.
This procession is depicted in 1863 in a wood block print by Utagawa Hiroshige II.
Warrior directories (Bukan) were illustrated identification guides giving background information to onlookers.
The majority of soldiers marched on foot, their hats marked with identifying symbols.
We were impressed by the fact that most exhibits on display were from the British Museum’s own collection.