Eternally restless, you should spend your whole life searching for answers to how to live up to the rules of the Path, practicing persistently and without ceasing. This is the Path.
Unwavering loyalty, courage, strength, self-control, modesty, impeccable grooming, and a willingness to sacrifice one’s life in the name of honor. A samurai was expected to be much more than just a warrior. He had to be distinguished by culture and education: he learned not only to read and write, but also perfected the art of calligraphy, familiarized himself with classical Chinese literature, Japanese war stories, and the history of his lord’s family. Many samurai also delved into science and devoted themselves to the arts. To this day, samurai continue to fascinate people around the world!
THE TIME OF THE SAMURAI exhibition at the National Museum in Lublin will explore the life and culture of the samurai, from the emergence of this social group to its decline. Stories of intrigue, betrayal, and conspiracies will be interwoven with tales of honor, loyalty, and courage.
The turbulent history of the samurai will be illustrated with woodcuts by two of Japan’s greatest woodcut artists, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Utagawa Hiroshige, presented in two consecutive installments. These will include depictions of battle scenes, duels, and legendary events, as well as expressive portraits of warriors (musha-e) and landscapes from the ukiyo-e movement, or “images of the floating world.” These will be accompanied by objects related to martial arts, such as armor, sidearms, firearms, samurai equipment (helmets, masks, sword mounts), and much more.
There will be threads relating to everyday life, religion, entertainment and art, which will reveal the other, unknown face of the samurai as men of culture. Through numerous artifacts of artistic craftsmanship, we will present the extraordinary skill of Japanese craftsmen, the decorative techniques they used and patterns filled with rich symbolism.
The exhibition will feature nearly 600 original Japanese artifacts from museums in Poland and abroad, including items from the SAMURAI Museum Berlin – Peter Janssen Collection, presented for the first time in Poland. A separate section of the exhibition will be dedicated to samurai depictions in film, manga, and anime.
THE TIME OF THE SAMURAI, The Lublin Castle, 25 April – 27 September 2026
Opening: 24 April 2026 at 18.00
Exhibition curators: Maciej Drewniak, Mariola Tymochowicz, Małgorzata Siedlaczek
Patronage:
Marta Cienkowska, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage
The Embassy of Japan in Poland
dr Krzysztof Żuk, the Mayor of Lublin
Institutions lending the exhibits: private collection – Anna Bielak, the Jacek Malczewski Museum in Radom, the National Museum in Kraków, the National Museum in Poznań, the National Museum in Szczecin, the National Museum in Warsaw, the National Museum in Wrocław, Subcarpathian Museum in Krosno, Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, the Museum in Gliwice, the National Museum of Ethnography in Warsaw, SAMURAI Museum Berlin – Peter Janssen Collection
