With around 170 museums in the city of Berlin, (including a whole island dedicated to them), Samurai Museum Berlin is Europe’s first samurai museum. Opened in early May of 2022, Samurai Museum Berlin adds to the unique city flare among its techno clubs and currywurst vendors.
How did Berlin become a home to Europe’s first samurai museum? For over three decades, Peter Janssen, a German entrepreneur and martial arts enthusiast, has collected Japanese weapons, armor, textiles, paintings, and other pieces, totaling more than 4,000 objects today. Previously, selected pieces of this collection were on display at the (now closed) Samurai Art Museum in Zehlendorf, a district in the southwest of Berlin.
With the opening of Samurai Museum Berlin, Janssen’s collection is now housed in a bigger space, centralized in the district of Mitte. The current exhibition contains 1,000 objects from Janssen’s massive collection; These artifacts are displayed in innovative formats developed with consultant Ars Electronica Solutions. Spanning a little over 16,000 square feet, and spread out over two floors, the museum stands as one of the largest collections of samurai artifacts outside of Japan.
As quoted in a January 2022 press release from Samurai Museum Berlin:
“By opening my collection at the Samurai Museum Berlin to visitors of all ages and backgrounds, I want to share my enthusiasm for Japanese culture and samurai history across the generations,” explains collector Peter Janssen, the museum’s founder.“We want this to be a place of vibrant knowledge mediation and to make tangible connections between cultures, space, and time. While promoting curiosity and an understanding of different cultures, we invite you to an open dialogue between people and cultures.”
© Samurai Museum Berlin
Photo by Manfred-M. Sackmann
The ground floor is divided into seven main areas: the Kamakura/Muromachi Period, Religion, Sengoku Period, Edo Period, Ninja, the cinema (where you’ll find a cute animated game when there’s no showing), and the Nō stage (which was built by traditional carpenters in Japan). Overall, the museum space is kept relatively dark except for the well-lit display cases, creating a dramatic atmosphere. The ominous background music enhances the experience.
Rather than displaying information plaques under each piece, the glass exhibits contain an assortment of items unnamed and unnumbered. To learn more about a specific item, visitors can select its image from a large touchscreen in front of the case. As a result, the focus remains on the sheer number and beauty of the artifacts. This decision allows the visitor to discover information intentionally, instead of becoming fatigued by lengthy museum labels!
As you wander, you’ll pass samurai war objects—armor, helmets, masks, blades, swords—but you’ll also view remarkable objects like: Buddhist sculptures, textiles, woodblock prints, and tea utensils. All artifacts are a stunning spectacle because of their well-crafted and well-preserved condition.
Samurai Museum Berlin offers several interactive exhibits triggered by motion sensors. For example, a suit of armor paired with a holographic video of a man mimics the fit of said armor on a soldier. Another example displays models of different soldiers like: mounted longsword bearers, mounted archers, and foot soldiers with rifles. The display is kept dark until you move in front of a specific model, which triggers its illumination, a fight scene clip as a backdrop, and audio from an epic soundtrack. In addition, other interactive exhibits invite visitors to examine artifacts closely by using a knob to rotate the display.
Ascending the staircase to the second floor, there you can find exhibits on masks, helmets, swords, sword fittings, schools of armorers, contemporary art, and a tea house. While smaller than the first floor, the second floor hosts a video display of the comprehensive sword-making process.
The Samurai Museum’s extensive collection and excellent curation may turn you into a student of Japanese history and culture from 1185 to 1615. Museum director, Alexander Jöchl, invites visitors to experience this “living museum,” which offers an “experimental approach to the myth of the samurai and Japanese culture.”
Cover Photo © Sylwia Makris
Written June 2022
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