Nominated for the EMYA2026 award
What your class will experience
Students discover original samurai armour, swords and everyday objects in an immersive exhibition. They separate history from myth and connect what they know from films, anime and games with real Japanese culture. Interactive media stations ensure that even large groups stay engaged and active.
Learning goals for your curriculum
The visit supports central topics in history, social studies and ethics. Students learn about the historical role of the samurai, reflect clichés about “warriors” and power, and strengthen their media literacy by analysing pop‑culture images. The programme is suitable for grades 5–13 and can be adapted to your class level.
Perfect for Berlin school trips
Located in Berlin‑Mitte, the museum is easy to reach by U‑Bahn and S‑Bahn and fits perfectly into a half‑day or full‑day class trip. Short, focused visits can be combined with other sights in the area. We help you plan timing and group handling so your school day in Berlin runs smoothly.
Peter Janssen Collection
White-laced gomai dō armour, Early to mid-Edo period (17th – 18th century). Mask signed: Myōchin Nagato no Kami Ki no. This exceptionally fine armour is a representative example of the types of armour made for wealthy patrons.
Mizusashi (freshwater containter) of the Iga type yaburebukuro, lit. ‘bursted bag’, ca. 1600. In the style of Furuta Oribe (1544-1615), tea master of the second imperial unifier of Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) and made in the Iga kilns, one of Japan’s six ancient kilns (rokkoyō) active till this day.
Gold-lacquered saddle and stirrups with phoenix motif. Edo period (1615-1868). The saddle and stirrups are made of wood, which is lacquered in gold nashiji, a technique resulting in a coat of lacquer that resembles the skin of a pear (nashi).
Bergamot – yuzu, dating late Muromachi to Momoyama period. Artist: Umetada Mitsutada. The sword guard (tsuba) shows two branches of the citrus fruit bergamot (yuzu) on the front and back respectively; the fruits are depicted with large leaves with strong contour lines.
Armour with embossed ironwork Edo period (18th – 19th century). Signed by Myōchin Munesuke. This elaborately decorated armour is an excellent example of the embossed ironwork that was produced for the wealthy samurai of high rank.
Nō mask of the type shojo, 20th century. Despite its innocent expression reminiscent of a young man’s face, this shojo mask belongs to the demonic type, kijin. This visualisation of a cheerful sea spirit goes back to Chinese folklore, with adaptations not only on the nō and kyōgen stages, but also in kabuki theatre.
GREAT BATTLE BETWEEN THE TROOPS OF THE FISHES AND THE VEGETABLES, 1859. Artist: Utagawa Hirokage. The woodblock print shows an unusual battle. The triptych gathers a lively selection of of fish and fruit and vegetables in samurai armour. Satire was often used to circumvent censorship and address social and political issues.
Bamen helmet, Edo period (17th century). Signed by Bamen Tomotsugu. This extraordinary, ridged helmet bowl (suji kabuto bachi) is made of 136 iron plates with a russet iron finish.
Full mask of a crow tengu, Early Edo period. This full face mask (sōmen), made of finely forged and patinated iron, has a striking crow-like shaped nose (karasu) resembling the mystical birdlike creature, the tengu.
“Katō Kiyomasa Kills a Tiger in Korea”, Edo period / Meiji period. Signed by Kawada Shōryō (1824-1898). The painting tells the legendary story of the samurai warrior Katō Kiyomasa (1562-1611). He killed a tiger in Korea during the seven-year Imjin War (1592-1598), the Japanese invasion of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
“Komainu”, wood. By the early Heian period (794-1185), the general term komainu referred to two paired and standardized lion-dogs: the a-gyō (open-mouthed) lion dog is placed on the right and its un-gyō (closed-mouthed) counterpart on the left.
Rüstung. Armour in the yukinoshita style, which was established in the 16th century to protect against firearms bullets. The helmet was signed by a Saotome armourer who was active in the late Momoyama period (1573-1603) and the early Edo period (1603-1868). The Saotome school is considered one of the most famous schools of armourers in the Edo period. The helmet is also emblazoned with the crest of the Hattori clan, also known for the ninja Hattori Hanzo, also famous in pop culture.
Teeschale. This tea bowl (chawan) dates from the very early Edo period (1603-1868) and was made of clay from the province of Mino. It is categorised as Oribe pottery. The bowl is almost entirely covered with a shiny black iron oxide glaze. Only one area is exposed, which is decorated with a small flock of stylised plovers. These birds adorn not only ceramics, but also lacquerware, textiles, paper design and metalwork.
Schwert. The scabbard of this sword mount (koshirae) for a handachi (literally ‘thin long sword’) was covered with black lacquer and decorated with powdered mother-of-pearl while it was still wet to give it a greenish shimmer. The grainy ray skin and one of two decorative plates (menuki) can be seen underneath the handle winding, which is wrapped with elaborate lacing in this example.
Maske. Nō mask of the shōjō type, which dates back to the 20th century. Its innocent expression is reminiscent of the face of a young man in a drunken condition. The shōjō masks nevertheless belong to the demonic kijin type. The visualisation of a cheerful water spirit goes back to Chinese folklore.
Tsuba. This sword guard (tsuba), made and signed in the middle Edo period (18th century), depicts the thunder and storm god Raijin, a popular figure in Japanese folk belief and local Shintoism. Raijin is depicted in a full-round relief, the so-called sukidashi takabori. It was made by Tsuchiya Yagohachi (1670-1744).
Religion. The wooden sculpture of a standing Amida Buddha, also known as the ‘Buddha of immeasurable light’ or ‘eternal life’, is richly gilded and covered in fine lacquer. The worship of Amida has its roots in ‘Pure Land Buddhism’, which is still considered one of the most influential forms of Japanese Buddhism today. The sculpture shows the hand gesture Gebon Jōshō, which means ‘higher level, lower birth’.
Schwertschmuck. The kozuka is a small by-knife that is attached to the outside of the sword sheath and can be classified as sword fitting. This example is made of shakudō, a copper-gold alloy. Because it is unsigned, the artist is unknown. Nevertheless, it is captivating with its filigree motif of two chicks in grasses, which were designed with gold and silver inlays as well as shakudō.
Bild. ‘Great battle between the troops of fish and vegetables’. The colour woodcut by Utagawa Hirokage from 1859 shows an unusual battle. The triptych brings a lively selection of fish, fruit and vegetables in samurai armour together. Satire was often used to circumvent the censorship of the Edo period (1603-1868) and to address social and political issues.
Helm. This helmet is composed of a helmet shell from the Nanbokuchō period (1336-1392) and decorations and the neck guard (shikoro) from the Edo period (1603-1868). The impressive decoration depicts gilded leaves of the Japanese evergreen holly, which is supposed to protect against evil spirits.