Doll (musha-ningyo) featuring Takenouchi no Sukune, minister of Emperor Ōjin; end of the Edo period, 19th century, Japan. Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum, Dallas (Texas) ; the photograph was taken during an exhibition in the Musée des Arts Premiers in Paris
Samurai, meaning “those who serve,” were members of the military nobility in feudal Japan. Emerging in the Heian period (794–1185), samurai initially served as guards for the imperial court and provincial governors. More…