SAMURAI Museum Berlin

Europe's only samurai museum for samurai art

Fascinating armour, artistic swords, mysterious masks - discover the world of the legendary Japanese warriors. Interactive. Innovative. In Berlin Mitte.

History meets high-tech

The SAMURAI Museum houses one of the world's largest private collections of samurai art.
Multimedia installations bring the legendary era to life in a playful way. Follow the fox Kitsune on an interactive journey of discovery through the life and heritage of the samurai and ninjas. Over 1,000 objects and multimedia installations on 1500 square metres of exhibition space bring traditional Japanese craftsmanship and the distant era to life. Zoom in gigapixels to admire outstanding details, catch yokai, explore the labour-intensive processes of Japanese swordsmithing and experience unique Nō and Taiko performances. Every step leads to a new discovery, an experience for the whole family.

The Peter Janssen Collection

Inspired by his passion for martial arts and Japanese culture, Peter Janssen acquired his first katana over thirty years ago and has been collecting samurai artefacts ever since. What began with a find at a Berlin flea market has now grown into a collection of more than 4,000 objects that is unique outside Japan in terms of diversity and scope.

Driven by the desire to share his passion and fascination for the samurai and the extraordinary examples of traditional Japanese craftsmanship, collector Peter Janssen opened the Samurai Art Museum in the Villa Clay in Berlin Dahlem in 2017. Only a few years later, the permanent expansion and growing interest in the collection required a new location. This was found in the very centre of Auguststraße/ Berlin Mitte.

With contemporary museum presentation and the multimedia and interactive staging of exhibits, Peter Janssen opens up the fascinating world of the samurai to visitors of all ages. Children and young people are addressed as well as interested lay people and experts. The Research Centre of the Samurai Museum Berlin remains in the former rooms of the Villa Clay.

The pieces on display date from the late Kofun to the early Meiji period (6th-19th century) and offer fascinating insights into the development of Japanese culture and craftsmanship over more than 1000 years. The collection includes far more than just samurai weapons and armour. Textiles, paintings, woodcut prints, tea utensils and Buddhist sculptures are also on display. Highlights of the collection include an 18th-century palanquin, 17th-century armour of the Matsudaira clan and tea utensils from the time of Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591).