Dhaka, Feb. 25 -- From medieval beginnings, the samurai have captured imaginations across centuries, inspiring art, literature, and films-from Shogun to Star Wars. Yet their true history is far more complex and nuanced than the myths suggest.

The samurai's legacy is unique in world culture. Few medieval social groups have been celebrated and mythologized as relentlessly as they have-from 18th-century ukiyo-e prints to contemporary video games, TV shows, and films. Over time, however, fame often bends toward exaggeration, and the samurai are no exception.

Were they truly fearless, loyal, self-sacrificial, disciplined, and uniquely Japanese? The British Museum's new Samurai exhibition seeks to cut through the myth, presenting a more accur...