Photo of a Samurai from the Meiji Period (1868- 1912)

Japan was in a state of turmoil, struggling in the tension between the traditional Tokugawa samurai and the Emporer. Samurai fought against the new regime's muskets and Gatling guns with their hand-crafted armor, swords, horseback archery, and their courage. But as samurai were soon to become banned from the empire, the craftsmen who were the sources of their armor and weaponry were watching as their art died alongside their patrons on the battlefield.