The samurai officially hung up their helmets after Japan’s last shogun, or military ruler, fell in 1868, but “the way of the warrior” lives on in the artistry of their armorers.

The city of Kumamoto is steeped in the spirit of its samurai past ... goes back around a millennium to the dawn of the legendary warriors. Various samurai clans in the region vied for supremacy ...

The samurai belonged to the intellectual elite ... poetry that often contrasted with the violent nature of battle. The warrior class rose to power in the 12th century, and their influence grew ...