Samurai are the so-called knights in Japan. At first, they served the emperor and other nobles and performed practical affairs, but from around the 12th century, their power became so strong that they even took part in Japanese politics.

During the Edo period (1603-1867), the Tokugawa family of samurai were in charge of politics for generations, but as the country became more stable and civilized, samurai began to focus on politics rather than fighting and were finally abolished during the Meiji period (1868-1912), when Japan began to develop into a modern country with relations with Western nations.