Clad in samurai armour, Ishin Takahashi was among thousands who took part in an ancient festival at the weekend in the shadow of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. With an evacuation order ...

Steel and shadow shaped ancient Japan, influencing its battles, strategies, and way of life. On one side, the samurai, fierce warriors bound by honor, sliced through battles with unmatched skill.

It’s one of the only cities in Japan to still have a samurai district. Of course, samurai were abolished in the late-19th Century as Japan modernised, so you can’t find samurai here today.

SUWA, Nagano -- A team of "matchlock samurai" clad in full battle gear recently demonstrated ancient artillery at the Takashima Castle Festival in this central Japan city.