Picture of man in samurai costume and white headband on his one knee.

These samurai devotees bring a cherished culture back to life

A photographer’s search for his Japanese identity leads him to rediscover the past in the present.

At Japan’s Soma Nomaoi Festival, armor-clad participants, some of whom have samurai ancestry, parade and race on horseback. Here, Mitsuo Abe—in everyday life, a dealer in antique armor—dresses as a type of samurai called go-taisho, a battalion general.
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