Japan’s 12 Most Famous Samurai

Japan's most famous samurai largely emerged from its two most significant feudal conflicts: the Genpei War (1180-1185) and the last years of the Warring States Period (1467-1590). The former war produced the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333); the latter series of conflicts culminated in the Tokugawa Shogunate, which then ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868.