This guy is a samurai, a feudal warrior.  You probably already knew that, but you may not know that armies of these guys wreaked havoc upon Japan from the early 12th C until Tokugawa Ieyasu took control as a military dictator in 1600.  He declared himself the Shogun and set up his capital in Edo, known today as Tokyo. This Pax Tokugawa period is also called the Edo Era.    Relative peace lasted for over 250 years which pretty much meant that these fellows lost their livelihood (fighting) and had to find work elsewhere.  This was a giant step down for these warriors! 

Since 1586 the Shogun, Hideyosi, had decreed that saurai could not become townsmen and farmers could not leave their land.  Townspeople could carry only one short sword for protection and farmers could own none.  Only samurai were permitted two swords, a long one and one short, both protruding from his girdle on the left-hand side, ready for the right hand to grasp the handle in an emergency.  

The inequality of human beings was accepted in Japan and great effort was made to protect the lives and safety of those ranked above.  A very rigid class structure was created that went like this from top to bottom... Shogun (military dictator), Daimyo (land-lords), Samurai (warriors), Farmers (producers), Craftsmen (workers) and Merchants (viewed as parasites  because they produced nothing for society's benefit, only traded the products labored over by others.)  Outside of this structure was the Emperor in Kyoto who was a god-figure.  The unclean underclass known as the Eta (the name applied in western textbooks) or burakumin (as they are called in Japanese textbooks) was associated with the filthy jobs of tanning leather and slaughtering animals.  To this day it is unacceptable to bring the subject of Eta up in conversation. Some families even hire private detectives to guarantee that no burakumin-blood exists in the future marriage partner of their son or daughter! 

Ichi-go Ichi-e is an expression that Julia and I learned at the traditional tea ceremony (more on tea later).  It literally means "One-time, One-meeting."   This idea, with origins in Buddhism, is that each experience is only enjoyed once in a lifetime and is transcendent.  Each experience is unique in time and place.   This expression is applied to all settings but particularly to social gatherings involving food.  When applied to food preparation and the dining experience, ambiance and all details are perfectly orchestrated down to the tiniest detail.  

YouTube has several videos on the exquisite, painstaking food preparations of Japanese chefs.  One covers Kaiseki which is the ultimate expression of the culinary arts.  (To see the video:  Kaiseki)  Japan is truly the pinnacle of culinary experiences.  The photo below shows one of the first meals that Julia and I enjoyed.  It was a simple meal yet we reveled in its variety, flavors, and beauty.  (The photo does not do it justice.)