16K views · 160 reactions | During the Tokugawa era (1603–1868), the samurai were not just warriors but a ruling class. By the mid-19th century, as many as two million people nearly 8% of Japan’s population belonged to samurai families. Even after the samurai system was abolished in 1868, their legacy endured. Today, countless Japanese families can trace their ancestry back to the samurai, linking modern Japan directly to its warrior past. | Ancient History Revived | Facebook