Bushido: Prefecture of Ryu - Takashi Kazuo

Samurai culture has both military and feudal culture.  Everyone fits into the social pyramid where a leader had his trusted supporters under his command. They in turn had their own respective supporters under their command, and so on and so on. The Takashi retainers are all capable warriors in the service of a Takashi Samurai of a higher rank, willing to lay down their lives in service. A high ranking lord will always have at least a hand full of retainers watching and guarding them at all times, constantly scanning a crowd or appraising a seemingly harmless peasant seeking council.