The Samurai, the elite warrior class of the feudal Japan, influenced the course of Japanese history for almost a thousand years, from the tenth century guards of the imperial palace in Kyoto to Saigo Takamori, the "last of the Samurai", who lived until 1877. Providing surprisingly close parallels, in their conflicts and tactics, to the knights of medieval and renaissance Europe, the suit of armor of the Samurai nevertheless evolved somewhat differently, though still providing the protection required against the weapons of the day.