As Years Roll By,

so many traditions and fashions are forgotten,

 but some still stay alive today,

  you might think that these pictures were taken 100 or more years ago,

as Samurai warriors were at the end of their reign and photography was still in it's infancy, 

 but in fact these pictures were all taken last year by photographer Everett Kennedy Brown, they are of the people of Soma, Fukushima, who carry on the 800-year tradition of the annual Nomaoi (“Wild Horse Chase”) ceremony in which residents dress up in traditional samurai costume, when Brown travelled up to Fukushima prefecture after the March 11 disaster to connect with people who live there he met Michitane Soma, the 34th generation head of the Soma warrior clan, it was then that Brown discovered the wonderful tradition these samurai descendants were keeping alive, 

Brown was given access to photograph 44 Soma residents wearing traditional samurai costume, using wet plate collodion photography, which is a photographic technique used some 150 years ago and advanced digital techniques, Brown captures the rich cultural tapestry of samurai fashion with a deep insight into each of the individuals, “It was more important to centre themselves in their 800-year-old samurai tradition,” writes Brown, “than to succumb to the changing winds of time.” Brown’s photographs were recently on display at hpgrp gallery in New York, as well as the Art on Paper fair, what a magical look into the past.