The following article I found very interesting. It was circulating on Face book before I saw it on the Sampradaya Sun this morning. It is very informative, and is worth reprinting here.
The Samurai: Protectors of the Cow
by Jahnava Nitai das
Mar 01, 2015 — ORISSA (SUN)
If I were to tell you, that once, no other country, save India, revered the cow as much as Japan, I could understand your disbelief. Today, we think of Japan as a meat-eating culture. However, this image is a product of the last 150 years of American influence. The traditional Japanese culture held the cow as the most sacred animal. What follows next is the true story of among the greatest protectors of the cow – the Samurai.
The Hare Krishna Movement 