The Samurai began to decline with a lack of war for 200 years. Samurai were on a fixed wage, meaning the money they made was dependent on their battles. This means, for these 200 years, the Samurai were very poor. In 1853, Japan introduced trade routes with America, starting an Industrial Revolution with the opening of the nation's first railroad. Without Japan's inital isolation, the nation became more modernized, leaving behind the ways of the Samurai.