With the downfall of the samurai, for instance, swords as works of art went out of existence. Then those artists had to turn their attention to the embellishment of little articles in common use, such as the sagemono or the hanging things which the Japanese men carried attached to their obis (the tight sashes that hold the kimono in place). The latter consisted of a pipe in a case, a tobacco pouch, perhaps a box of flint and steel, an inro carrying seals or medicines, or a pen case with a section for the ink.