Samurai is a tv documentary first aired on the history channel on march 16, 2010 the documentary follows mark dacascos as he travels throughout japan. An illustrated history kindle edition by mitsuo kure. Shogun is a novel epic written by james clavell, an australianborn man who was inspired. Wert shows that the real story of the samurai is more complex, more nuanced, and more interesting than its popular portrayal. Due to the difficulty of translating from japanese to english, code of the samurai took its time to reach the west. The last samurai blends over a decade of real history into a shorter narrative, while changing a french hero into an american one.
The style follows herodotus in the form of a story, not the thucydides style. He described the book as a virtual encyclopedia of japanese history and culture. Samurai were the dominant group in japan, and the masterless samurai, the ronin, were a serious social problem. From a leading expert in japanese history, this is one of the first full histories of the art and culture of the samurai warrior. This book covers samurai history, but japanese history as well, since the samurai were. This book includes a breakdown of every piece of the armour worn by the samurai and the weapons they used, the history of how and why the armor was developed. Im currently interested in learning more about samurais. Oct, 2016 the samurai part 1 the samurai part 1 the samurai part 1.
In the early 16th century, japan is a warlike society ruled by samurai and their daimyo warlords. The book of five rings by miyamoto musashi, instruction manual for the 21st century samurai by alexei maxim russell, the art. Miyamoto musashi was the greatest swordsman to ever come out a nation of great swordsmen japan. There are a lot of books that i know that write about the samurais way of life, or philosophy, but i am struggling to find books that. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading samurai. Anne meadows, writing in granta, ranked it as the best book of 2000.
The inspiration for the jedi knights of star wars and the films of akira kurosawa, the legendary japanese samurai have captured modern imaginations. Mark dacascos samurai miyamoto musashi documentary the. Taking in folklore, history and the worlds first novel, here is some of the best. This japanese history book traces the story of a unique historical phenomenon. Set against the background of japans social and political history, the book records the rise and rise of japans extraordinary warrior class from earliest. What are some good nonfiction books on the samurai. His story, which has become the basis for countless flying swordsman oriental movies, is one of. The animated series, afro samurai, became wellliked in american popular culture due to its blend of hackandslash animation and gritty urban music. What are some good book recommendations on samurai. This is a wellwritten book on the history of the samurai, how they came to be, and how they came to cease. Aug 18, 2014 samurai is a tv documentary first aired on the history channel on march 16, 2010 the documentary follows mark dacascos as he travels throughout japan, exploring the history or story of the famous. This was without a doubt the best, most comprehensive, and most sweeping book that i have read on the history of the samurai. Sekigahara was the greatest samurai battle in history. Also, nice historical artworks and manual images showing the use of firearms and battle tactics employing their use, and even pictures of japanese armor that had been shot at for early testing purposes.
Paragons of virtue, exemplars of honour, beacons of integrity and masters of warfare the knights of the east. It continues to be the most authoritative work on samurai life and warfare published outside japan. Hong kong cnn when feudal japans most powerful warlord nobunaga oda met yasuke, a black slaveturnedretainer, in 1581, he believed the man was a god. Yet with these elite warriors who were bound by a code of honor called bushido the way of the warrior the reality behind the myth proves more fascinating than any fiction. The greatest warriors of japan history of japan see u in history duration. In the books introduction you talk about a global fantasy about the samurai.
In the piece christian lorentzen wrote, the last samurai is, in a few ways, an instruction manual. The best books score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Brief history of the samurai courtesy of mark mcgee. Nihon no bijutsu japanese matchlock firearms, ammunition, and history. The best books on samurai five books expert recommendations.
An illustrated history brings the violent, tumultuous, and, at the same time, elegant world of the medieval japanese samurai to life. In the piece christian lorentzen wrote, the last samurai is, in a. History shows that the most loyal samurai were usually family members or financial dependents of their lords. Nov 01, 2018 paragons of virtue, exemplars of honour, beacons of integrity and masters of warfare the knights of the east. The samurai, members of a powerful military caste in feudal japan, began as provincial warriors before rising to power in the 12th century with the beginning shows this day in history. They were encouraged to take up bureaucratic posts. The practice of seppuku continued until 1873 when it was formally outlawed. Around the same time, warriors were increasingly hired by wealthy landowners that had grown independent of the central government and built armies for their own protection. First published in 1977, the samurai has long since become a standard work of reference. The samurai part 1 the samurai part 1 the samurai part 1. I did not realize, when i ordered the book, that it was about saigo takamori, but it would have made no difference, i would have ordered it anyway. Japan has a history that dates back thousands of years. Yet with these elite warriors who were bound by a code of honor called bushido.
It was actually an account of the aristocracy of japan rather than about the samurai themselves. The samurai trace their origins to the heian period campaigns to subdue the native emishi people in the tohoku region. The samurai emerged as a warrior caste in medieval japan and would have a powerful influence on the history and culture of the country from the next 500 years. Many samurai had their own dedicated assistants or baishin who also worked any land their master owned. Youve just written this very nice, brief history of the samurai, its just over a hundred pages long. May 19, 2019 hong kong cnn when feudal japans most powerful warlord nobunaga oda met yasuke, a black slaveturnedretainer, in 1581, he believed the man was a god. Samurai is the popular term in the west to refer to warriors in general. The book looks more at the why something happened, than the how of events. This is what we generally picture when we think of the infamous samurai. A wealth of info on some of the top samurai clans and history of their battles. From a leading expert in japanese history, this is o. What disappointed you about a brief history of the samurai.
Another main goal of this project is to record the construction of a replica of. Jul 24, 2019 some samurai were relatives of the landowners they protected, while others were simply hired swords. Code of the samurai is straight to the point guidelines on bushido. Some samurai were relatives of the landowners they protected, while others were simply hired swords. The book is tons of fun, and has an interesting main character, as well as a lot of action, and a strong villain. A certain amount of background is required to understand the theme but the background became the bulk of this book.
List of best books about samurai, including jacket cover images when available. Jan 15, 2018 miyamoto musashi was the greatest swordsman to ever come out a nation of great swordsmen japan. A 2018 article in new york named the last samurai as the novel of the century. Samurai was a history book i have been trying to find for years. Katsunos revenge and other tales of the samurai, 3. The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic warriors, but it came to apply to all the members of the warrior class that rose to power in the 12th century and dominated the japanese government until the meiji restoration in 1868. The life and legend of the warrior rebel, taira masakado. The samurai were members of a warrior class who rose to power in japan from the 12th century onwards. The samurai archives history page is an indepth research page on japanese samurai history, with details of the samurai warriors and battles of japanese history. In samurai, john man provides a unique and captivating look at.
Its 150 years since rebel samurai overthrew the old tokugawa. Looking for some informational books on the samurai. Brief history of the samurai university of michigan. It describes the life and career of saburo sakai, the japanese combat aviator who fought against american fighter pilots in the pacific theater of world war ii, surviving the war with 64 kills as one of japans leading flying aces. Some enjoyed reading this pulp, mens adventure novel, and cannot wait to get their hands on more of these novels. Japan had long been at civil war until brought under the rule of first oda nobunaga, and upon his death at the hands of a traitorous general, that of toyotomi hideyoshi, who completed the unification of japan and brought unknown peace. While turnbull entitles the work a military history, this book goes far beyond a mere tallyingup of war stories, delving into mythology, religion and politics and stripping away many of the illusions that so many people both in japan and abroad have about the.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The golden kill is the second novel in the black samurai series, which was released in the year 1974. Hagakure translates to hidden leaves, likely a reference at revealing an ancient code. Scientists believe the japanese people descended from many groups that migrated to the islands from other parts of asia, including china and korea. Generously illustrated issue dedicated to early japanese matchlock arms, and other types of rifles, and cannons. Japan had long been at civil war until brought under the rule of first oda nobunaga, and upon his death at the hands of a traitorous general, that of toyotomi hideyoshi, who completed the unification of.
The samurai code emphasized loyalty to ones mastereven over family loyalty. In this section of the website though ill take you through the key points in japanese martial history and how these events shaped and changed the samurai. May 01, 1977 this was without a doubt the best, most comprehensive, and most sweeping book that i have read on the history of the samurai. The definitive history of the samurai, by acclaimed author of ninja. Top samurai novels score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. In this section of the website though ill take you through the key points in japanese martial. The way of japans elite warriors presents the history of japan where the samurai played a vital role with in a concise 300 page, while also avoiding the dry textbook prose.
It also vastly alters the attitudes of the sides, making the new government out to be evil and oppressive. A brief history of the samurai audiobook by jonathan. Japanese history books are as varied and engaging as the countrys history. Jonathan clements author of a brief history of the samurai. Created by takashi okazaki, afro samurai was initially a dojinshi, or manga series, which was then made into an animated series by studio gonzo. Whether you are looking for a tome that covers a very specific period in great detail, or one that gives a broad overview of nearly every major event and cultural phenomenon in this fascinating county, you can find it on this list.