The Samurai Swordsman
Master of War
Stephen Turnbull
Found in: Medieval History
All Frontline Books
Hardback 208 pages
ISBN: 9781844157129
Published: 20 February 2008
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Samurai tells the story of the courageous and highly disciplined fighting men of this time, showing how they evolved from the primitive fighters of the seventh century into an invincible military caste with a fearsome reputation. In the early seventh century, the samurai rose to prominence during the struggles between the emperor and the military leaders (shogun). They took part in the invasion of Korea, as well as helping to keep Japan free from foreign influence. From the Heian period through to the Onin wars, the history of the samurai is replete with tales of heroism and bloodshed. Although the samurai is most famous for his use of the sword, he also used a wide variety of other weapons, such as the crossbow, the dagger and the spear. Samurai armour and costume were constantly evolving, and by the twelfth century most samurai were wearing the box-like yoroi armour. Samurai examines samurai fighting tactics, as well as acts such as ritual suicide (hari-kiri) and the taking of enemy heads as trophies.
Product Reviews
Samurai Swordsman is a coffee table book with an abundance of full colour photos, prints, paintings, and portraits (some taking up two pages). Like most of Turnbull's books, it's a visual treat. Turnbull also displays an excellent writing style, giving life and a dramatic flair to the tales of old. Turnbull's bibliography is outstanding (with both English and Japanese language sources from academia and general surveys), and will give readers several excellent avenues to pursue further study.
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