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Command #24
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Towards the end of the 16th century three outstanding commanders brought Japan's century of civil wars to an end, and even though reunification was first achieved under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it was his successor Tokugawa Ieyasu who was to ensure a lasting peace.
In terms of his strategic and political achievements Ieyasu ranks as Japan's greatest samurai commander. His battlefield prowess, however, needs careful consideration before accolades are offered, because Ieyasu was undoubtedly a lucky general. Mikata ga Hara, for example, was a defeat that the onset of winter saved from being a rout.
Ieyasu's crowning victory at Sekigahara depended very much on the defection to his side of Kobayakawa Hideaki, and the absence from the scene of Ieyasu's son Hidetada serves to illustrate how just once there was a failure in Ieyasu's otherwise classic strategic vision. Yet Ieyasu possessed the particular wisdom of knowing who should be an ally and who was an enemy, and he was gifted in the broad brush strokes of a campaign. He also knew how to learn from his mistakes.
Ieyasu was also patient, a virtue sadly lacking in many of his contemporaries, and unlike Hideyoshi never outreached himself. To establish his family as the ruling clan in Japan for the next two and a half centuries was abundant proof of his true greatness.
In terms of his strategic and political achievements Ieyasu ranks as Japan's greatest samurai commander. His battlefield prowess, however, needs careful consideration before accolades are offered, because Ieyasu was undoubtedly a lucky general. Mikata ga Hara, for example, was a defeat that the onset of winter saved from being a rout.
Ieyasu's crowning victory at Sekigahara depended very much on the defection to his side of Kobayakawa Hideaki, and the absence from the scene of Ieyasu's son Hidetada serves to illustrate how just once there was a failure in Ieyasu's otherwise classic strategic vision. Yet Ieyasu possessed the particular wisdom of knowing who should be an ally and who was an enemy, and he was gifted in the broad brush strokes of a campaign. He also knew how to learn from his mistakes.
Ieyasu was also patient, a virtue sadly lacking in many of his contemporaries, and unlike Hideyoshi never outreached himself. To establish his family as the ruling clan in Japan for the next two and a half centuries was abundant proof of his true greatness.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Stephen Turnbull
146 books128 followersStephen Richard Turnbull is British a historian specializing in eastern military history, especially the samurai of Japan. His books are mainly on Japanese and Mongolian subjects. He attended Cambridge University where he gained his first degree. He currently holds an MA in Theology, MA in Military History and a PhD from the University of Leeds where he is currently a lecturer in Far Eastern Religions. He has also written a number of books on other medieval topics. He is semi-retired but still holds the post of Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University in Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 12, 2018
I have always been fascinated by this enigmatic man who managed to unify a nation ruled by fragmented political goals and constant civil wars. In this book, Turnbull analyses Tokugawa Ieyasu's military and political career to determine the qualities of the commander who can accomplish all this
While I enjoyed reading about the nitty gritties of the shifting alliances and war strategies, at first glance, they tend to come across as a bombardment of facts,names and dates without any goal. I wish the author would have added more photographs (especially in a book that talks about so many castle layouts and geographical features) to provide a sense of time and place.
While I enjoyed reading about the nitty gritties of the shifting alliances and war strategies, at first glance, they tend to come across as a bombardment of facts,names and dates without any goal. I wish the author would have added more photographs (especially in a book that talks about so many castle layouts and geographical features) to provide a sense of time and place.
June 23, 2016
I'd expected more from this, honestly.
It does have a lot of ground to cover in too few pages, but even so, it just reads as a long list of names , places and dates, not providing nearly enough context.
It does have a lot of ground to cover in too few pages, but even so, it just reads as a long list of names , places and dates, not providing nearly enough context.
April 20, 2025
At less than a hundred pages, it is no surprise that it is lacking in details. Despite that, it is not a quick read, because it is tedious. I do not recommend reading this unless you already have a grasp of who the major historical figures are and where the places are. At most they get a sentence of explanation before moving on to a summary of events. If you are new to this, you will lack context for who is doing what where. This biography is also overly obsequious of Ieyasu and yet lacking in details of how he is as a commander and a leader.
I will include an addendum and alternative if I read a better biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu (and if future me remember this review).
I will include an addendum and alternative if I read a better biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu (and if future me remember this review).
November 5, 2021
En bredpenslad översikt. Min enda anteckning: "VEM är bilden av en man", vilket kom i relation till Ieyasu propagandastycken.
February 23, 2018
Although I have come across many mentions of Tokugawa Ieyasu in dramas and movies to date, this is the first time I've read a book specially dedicated to him. There were some new facts I discovered through this book which were really interesting. However, there was too much detail about the battles he went through and the part about Sekigahara was kind of hard to read. I would have preferred the book to talk more about Ieyasu as a person including his family and friends rather than just his deeds on the battlefield.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews