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Samurai: An Illustrated History
An Illustrated History brings the violent, tumultuous, and, at the same time, elegant world of the medieval Japanese samurai to life.
This Japanese history book traces the story of a unique historical a period of 700 years--equivalent to the entire stretch of Western history between the reigns of the Crusader king Richard the Lionhearted and of Queen Victoria at the height of the British Empire--during which an enclosed civilization was dominated by a single warrior caste.
The historical narrative of samurai history is supported by explanations of samurai armor, weapons, fortifications, tactics, and customs, and illustrated with nearly 800 fascinating color photographs, maps, and sketches, including ancient scroll paintings and surviving suits of armor preserved for centuries in Japanese shrines.
From the 12th to the 19th centuries the history of Japan was mainly the history of the samurai--the class of professional fighting men. At first, they were no more than lowly soldiery employed by the court aristocracy of Kyoto, but the growing power of the provincial warrior clans soon enabled them to brush aside the executive power of the imperial court and to form a parallel military government. Though individual dynasties came and went in cycles of vigor and decadence, the dominance of the samurai as a class proved uniquely resilient.
This Japanese history book traces the story of a unique historical a period of 700 years--equivalent to the entire stretch of Western history between the reigns of the Crusader king Richard the Lionhearted and of Queen Victoria at the height of the British Empire--during which an enclosed civilization was dominated by a single warrior caste.
The historical narrative of samurai history is supported by explanations of samurai armor, weapons, fortifications, tactics, and customs, and illustrated with nearly 800 fascinating color photographs, maps, and sketches, including ancient scroll paintings and surviving suits of armor preserved for centuries in Japanese shrines.
From the 12th to the 19th centuries the history of Japan was mainly the history of the samurai--the class of professional fighting men. At first, they were no more than lowly soldiery employed by the court aristocracy of Kyoto, but the growing power of the provincial warrior clans soon enabled them to brush aside the executive power of the imperial court and to form a parallel military government. Though individual dynasties came and went in cycles of vigor and decadence, the dominance of the samurai as a class proved uniquely resilient.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 25, 2019
One unique aspect of this volume is that many of the photos are of Japanese reenactors in historical costume. The other illustrations are run of the mill, you see the same ones in other books and some of the illustrations seem a bit off. A good costume reference, especially since there are some female and young persons present.
February 26, 2008
it's surprising to know Japanese troops were having wars with such a heavy costume.
their loyalty to their master and pride to be people of Japan...wow..
it makes me wondering no more how Japan can be one of the great countries in the world just like now..
their loyalty to their master and pride to be people of Japan...wow..
it makes me wondering no more how Japan can be one of the great countries in the world just like now..
July 20, 2023
Highly insightful
Although some of the final chapters are hard to follow, the first part of the book follows a nice chronological study of samurai and the evolution of armor. I came at this as a relative novice but was able to glean a lot of understanding for just one book. I expect I will return to this book in the future both as reference and to dive deeper into some of the specifics around individuals and their campaigns.
Although some of the final chapters are hard to follow, the first part of the book follows a nice chronological study of samurai and the evolution of armor. I came at this as a relative novice but was able to glean a lot of understanding for just one book. I expect I will return to this book in the future both as reference and to dive deeper into some of the specifics around individuals and their campaigns.
December 19, 2021
The illustrations are quite nice, especially the reenactment costumes, however the written content is quite sorely lacking and uninspired. Often, the illustrations actually have no relation to what's being discussed, which is especially apparent when discussing anything after the Sengoku Jidai period.
March 11, 2023
Very historiaric. So nice to see how they used to wear armor and make them.
July 17, 2015
Samurai dan bangkitnya kekuasaan bersenjata di Jepang dimulai pada abad 12 dan berakhir di abad 19. Tujuh ratus tahun penuh dengan peperangan, pengkhianatan, dan invasi antar sesama penduduk provinsi di Jepang. Baru abad 15, ada pemimpin yang punya visi mempersatukan Jepang (dalam satu kepemimpinan tunggal yg totaliter), yaitu Oda Nobunaga diteruskan Toyotomi Hideyoshi dan akhirnya Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Bandingkan dengan peradaban di Barat, atau Arabia dan Asia lain pada abad 12-19.
Bandingkan dengan peradaban di Barat, atau Arabia dan Asia lain pada abad 12-19.
November 16, 2014
While the material that is presented in this book is excellent, the author does sadly lose the proverbial red thread very soon after the first couple of chapters. The majority of what then follows feels rather haphazard and there is a lot of jumping back and forth between the various regions and centuries which could have been handled better. Rather disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews