The Samurai

by Stephen Turnbull

Overview

A fascinating and lavishly illustrated guide to the world of the Samurai warrior, delving into the history of their campaigning, their arms and armour, as well as their day-to-day lives and their warrior ethos.

The world of the samurai, the legendary elite warrior cult of old Japan, has for too long been associated solely with military history and has largely remained a mystery. In this exciting book, Stephen Turnbull, the world's leading authority on the samurai, goes beyond the battlefield to paint a picture of the samurai as they really were.

The world of the samurai warrior is revealed to be one of great richness, with familiar topics such as the cult of suicide, ritualised revenge and the lore of the samurai sword being seen in the context of an all-encompassing warrior culture that was expressed through art and poetry as much as through violence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472813749
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/25/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Stephen Turnbull is the one of the world's leading English-language authorities on samurai culture. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) from Leeds University. In 1996 he received a PhD from Leeds for his thesis on Japan's Kakure Kirishitan. In its published form the work won the Japan Festival Literary Award in 1998. Having lectured in East Asian Studies and Theology he is now retired and is an Honorary Lecturer at Leeds, a Research Associate at SOAS and Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Akita International University. He has published 73 books and many journal articles. His expertise was also put to use in helping design the award-winning computer strategy game Shogun Total War, and in 2010 he acted as Historical Adviser to Universal Pictures for the movie 47 Ronin. He is currently working on a major project tracing the historical evolution of the ninja as a cultural phenomenon.
Stephen Turnbull is widely recognised as the world's leading English language authority on the samurai of Japan. He took his first degree at Cambridge and has two MAs (in Theology and Military History) and a PhD from Leeds University. He is now retired and pursues an active literary career, having now published 85 books. His expertise has helped with numerous projects including films, television and the award-winning strategy game Shogun Total War.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chronology

The warrior lifestyle
Arms and armour
'The way of the samurai is found in death'
The samurai at war
Strongholds of the samurai
The last samurai

Glossary