Samurai: The Story of a Warrior Tradition

by Harry Cook

For centuries, the Samurai dominated Japan. Although they have disappeared, their values--honor, loyalty, and bravery-continue to influence Japanese thought today. Where did these fierce warriors come from? How did they achieve such power? This engrossing history recounts the Samurai's foundation myths, the tales of princes and emperors who set the stage for the feudal system where the Samurai thrived, the battles that changed Japan's landscape and culture, and the emergence of the clans who became the Samurai's employers. Explore the "way of the warrior" in poetry and these contemporary documents reveal the Samurai's high regard for the bow and arrow, their codes of behavior and their attitudes toward fear and death. Photographs show rare surviving specimens of elaborate suits of armor, often beautiful weapons, and castles. Pages abound with drawings, paintings, and photos both classical and modern. Plentiful sidebars focus on especially significant and compelling events. Insightful and physically striking, this thrilling account will mesmerize readers everywhere. A complete history of the Samurai, and tales of how they came to dominate Japan for centuries. Sterling 144 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 11 3/8.

Genres: Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

A perfectly serviceable book for what it is, it contained more non-samurai specific Japanese history than I was expecting but that’s not really a bad thing.

[Stephen Heverin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is OK, its a nice overview to Samurai, however the book lacks context and really doesn't give you a good feel for the time line they are dealing with. It would be helpful to give a chronology and tackle in some sort of order. It would also be helpful to provide a pronunciation guide for a lot of the names.