The Samurai Capture a King: Okinawa 1609

Osprey Raid #6

by Stephen Turnbull, Richard Hook (Illustrator), Donato Spedaliere (Illustrator)

A brilliant but little-known operation, the Shimazu clan raid on the independent kingdom of Rykkyu (modern Okinawa) in 1609 is one of the most extraordinary episodes in samurai history and the culmination of centuries of rivalry between the two powers. The defeat of the Shimazu at Sekigahara in 1600, and their need to win favor with the new ShMgun, led them to hatch an audacious plot to attack the islands on the ShMgun's behalf and bring back the king of Rykkyu as a hostage. Stephen Turnbull gives a blow-by-blow account of the operation, from the daring Shimazu amphibious landing, to their rapid advance overland, and the tactical feigned retreat that saw the Shimazu defeat the Okinawan army and kidnap their king in spectacular fashion. With a detailed background and specially commissioned artwork, the scene is set for a dramatic retelling of this fascinating raid.

Genres: History, Japan, Military History, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published November 17, 2009

About the author

Stephen 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.

Reviews

[Sleepy Boy]

Nice overview of a little known campaign, pulling from the few period sources on the subject the author does a good job of piecing together the campaign and examining the political shaming of the King. Author also dispels the myth of Okinawa being peaceful to foreign observers, simply put the Japanese would go into hiding when foreign delegations visited as they did not want China or others to know they ruled the island. Nice filler read.

[Graham Hill]

Turgid. The main problem would seem to be that the subject chosen is an unimportant affair about which little was written at the time and so the author has to pad it out to make up his desired word count. He does so in a very uninspired fashion.

[Federico Lucifredi]

An interesting history of a Samurai raid that led to the addition of the Ryukyu archipelago to the Shogun's domains. Masterfully told by peerless Japanese historian Stephen Turnbull.

[Mick]

A very readable account of the raid on Ryukyu by the Shimazu clan in 1609. It is brief (as are all Osprey books), but seems quite complete. Good for a non-specialist like me.

[Trevor Kew]

In my continuing quest to read everything ever written about Japan (...), this brief account of the 1609 invasion of Ryukyu (now Okinawa) was very enjoyable in that "untold story" kind of way. It may help to have traveled to Okinawa and Kyushu...as if you have not, many of the place names and geographical features will be hard to imagine...but overall it is an intriguing read, especially as a companion piece to Turnbull's wonderful "Samurai: A Military History." In fact, I would recommend to anyone interested in Japanese history to read that book first, and then branch out into Turnbull's other books to get more in-depth information about certain events such as the Ryukyu Invasion or the invasions of of Korea in the 16th century. One warning: the Kindle version doesn't show the maps and images very well.

[Adam Gutschenritter]

An interesting read about the fall of Okinawa to Japan in 1609. I like the description of the planning and how it is tied to the success of the raid. I loved the counter-factual question suggested about the meeting of the Portuguese and them meeting a culture who already valued the gun. That is an idea I would have loved to explore.

[Ta0paipai]

A detailed account on a little known, little covered piece of Ryukyu/Japanese history. Although an excellent resource, the book is only relevant and accessible to those with an interest or background in Okinawan and Japanese history.

[Brandon]

A well-done small book (almost a pamphlet) containing good coverage of the Japanese capture of Okinawa in 1609. Terrific illustrations throughout.