Samurai: The Story of Japan's Great Warriors

by Stephen Turnbull

Four vellum sections build up the layers of armor worn by the samurai, and text by a world-recognized expert on the subject, provide an inimitable look at the mysterious ancient Japanese warrior class. Every image and page offers fascinating insight, from an overview of early Japan and the emperor system to the specifics of weaponry. The story begins as the samurai come into being in the 800s, and defines exactly what they are. Tales of the great battles and feuds, and commentary on the politics of the time, bring these compelling soldiers to life. The comprehensive information covers such issues as the samurai's ranks and grades, way of life, retainers, loyalty (bushido), and training. An absolutely compelling guide.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Japan, Japanese History, Military History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2004

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

[Paul Hartzog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great breadth of topics with fascinating anecdotes and stories and history, smorgasbord of delights. Turnbull once again brings richness and color to this generous overview of one of his, and my, favorite topics. If you know nothing about samurai, this book is a great entry point, and if you already are interested in them, then this book is sure to reveal several things you didn't already know.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have used better illustrations of weapons. Armor diagrams were pretty good.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just looked at the pictures.

[Alexis Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really informative and pretty concise with the overall history of samurai. As far as I can tell, pretty unbiased as well.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be more appropriately labeled as an illustrated history of the samurai. As such the book is lavishly decked out in samurai art that is simply gorgeous. There are also four or five semi-transparent overlays that demonstrate how a samurai from various periods was dressed starting with his skivvies all the way up to the armor. However, why, oh why, do they publish books like this without maps of the lands in question? A military book without maps is a crime.

The book has brief sections on Japanese history, armor, swords, fortifications, organization, tactics, etc. Because of this structure, the book itself cannot be considered a work of unified history. You will find the same periods and characters being mentioned repeatedly in differing contexts. This can make for a choppy and somewhat confusing read, but the author is a preeminent author on the samurai, so view this work more as a reference, albeit a very well appointed one that would look very nice on a coffee table. As an aside, I was directed to this book because I read an article by the author in the Naval War College Review about Japanese threats to invade the Philippines in the samurai era, so know that Mr. Turnbull is well regarded.

[Roger Perales · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book for the most part...it was a good overview of Japanese history with lots of interesting bits of information I didn't know before, however, Turnbull is just not a very good writer. Also, there were lots of interesting pictures with brief captions that made me want to learn more, but they were basically just random pictures that didn't have anything to do with anything else he wrote in the book.

[Yanik · Rating 3 out of 5]

great broad history of the samurai

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly informative coffee table book (generally otherwise, in my experience, a genre more aiming for looks than brains).