Samurai : The Story of Japan's Great Warriors

by Stephen Turnbull

Few countries have a warrior tradition as ancient and exciting as that of Japan--and it is embodied by one powerful and romantic figure: the loyal, self-sacrificing samurai. Exalted in stories, painting, and film, he was the valiant lone swordsman in battle, the ultimate individual combatant, but also a lover of beauty and nature. And for over 700 years, the samurai--whose name means "those who serve"--ruled Japan, struggling to protect the country from foreign influences. Their history and that of the nation are inseparably intertwined, and both unfold with the help of some 300 line drawings, photographs, and maps. Follow their rise between the 9th and 11th centuries A.D., their participation in over 600 years of civil war, and their role shift from knights on horseback to peacemaking administrators. Understand bushido, the complex code of conduct they lived by, and finally their decline and disappearance. A thrilling saga of an ever-fascinating warrior tribe.

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

256 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).