Samurai: A Very Short Introduction
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- Author：Michael Wert
- ISBN：0190685077
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Summary
The idea of the sword-wielding samurai， beholden to a strict ethical code and trained in deadly martial arts， dominates popular conceptions of the samurai。 As early as the late seventeenth century， they were heavily featured in literature， art， theater， and even comedy， from the Tale of the Heike to the kabuki retellings of the 47 Ronin。 This legacy remains with us today in the legendary Akira Kurosawa films， the shoguns of HBO's Westworld， and countless renditions of samurai history in anime， manga， and video games。 Acknowledging these common depictions， this book gives readers access to the real samurai as they lived， fought， and served。
Much as they capture the modern imagination， the samurai commanded influence over the politics， arts， philosophy and religion of their own time， and ultimately controlled Japan from the fourteenth century until their demise in the mid-nineteenth century。 On and off the battlefield， whether charging an enemy on horseback or currying favor at the imperial court， their story is one of adventures and intrigues， heroics and misdeeds， unlikely victories and devastating defeats。 This book traces the samurai throughout this history， exploring their roles in watershed events such as Japan's invasions of Korea at the close of the sixteenth century and the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877。 Coming alive in these accounts are the samurai， both famed and ordinary， who shaped Japanese history。
Much as they capture the modern imagination， the samurai commanded influence over the politics， arts， philosophy and religion of their own time， and ultimately controlled Japan from the fourteenth century until their demise in the mid-nineteenth century。 On and off the battlefield， whether charging an enemy on horseback or currying favor at the imperial court， their story is one of adventures and intrigues， heroics and misdeeds， unlikely victories and devastating defeats。 This book traces the samurai throughout this history， exploring their roles in watershed events such as Japan's invasions of Korea at the close of the sixteenth century and the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877。 Coming alive in these accounts are the samurai， both famed and ordinary， who shaped Japanese history。
Reviews
Collin Doerr-Newton
，
Everything that you think you know about the samurai is a lie！
Christian
，
Not the best choice if its the only book on samurai history you ever intend to read - it is just too concise （as if you'd not have expected this！）。However， it is reflective enough of current scholarship， and does direct the reader to some recommendable works via its bibliography。Can't really go wrong for the price。 Not the best choice if its the only book on samurai history you ever intend to read - it is just too concise （as if you'd not have expected this！）。However， it is reflective enough of current scholarship， and does direct the reader to some recommendable works via its bibliography。Can't really go wrong for the price。 。。。more
Harooon
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In Samurai， Michael Wert traces the warriors of Japan from the early Heian and Kamakura periods to the emergence of a formal samurai class in the Muromachi and Warrior States periods， their Tokugawa-era decline， and finally Meiji-era dissolution。 This is not just a book about military history， but the social， cultural， and political life of the samurai， including the very idea of what it meant to be a samurai。The first thing to note is that until the Tokugawa period， there wasn’t a formal class In Samurai， Michael Wert traces the warriors of Japan from the early Heian and Kamakura periods to the emergence of a formal samurai class in the Muromachi and Warrior States periods， their Tokugawa-era decline， and finally Meiji-era dissolution。 This is not just a book about military history， but the social， cultural， and political life of the samurai， including the very idea of what it meant to be a samurai。The first thing to note is that until the Tokugawa period， there wasn’t a formal class of warriors and no single model for how warriors organised themselves。 Some were patronised by noble families， to whom they provided a variety of services， including warfare， law and order， and administration。 Others became pirates， brigands， or strongmen in a power vacuum。 Familial and regional feuds might draw men into picking sides。 But there was no shared warrior identity; of these early warriors， the general term bushi is more appropriate than samurai。During the Gempei War， the Miniamoto and Taira clans fought each other for dominance over the imperial court in Kyoto。 Miniamoto no Yoritomo emerged victorious in 1185。 Shortly thereafter， the emperor conferred the title of shogun upon him。 Because of this， as well as his military prowess， his practical ability to keep law and order， and his personal charisma， warriors flocked to Kamakura to pledge themselves as his retainers， as which they were obliged to fight his enemies。 Thus they began to develop a shared sense of identity based on their role as warriors。 Many warriors were opportunists and scoundrels; some pocketed money from their tax-collecting duty。 Other regional strongmen outside Kamakura “declared” themselves as retainers of Yoritomo as a means of legitimating their ambitions。。After Yoritomo’s death， his wife’s family - the Hōjō - exerted de facto control over the shogun as his regents。 Their actions consolidated power in a nascent warrior-managerial class。 First of all they appointed warrior-managers across Japan。 When the Mongols attempted to invade Japan， these warrior-managers were allowed to levy taxes on their own to raise money to fight the Mongols。 The Hōjō also tried to standardise tax and rice collection in a legal code。 While the shogun’s reach was never particularly strong outside Kamakura， this legal code was an influential blueprint which demonstrated the primacy of the shogun - who drew his authority from his feudalistic bonds - over that of the emperor。 Lastly， the Hōjō popularised primogeniture， according to which all land would be inherited by the eldest son， instead of being distributed among all children; this allowed clans to concentrate power in one branch， instead of diffusing it across multiple。The emperor grew resentful of the Kamakura shogun’s powers。 This led to a war in 1331 between those loyal to the emperor and those loyal to the shogun。 This event was tremendously important， particularly as it provided a basis on which power could be legitimately transferred back to the emperor later in the 19th century。 Thanks to the efforts of the Ashikaga clan， the emperor re-established himself as the supreme political authority， but not longer after this was usurped by Takauji Ashikaga who installed himself as shogun。The Ashikaga owed their success to their ability to build personal relations with the regional warrior families outside Kamakura。 They promised to redistribute land， wealth， and power after the overthrow of the Kamakura shogun。 It didn’t stop there though; far-flung governors and clans - such as in Kyūshū and Kamakura - assumed rights to levy taxes， enforce laws， and collect fees， through which they were able to establish bigger armies with which to enforce their power。 Out of this emerged the regional daimyo （warlords）。Up to this period， the supreme weapon in battle was the bow。 Battles were often more like skirmishes， dominated by horsemen armed with bows。 This is even reflected in the traditional term for the military arts: kyūba no michi - way of the horse and bow。 Swords were either small side-arms or large cleavers designed to smash and break horses’ legs。 Armour reflected the dominance of the bow: it was mostly heavy padded cloth covered with lacquered wood。 Warriors would paint their armour bright colours and wear terrifying masks， in emulation of the warrior-heroes in traditional plays。 Wert compares this to the yakuza， whose outfits and mannerisms and outfits often followed the example set in yakuza films， rather than the other way around。Warriors were never wealthy。 They had to petition their lords for compensation after killing his enemies。 This was done by collecting heads， a practice which emerged out of hunting down criminals， but which carried over to the battlefield， where warriors attempted to collect the heads of famous or high-ranking warriors。 This made them vulnerable， so some lords started a “cut and toss” system， where the details of who-killed-whom was to be figured out after the battle。 Some lowly， shameful warriors would attempt to cheat this system; it was considered absolutely disgraceful to be doing this！The Ashikaga were the pre-eminent daimyo until they had a bad run of leaders。 A succession crisis triggered the Ōnin war。 The ensuing chaos left a power vacuum for the next century and a half。 While the Ashikaga were nominally the supreme political authority， in practice daimyo did as they pleased。 There was also an important shift in military tactics。 Blocks of men moved in rows， armed with pikes。 The musket was reverse engineered by a local warlord when a Portuguese ship washed up on the island of Tanegashima in 1543， offering a powerful advantage to those warlords who could incorporate it into their military tactics。Nobunaga Oda， emerged as the pre-eminent warlord。 He first killed most of his family members， who could be rivals to his power。 Then he dissolved the Ashikaga shogunate。 To consolidate his power， he massacred the Ikko-Ikki， a confederation of peasant leagues and temples who followed the Jōdo Shinshū branch of Buddhism， which opposed the rule of daimyo。 Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his retainers， Mitsuhide Akechi， and succeeded by one of his closest followers， Hideyoshi Toyotomi。 Hideyoshi failed to unify Japan; he squandered many of his resources in unsuccessful campaigns against Korea， which served as an opportunity to send his enemies - regional warlords and Christians - to their death overseas。 After his death， another of Nobunaga’s followers， Ieyasu Tokugawa， established himself as the pre-eminent daimyo。 He established a new shogunate in 1600 after defeating his enemies at the Battle of Sekigahara。The Tokugawa established a new warrior class， to whom the word samurai became firmly attached。 Their surveys classified everyone as commoner or warrior， and this was a fixed category; if your parents were samurai， so were you。 The samurai were both the warriors and administrators of the domains of the lord under whom they served。 Only samurai were allowed to carry weapons。 Since the times of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Nobunaga Oda， “sword hunts” would be carried out by the shogun in order to confiscate any weapons held by commoners， which was a way of preventing any kind of uprising by peasants， monks， or commoners。The borders of these domains were not fixed。 The Tokugawa established and dissolved domains for various reasons， usually to consolidate power and weaken their rivals。 They often moved daimyo to new territories to weaken their power base。 Samurai might be elevated to daimyo to prevent the concentration of power in one particular region。 The shogun also enforced primogeniture everywhere and had to personally approve all marriages of daimyo and all heirs。 If a daimyo died and the shogun didn’t like his heir， he could dissolve the domain and redistribute it。The shogun also engaged in a practice known as “alternate attendance”。 His followers had to visit Edo （the shogun’s capital） every year。 This flowed out of an ancient tradition known as the hostage exchange， wherein the wives and heirs of daimyo had to live in the capital。 They were allowed to visit their families and domains， but only under strict conditions。 The system carried over to the Tokugawa period to prevent rebellions from forming。 The travel and living costs were also a huge drain on the daimyo， with 50% to 75% of their budget being spent on alternate attendance。The lords immediately under the shogun were classified according to whether they were vassal lords （fūdai） or outer domains （tozama）。 Fūdai were those who fought for the Tokugawa at Sekigahara; tozama were those who did not。 The tozama were treated unfairly and excluded from political decision-making。 The shogun drew his advisors from the vassal lords， especially the shimpan， who were from clans with kinship ties to the Tokugawa。While the Tokugawa exercised enormous power， in many ways theirs was a truly feudalistic system。 Domains had the power to raise their own taxes， establish their own currencies， and write and enforce their own laws。 Freedom of movement across domains was rigorously controlled by the shogun to prevent the formation of regional armies that might challenge his authority。 If a samurai crossed domains after committing a crime， only the shogun had the authority to order his arrest。 Sometimes this played against the shogun: during the Shimabara rebellion， some daimyo refused to mobilise their armies for fear they might be punished for leaving their domains。Foreign affairs were different。 These were conducted by the clan closest to the country in question， which made Tsushima and Satsuma domains important， for they were the closest to Ryūkyū （Okinawa） and Korea。 The Tokugawa did monopolise foreign trade though， which was limited to the port city of Nagasaki on an extremely strict basis。Samurai were loyal to their immediate lords， not to the shogun or to Japan as a whole。 If the shogun issued an order， it was to the lord immediately beneath him。 If that lord refused to obey the order， his samurai would not override him in following the shogun’s order。 Such was the loyalty of samurai that if their lord died and their domain was dissolved， samurai would become masterless （rōnin）， loyal to their lord even in death。 Rōnin were often a cause of social and political unrest， particularly towards the end of the Tokugawa period。Being a samurai was a hereditary affair。 They had privileges the commoners did not。 They took surnames， which identified themselves as belonging to a particular clan。 They had to live in specific castle towns， which were regional centres of political power。 They grew up in households staffed by commoners， and had to maintain a retinue whose size was in keeping with the reputation of their clan; the samurai took their reputation very seriously。 Maintaining a household they could not afford impoverished them though， especially those from minor clans who did not have easy pathways to guaranteed employment。 Large families were a hindrance more than an asset; abortion and infanticide were common。As part of their upbringing， samurai learned how to read and write， immersed themselves in the classical texts - especially the works of the Chinese school of Neo-Confucianism - and trained in the martial arts in private dōjō or special schools established by individual daimyo。 Early friendships were important， as this would determine who you could count upon in later life。 Young boys might be romantically courted by older boys， who established themselves as mentors。Entrance into the samurai class was difficult but possible。 Rich merchants who made donations to the domain might be made samurai so they could be taken on as economic advisors。 Commoners could also marry into a warrior family and become its heir; despite the shogun’s strict inheritance rules， families often lied about who was the eldest son to get around it， and the rules were later relaxed and finally abolished。 A poor samurai might also “sell” his status by adopting a wealthy commoner。The Tokugawa period was peaceful， and with only a finite number of administrative jobs that usually fell to certain privileged families， many samurai struggled to make ends meet。 They usually had some kind of hereditary stipend/allowance， but this was not enough， particularly when they were in alternate attendance。 Some wanted their allowance gambling， drinking， or touring famous pilgrimage sites when they were bored。 Others stopped being samurai to become teachers， poets， scholars or priests。 Despite their hereditary privileges and aristocratic self-image， most samurai were as likely to be impoverished drunks， scoundrels， poets， labourers， and menaces。 Wert mentions a particularly funny stereotype of this in Lust， Commerce， and Corruption， a memoir by a Samurai called Buyō:They head for guard duty wearing outfits that they have conned the pawnbroker into temporarily restoring to them。 Once they have come back from guard duty， they return the outfits directly to the pawnbroker。 Their servants mock them for this。 Samurai had become “sword-wearing bureaucrats”， hardly prepared for war， and often not even involved in catching criminals - this lowly task was often done on an ad-hoc basis by outcasts or other marginalised commoners。According to Neo-Confucian texts， the samurai were to be well-versed in both the scholarly arts （bun） and the martial arts （bu）。 But in an age of peace， other than the ritualised performances of martial arts， there were no real opportunities for samurai to illustrate their martial prowess and live up to their heritage。 The martial arts were more of a social and cultural activity， a chance for them to reconnect with an idealised warrior past: “They idealized the legacy passed down from the Warring States-era predecessors and honored fictitious ties to famous clans such as the Minamoto or Kyoto nobles like the Fujiwara。” （78）。Many people - both commoners and samurai - acknowledged that samurai fell far short of the idealised picture of perfect loyalty and aristocratic virtue。 If a samurai brought dishonour or shame upon himself， ritualised suicide （seppuku） - popularised by a famous drama called The 47 Rōnin - was a way to stop the shame spreading to his family and clan。 Samurai who took themselves too seriously were often mocked in the arts， especially through toilet humour: the samurai might belong to a superior class， yet all people had the same biological urges。 This was a way to cut across class divisions in a way that belittled the samurai。 Teacher and writer Hiraga Gennai did exactly this in a satirical essay， pointing out that only a samurai would be so uptight that he’d rather kill himself than be caught farting in public。Others were worried about the decline of virtue among the samurai。 They connected the spiritual impoverishment of the samurai to economic decline and the influence of commoner values on the samurai culture。 The Tokugawa tried to promote the image of the samurai - frugal， pure， and virtuous - by censoring texts， restricting merchant activities， and encouraging the samurai to reconnect with their rural origins， away from the sordid immorality of the city。They couldn’t stop the co-option or manipulation of samurai culture by commoners though。 The commoners were exposed to samurai through plays， books， and manuals。 Common culture invented and re-invented the samurai。 The wealthy emulated samurai culture， reading their manuals， adopting their codes of honour， and learning martial arts。 The prohibition on commoners bearing arms was relaxed。 This prohibition was never fully stamped out， but it had to be relaxed during the 1800s， when social and economic disorder caused an increase in unrest。 Local headmen formed their own peasant militias so villages could defend themselves。And then in 1853， Matthew Perry， an American commodore， appeared off the coast of Edo。 He demanded an end to Japan’s isolationism and the establishment of new commercial and diplomatic ties with the United States。 He would return in one year with a fleet of ships to await the shogun’s answer。This scared the Tokugawa。 Their ruler， the sickly and ineffectual Iesada Tokugawa， deferred to his senior adviser Abe Masahide。 For the first time， all daimyo were asked for their opinions on how to proceed。 When Matthew Perry returned， the shogun accepted his demands and the country was opened up to the west。 But this action revealed the weakness of the Tokugawa， not only by their surrender to Matthew Perry， but also in the fact that they sought advice from their traditional enemies， the tozama lords。Around this period， a new theory of sovereignty became popular。 It viewed Takauji Ashikaga as an usurper and held that the shogun ruled only at the behest of the emperor。 One reason for this view was the popularity of an influential history of Japan at the time。 Written in Mino Domain， it chronicled the past according to the reign of the emperors， in emulation of the Neo-Confucian style from China。 This framed history in a way that gave primacy to the emperor， who had been a neglected political figure since the Ashikaga shogunate。Another reason for this view of a sovereign emperor was that he had been willing to speak up against the shogun’s humiliating dealings with the west。 In 1863， he ordered the shogun to expel all foreigners。 It was very popular。 Samurai from across Japan flocked to his court in Kyoto， especially rōnin， low-ranking samurai， and those from the tozama （outer） domains。 This was an alarming development to the Tokugawa。 A genuine political threat had emerged， exacerbated by the opening of trade and borders。 Money， technology， and new military methods flooded into the country in ways the Tokugawa could not control。 The tozama， bitter about their treatment by the Tokugawa， developed new standing armies with European technology and western training。 Amid a backdrop of soaring political violence， they pledged their allegiance to the emperor。 。。。more
Alessia Scurati
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Cosa non mi ha convinto di questo libro？Allora， può sembrare assurdo， ma innanzitutto direi: è troppo condensato。Mi rendo conto che questo è precisamente l’obiettivo del libro， non dilungarsi troppo trattando il tema come se fosse un testo accademico。 Eppure， soprattutto all’inizio， ho avuto l’impressione di essere bombardata di informazioni senza avere la possibilità di digerirle。 Una sessantina di pagine in più， ma anche un centinaio non penso facessero male （sono appena 160 in questa edizione Cosa non mi ha convinto di questo libro？Allora， può sembrare assurdo， ma innanzitutto direi: è troppo condensato。Mi rendo conto che questo è precisamente l’obiettivo del libro， non dilungarsi troppo trattando il tema come se fosse un testo accademico。 Eppure， soprattutto all’inizio， ho avuto l’impressione di essere bombardata di informazioni senza avere la possibilità di digerirle。 Una sessantina di pagine in più， ma anche un centinaio non penso facessero male （sono appena 160 in questa edizione）。Andando avanti nella lettura la sensazione migliora， ma ovviamente non mi ha reso la lettura una passeggiata all’inizio。Inoltre devo dire che proprio la prosa non mi ha coinvolta。 È molto neutra， mi rendo conto che lo scopo del libro non è certo l’intrattenimento， ma alla fine un bel saggio poggia anche su una scrittura che sappia coinvolgere il lettore tanto da fargli ricordare la maggior parte delle informazioni contenute。Ci sono degli spunti molto interessanti， ma in generale， siccome l’argomento mi interessava molto， mi aspettavo di più。 。。。more
Denton Peter McCabe
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The Vaguely Concise History。
neocck
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Em alguns capítulos a leitura sofre com o texto estabelecido para a tradução， texto esse que oscila entre o bom e o sofrível。 Num ou outro ponto é mesmo péssimo。 Carece de revisão。 As quatro estrelas são para a abordagem do autor - concisa。
e。
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A short read but not an easy one。 Not entirely because of the complexity of the subject-matter （although that also is a significant factor） but also because of the style。 As underlined by many commentators， the writing often gets dull， there is few word arts and as an intellectual engager humor is employed sparingly at best。 The chain of thoughts are not always easy to follow because of the flow of consciousness， which admittedly does not always go well with academic writing。 I have had moments A short read but not an easy one。 Not entirely because of the complexity of the subject-matter （although that also is a significant factor） but also because of the style。 As underlined by many commentators， the writing often gets dull， there is few word arts and as an intellectual engager humor is employed sparingly at best。 The chain of thoughts are not always easy to follow because of the flow of consciousness， which admittedly does not always go well with academic writing。 I have had moments of concentration deficit， having to re-read some paragraphs， because the topic is so charged and too dense to be easily handled within a hundred or so pages。 And lastly， consider yourself warned that you have to possess at least a basic and nominal knowledge about the Japanese history and culture， such as what roughly differentiates an Emperor， a Shogun， a Daimyo， a Samurai and a commoner。 Because these are the walls that the author aims at bringing down， you should assume there are barriers in between。 All these being said， I have to admit to drawing a lot of information that is new to me。 At some point or other， I read something about these names: The Tairas and the Minamotos， Kamakura， Oda Nobunaga， Hideyoshi Toyotomi， Ieyasu Tokugawa and the like。 And now I have been able to put these all in good perspective。 I think the book does very well one thing it sets out to do: It successfully demystifies the Samurai class and brings them down to the eye-level。 As with many things Japanese， there has always been a cloud of mist around the concept of Samurai， and their （evidently） much exaggerated discipline to an （apparently） inexistent or otherwise incomplete code of conduct。And the second thing it does well is to provoke more reading on Japan， especially with regards to the Meiji era。 See you when I get there！Here is a small chronography of the timeframe the book covers:1156: Hogen Rebellion （保元の乱）Allied Taira Kiyomori and Minamoto Yoshitomo emerge victorious。 Taira and Minamoto are now the principal actors。 Not for long。1159: Heiji Rebellion （平治の乱）Allies turn against each other。 Taira no Kiyomori vs Minamoto no Yoshitomo。 The former defeats the latter and executes some of his sons。 Yoritomo （son of Yoshitomo） survives along with two other half brothers。 They’ll come back。 1180-1185: Genpei War （源平合戦） Between Minamoto （源） and "Taira" （平） clans。 Dan no ura Battle ends the War （壇ノ浦の戦い） Minamoto Yoritomo is the winner。1185-1333: Kamakura period （鎌倉時代）The winner of the Genpei War， namely Yoritomo becomes the first Shogun （death: 1199）。1221: Jokyu War （承久の乱）Emperor Go-Toba loses against Hojo， agents of Kamakura。 Kamakura Shogunate's authority reinforced。 1274 and 1281: Mongols under Kublai attack Japan; unsuccessful。 （神風）1333: Emperor Go-Daigo along with other clans （such as former Hojo ally Ashikaga） attack Hojo and takes back control but not for long。1336-1573: Muromachi Shogunate a。k。a。 Ashikaga Shogunate （室町幕府 or 足利幕府）Ashikaga Takauji becomes the first ShogunThe first appearance of daimyo （大名） literally "great names"1467-1615 - Warring States Period （戦国時代）Starts with the Onin War。 The country is under a power vacuum。 Period of anarchy1467-1477 - Onin War （応仁の乱）War of succession。 1573: Oda Nobunaga defeats Ashikaga Yoshiaki， who becomes the last Shogun of the Ashikaga。Nobunaga becomes the Great Unifier of Japan （Oda were a branch of Taira clan。） 1582: Oda Nobunaga is assassinated （Honnoji incident） Toyotomi Hideyoshi will avenge him。1582-1598: Reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi （of obscure origine; no aristocratic lineage） Continues to uphold Nobunaga’s legacy1600-1868: Tokugawa Shogunate a。k。a。 Edo Shogunate （徳川幕府 or 江戸幕府）1600: Battle of Sekigahara （関ヶ原の戦い）After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s death， those loyal to him backed a Hideyori （age: 5） reign。 Tokugawa Ieyasu was a powerful daimyo on the other side。 The latter is victorious。1612: Tokugawa Ieyasu forbids Christianity1615: Tokugawa Ieyasu sieges Osaka Castle and kills Toyotomi Hideyori。1868: Meiji Restoration （明治維新） 。。。more
Nicolas
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Interesting read， a bit dry。 On the positive side， it achieves successfully its goal of demystifying samurai myths。 On the negative side the book is too short for the amount of subjects and characters it introduces， which makes it hard to follow in some points。
Martin A。 Brennan III
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Waste of TimeThis is a very sad approach at trying to be an actual book。 It was very poorly written， and even worse researched。 Do not waste your， money， time， brain power。
Alex Pler
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Una narración escueta， objetiva y desmitificadora， casi implacable， de quienes fueron en realidad los samuráis。 Sin fantasía ni romanticismo: la Historia pura y dura。 Leerlo es como abrir la cortina que escondía al Mago de Oz。
Max Gwynne
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Concise is right。 Facts and figures 。。。 sure， but no narrative soul sadly。
Jonathan Oosterhouse
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This book sets out and accomplishes exactly what it intended to; a compact， overall history of the samurai。 In so doing， however， the author loses any sense of structure and repeatedly goes back and forth between centuries when the focus of a chapter is on one or the other。 The book is written like a high school essay and lacks any and all enthusiasm or genuine interest of the subject and leaves much to be desired。 Did I learn something new？ Of course。 But I feel less interested in the samurai h This book sets out and accomplishes exactly what it intended to; a compact， overall history of the samurai。 In so doing， however， the author loses any sense of structure and repeatedly goes back and forth between centuries when the focus of a chapter is on one or the other。 The book is written like a high school essay and lacks any and all enthusiasm or genuine interest of the subject and leaves much to be desired。 Did I learn something new？ Of course。 But I feel less interested in the samurai history because of this lackluster attempt。 。。。more
Seth
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A neat and concise history of samurai culture。 Well written with annotated pictures throughout。 At times Wert dwells on timelines a little too much and perhaps fails to give a wider view of the societal and cultural image of the samurai that you might expect from a compact book of this size。
Diana
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Just as the title stated， it's a rather rigid history about samurai and its origins， starting from its etymology and up to its present usage。 Quite the information presented in an academic manner， how I assumed it was meant to be written。 A nice read overall， especially for those seeking to know more about the warriors of Japan。 Just as the title stated， it's a rather rigid history about samurai and its origins， starting from its etymology and up to its present usage。 Quite the information presented in an academic manner， how I assumed it was meant to be written。 A nice read overall， especially for those seeking to know more about the warriors of Japan。 。。。more
Nick
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A perfectly serviceable introduction。
Alan
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Does exactly what it says: a concise history of the warrior class in medieval and early modern Japan， which also functions as a good， brief history of the times。 The text is accompanied by some excellent woodcut illustrations and references modern interpretations of the samurai in book and especially film to set our understanding in context。 For anyone with an interest in the country and its history， this would be an excellent book to keep on your shelves to dip into again and again。
Carol
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