Customer Reviews

Early Samurai AD 200-1500 (Elite)

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the Momoyama, Sengoku, and Edo periods of Japanese and samurai history have certainly captured a fair share of attention in print and cinema, episodes in the earlier development of the samurai tradition are certainly their equal in color and drama, both of which are wonderfully captured in this volume. Impeccable scholarship related in layman's terms, interesting anecdotes, outstanding photographs of period armor (or reproductions), and the unsurpassable artwork of Angus McBride make this volume a must for the enthusiast of Japanese or military history. A brief summary of Japan's military history from the court of the mysterious Himiko through the Heian and Kamakura/Nambokucho periods is followed by a detailed explanation of the development of Japanese armor and weapons of these eras. The photos of o-yoroi, do-maru, and haramaki-do armors are among the best I've seen in any work on samurai armor, even though they are only black ad white. Angus McBride has, once again, captured the spirit of the epoch in his splendid color plates. The samurai armor of the Kamakura period is classic! You will not be disappointed with Osprey's Early Samurai.

Another excellently researched, written & illustrated Osprey title. Bryant brilliantly summarizes the timeframe which includes the proto-historic era, the various clan insurrections, Gempei War, Mongol invasions, and the early shogunate. McBride masterfully captures the very early Japanese warrior class in his artwork. This book is a steal at the price.

I was very disappointed by this book. I expected to get a book about the early samurai and, instead, I got a book which focused mainly on the history of early Japan. Half of the text is taken up by an excellent, but unwanted history of Japan's early political development. That's NOT what I paid for.

There's very little discussion of training, tactics, and weaponry. Armor is covered well, but the author insists on referring to all components by their japanese names. My Japanese is non-existent and I kept asking myself why the author couldn't just write "breastplate" instead occasionally.

Weapons aren't covered well. There is a drawing on page 16 of early swords which are very different than the curved katana sword we associate with later samurai. The text doesn't mention these swords (keeping in mind that the sword was supposedly the "soul of the samurai"), their evolution, variations, etc.

The b&w photos and color plates are excellent as one could expect for an Osprey book.

I was very disappointed in this book and would caution readers seeking more information on early samurai that this book will offer them little other than the color plates.

Although this book is easy to read and follow, I found it that it skimmed the surface a bit much. It glosses over many important events and people who were instrumental to the development of the warrior & samurai class, without delving too much into anything. I think that the format of this entire series is more at fault than the author is; however, a more informative, detailed, and equally easy to read is Turnbull's "A Military History".
The one thing which this book does cover very well is the armor, and Bryant probably does know what he is talking about, as he is an armor specialist. This mismatch between the very deep armor and the quite shallow history made me confused as to who the author's intended audience was supposed to be.

The early historical perspective of this book is flawless (for such a concise volume). Again, Mcbride's artwork is peerless. How he is able to capture not only the uniqueness of Japanese armor, but also the individual, leaves one in awe.

Meticulous armor details and visually appealing artwork (McBride) makes this a worthy addition to Osprey's books of samurai interest, and it focuses on a little known period. For a reader seeking less armor detail and more on what these guys actually did, I would recommend some of Stephen Turnbull's books in addition to his Osprey titles. Again, the plates were awesome; I especially liked Queen Himiko and the sohei.

Osprey's Elite series run about 64 pages, which allow for a greater scope or more detail on a given subject. Although this title covers 1300 years (!), the subject is medieval Japan, so it is narrow enough. The evolution of Japanese body armor is worth the price alone. Surprisingly, there are no period illustrations. Photos and drawings of reconstructions are more than adequate, however. An extra long set of color plates by Angus McBride are, as always, wonderful. NO MAP???!!!!

I always enjoy reading Osprey books .it's informative, and easy to read.However this title contain serious error . there weren't any kind of proof that certain Japanese army invaded Korea and conqured them moreover it was boosted by Japanese right -wing imperialist before they invade china and other asians contry to justify thier deed historically. except fo that ,it's worth readingand well illustrated .Angus Mcbrde's paltes is always superb..