Osprey's survey of pirates of the Far East, from 811 to 1639. For many centuries, international relations between Medieval Japan, Korea and China were carried out by means of the 'inseparable trinity' of war, trade and piracy. Much has been written about the first two means of interaction. The third element, which combined the other two in a violent blend of free enterprise, is the subject of this original and exciting book. It is written by Stephen Turnbull, who has visited all three countries in search of the elusive pirates of the Far East.
Pirate of the Far East: 811-1639 (Warrior)
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Editorial Reviews
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"Turnbull takes readers on a journey through the centuries of the Asian pirate. Using a variety of photographs, maps and color plats illustrated by Richard Hook, readers are immersed into the exciting, yet dangerous life of the pirate. Weapons, armor and tactics are described in great detail, yet remain easy to read." -Timothy Baghurst (April 2008)
"Author Stephen Turnbaull takes a look at the start of piracy in the area and concentrates on some of the more successful raids and pirate leaders... All of this is enhanced by period accounts and artwork... This book combines two favorite subjects - piracy and medieval Japan - into one superb volume that you won't want to miss." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (December 2007)
"Author Stephen Turnbaull takes a look at the start of piracy in the area and concentrates on some of the more successful raids and pirate leaders... All of this is enhanced by period accounts and artwork... This book combines two favorite subjects - piracy and medieval Japan - into one superb volume that you won't want to miss." -Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (December 2007)
About the Author
Stephen Turnbull is recognized as one of the world's foremost military historians of the medieval and early modern periods. He first rose to prominence as a result of his 1977 book, The Samurai: A Military History. Since then he has achieved equal fame in writing about European military subjects and has published over 50 books. He always tries to concentrate on the less familiar areas of military history, in particular such topics as Korea, Eastern Europe, the Baltic states and the Teutonic Knights. The author lives in Leeds, UK.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember when I first saw this title advertized earlier this year. 'Pirate of the Far East 811-1639? What the heck?' This had to be the most obscure title yet published by Osprey! Nonetheless, as a fan of both Samurai Warfare and Stephen Turnbull, I went ahead and bought it. I was not disappointed.
To sum it up, Turnbull examines 800 years of raids on the civilizations of China, Korea, and of course Japan by bands of cutthroats, mercenaries, lordless Samurai, and plain scum, and the wars of revenge fought against them both on land and at sea. These fierce and unruly warriors, known for their cruelty and complete lack of respect for any ruler or religion, had the ragtag appearance one would expect, but many managed to acquire Samurai weaponry and armor. In fact, one of their greatest leaders, the 'pirate-king' Murakami Takeyoshi, was of an illustrious Samurai clan.
Turnbull opens his book with a summary of the history of these fearsome seamen, and goes on to describe their culture and outline their history. He then examines their physical appearance, clothing, armor, weapons, and ships, and then looks at their daily life, chain of command, and the various types of raid they made. Then he examines their tactics and the battle experience of individual pirates. He closes the title with sections on museums, sites, and further reading. As with another recent warrior title, the plates and plate commentary are spread out throughout the book, rather than being grouped together at the center and back.
Overall, despite their exotic location and appearance, these pirates were just that-typical pirates whose lifestyle and tactics were not overly different from the contemporary Vikings and European mercenary bands, and the classical buccaneer and Caribbean-type pirates still to come. As he already has with the warrior-monks, ashigaru, and ninja, Turnbull does these hard-fighting and murderous raiders a service by revealing to the modern English-speaking world just how vital a role they played in the the politics and wars of contemporary China, Japan, and Korea, and does so in a manner than is exciting and readable, and leaves the reader stunned at the chilling cruelty of these pitiless mercenaries.
To sum it up, Turnbull examines 800 years of raids on the civilizations of China, Korea, and of course Japan by bands of cutthroats, mercenaries, lordless Samurai, and plain scum, and the wars of revenge fought against them both on land and at sea. These fierce and unruly warriors, known for their cruelty and complete lack of respect for any ruler or religion, had the ragtag appearance one would expect, but many managed to acquire Samurai weaponry and armor. In fact, one of their greatest leaders, the 'pirate-king' Murakami Takeyoshi, was of an illustrious Samurai clan.
Turnbull opens his book with a summary of the history of these fearsome seamen, and goes on to describe their culture and outline their history. He then examines their physical appearance, clothing, armor, weapons, and ships, and then looks at their daily life, chain of command, and the various types of raid they made. Then he examines their tactics and the battle experience of individual pirates. He closes the title with sections on museums, sites, and further reading. As with another recent warrior title, the plates and plate commentary are spread out throughout the book, rather than being grouped together at the center and back.
Overall, despite their exotic location and appearance, these pirates were just that-typical pirates whose lifestyle and tactics were not overly different from the contemporary Vikings and European mercenary bands, and the classical buccaneer and Caribbean-type pirates still to come. As he already has with the warrior-monks, ashigaru, and ninja, Turnbull does these hard-fighting and murderous raiders a service by revealing to the modern English-speaking world just how vital a role they played in the the politics and wars of contemporary China, Japan, and Korea, and does so in a manner than is exciting and readable, and leaves the reader stunned at the chilling cruelty of these pitiless mercenaries.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I never knew there were pirates of this nature. Brutal and bold. I loved this book and will reread.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In other books the author has mentioned the piratical activities of the Wako, or Japanese pirates. This book is a good expansion on those mentions, and a good summary of wako activities. Illustrations are good. I feel, however, that the format of the book limited the information to be had. I would have liked to see more on the Portuguese pirates that joined the late-era Wako, for example, as well as more detail on the campaigns and life-styles of the pirates. The title, incidentally, is misleading, implying that the Chinese and Malay pirates, who were long-standing menaces to the Far East, would also be included. All in all, a good book, but not enough pages. This could be the basis for a larger, much better book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Read
Really enjoyed this book. The many illustrations helped me in-vision the very confusing and tumultuous period of far eastern piracy. Read more
Published 11 months ago by ViulfR
Very good overview of the medieval Japanese pirates
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the Japanese pirates. It provides enough details to make one feel like one learned something interesting but does not... Read more
Published on November 8, 2008 by JC
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Over a period of ten centuries the coastal areas of China, Korea and japan were ravaged by bands of fierce pirates. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wako raids, fortified harbour, pirate raids Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Inland Sea, Fujiwara Sumitomo, Noshima Murakami Navy Museum, Wang Zhi, Coastal Defence Museum, Khubilai Khan, Dengzhou Naval Headquarters Museum, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History, Oda Nobunaga, Taira Tadamori, History Museum, Innoshima Pirate Castle, Taira Masakado, Taira Kiyomori, Empress Jingu, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Pirate Lords, Pirate Cave Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Over a period of ten centuries the coastal areas of China, Korea and japan were ravaged by bands of fierce pirates. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wako raids, fortified harbour, pirate raids Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Inland Sea, Fujiwara Sumitomo, Noshima Murakami Navy Museum, Wang Zhi, Coastal Defence Museum, Khubilai Khan, Dengzhou Naval Headquarters Museum, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History, Oda Nobunaga, Taira Tadamori, History Museum, Innoshima Pirate Castle, Taira Masakado, Taira Kiyomori, Empress Jingu, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Pirate Lords, Pirate Cave Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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