Customer Reviews

Real Samurai

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"Real Samurai: Over 20 Stories of Old Japan" by Stephen Turnball is a collection of true stories about the samurai warriors of Japan, a warrior class who dominated Japanese culture and held to high standards of personal honor and loyalty based upon the fundamental concept of Bushido. There are five special sections that focus upon diverse 'samurai facts' ranging from horseback archery, to samurai swords, Japanese armor, Japanese castles, and more. An ideal introduction for young readers to Japanese history and larger-than-life characters of Japanese legend, "Real Samurai" will prove to be an exceptionally popular addition to school and community library collections.

This is another great Turnbull book and a fantastic find for samurai enthusiasts young and old. It is a children's book, so do not expect the level of scholarship found in Turnbull's other works. That said, it is an interesting collection of almost 30 very short (1 page) stories that do include a great deal of historical information. Each story is accompanied by the historically accurate and vivid illustrations by James Field, who happens to illustrate many of Turnbull's books. The large size of the book makes it great for reading in pairs or just to look at while daydreaming.

There is moderate violence in the stories and images, so parents should consider this when buying.

You may also find Real Ninja: Over 20 True Stories of Japan's Secret Assassins to be lots of fun, also by Turnbull.

If you happen to be looking for more scholarly works on samurai,Turnbull's Warriors of Medieval Japan (General Military) is THE book for you!

Enjoy!

Be clear this is Author "Turnbull's" answer to children's literature- and he does not fail here- young people can be inspired to understand the samurai- from a
social and religious point of view- not just (war stories for boys) Hats off to Steve and the great seller that made this affordable !!!