Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior [Paperback]

Clive Sinclaire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004

A fascinating look at ancient Japanese weaponry, complete with 150 dazzling full-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is a lavishly illustrated introduction to the martial art and artistry of the samurai, the ancient Japanese military class that generated a unique culture-within-a-culture. While the visual emphasis is on the intricately designed weaponry and armor of the samurai, the fascinating text details the history and the philosophy of this elite group of warriors. As the samurai culture evolved, their arms became increasingly more elaborate and sophisticated. Individual chapters are devoted to examining the stylistic details and the practical employment of swords, polearms, bows and arrows, and guns through the centuries. Both browsers and scholars will appreciate this aesthetically and historically significant homage to the samurai tradition. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Clive Sinclaire has written an amazingly complete, riveting history of the Japanese samurai, their culture, and weapons. This book is a welcome surprise. Sinclaire is absolute master of his subject."--Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592287204
• ISBN-13: 978-1592287208
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #908,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars solid background material with wide appeal, February 1, 2002

By 

Merrily Baird (atlanta, ga USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior (Hardcover)

On a first encounter with "Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior," I was so distracted by the vast number of mispelled Japanese names that I made it no further than the fifth page and quickly consigned the book to a remote shelf. For a second encounter, I approached Clive Sinclaire's book determined to overlook both the spelling issues and the relatively weak and inappropriately sentimental first chapter that outlines a history of the Japanese warrior. This time, I jumped straight to chapter two and concentrated instead on the book's strengths.

And these strengths are notable. As most customer reviewers have here noted, the book provides outstanding introductory material on various classes of Japanese weapons as well as traditional armor. A combination of photographed artifacts, annotated line drawings, and excellent captions make learning from this book particularly easy. Edo-period woodblock prints, moreover, are used to good effect in showing the weapons as they were used in premodern times. Needless to say, the primary appeal of Sinclaire's book will be to that large body of people who enthusiastically study Japanese martial arts and military history. However, "Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior" also merits a place on the bookshelf of anyone generally interested in Japanese culture or more specifically tasked, for example, with decoding the military activities depicted in Japanese art.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ffinely illustrated guide to variety of samurai weapons, etc, March 28, 2005

By 

Henry Berry "Henry Berry" (Southport, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior (Paperback)

Sinclaire's work has a nice tie-in with the classic and current Asian movies with samurai or samurai-like characters. Coming to Japan about the eighth century from the Asian mainland, in Japan's insular, closed, society, the samurai weaponry took on their own distinctive design and use. The samurai class and its weapons both for warfare and ceremonial purposes remained a central, influential part of Japanese society until World War II. This study is at once comprehensive and succinct, with the pleasing and informative visual elements of color photographs, including close-ups, of samurai weapons, scenes from historical art work, and antique tinted photographs. Most are familiar with the Japanese samurai swords. But the less familiar armor, spears, bow and arrow, and even guns in the past couple of centuries receive equal attention.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with over two hundred color photos and illustrations, June 5, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior (Hardcover)

This history of Japanese samurai and its philosophy and military ideas is covered in Samurai, a fine title that is packed with over two hundred color photos and illustrations of Samurai weapons and armor. This reference is a 'must' for any who want to study the weaponry and sentiments of samurai: the history is impressive and the ideas and photos unparalleled.