Samurai: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

by Mitsuo Kure (Author) "After AD 794, when the Japanese imperial capital moved from Nara to Kyoto, the aristocracy enjoyed some 150 years of prosperity under the imperial regime..." (more)
Key Phrases: Oda Nobunaga, Tokyo National Museum, Takeda Shingen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Samurai: An Illustrated History brings the violent, tumultuous, and, at the same time, elegant world of the medieval Japanese samurai to life. With a general introduction that examines the origins of the samurai and their rise to power, Samurai presents a chronological coverage of samurai history detailing the main battles, personnel, and general themes. Additional chapters are studies of samurai armor and weaponry, fortifications, and the changes in strategy and armor upon the introduction of firearms and cannon. All chapters are illustrated by photographs of battle re-enactments meticulously conducted by the enthusiastic historical re-enactment societies of Japan, and by line drawings of fortifications and armor. Samurai vividly details the long bloody era of the samurai, when sons killed their fathers, brothers attacked their brothers, wives betrayed their husbands and hosts their guests, and the forces of the samurai rulers destroyed those of the emperors and the monasteries. The samurai fought for property, lands, and money, and only rarely for honor--Samurai tells that compelling story with vigor.


About the Author
Mitsuo Kure graduated from medical school in 1972 and became a surgeon based in Tokyo. His lifelong interest in samurai began at an early age, when he began constructing historically accurate models of samurai figures. Later, with the assistance on Togo Ryu, a well-known Japanese historical novelist, he began to reconstruct full-size samurai armor and started what is now one of the premier re-enactment groups in Japan. His group is currently one of the leading organisers of samurai battle re-enactments in Japan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 2nd Printing edition (May 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804832870
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832878
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #385,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Summary of Samurai history and equipment, August 27, 2002

By	B. Kempinski (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent summary of samurai history, equipment and tactics. Of the Samurai books I've read, this is the best overall treatment.

The author covers each major period with a general description of the history of the period. He then provides profuse illustrations, battle maps, photos of reenactors and surviving artifacts.

It has the clear and easy to understand description and drawings of samurai armor. The photos of reenactors are really great. They really bring the subject to life.

The historical narative is brief and covers just the basics of the complex maneuvering, diplomacy and warfare that was characteristic for this period. Hard core researchers will probably find this thin,. But for a reader interested in a solid overview of the period, this book is great.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Book, April 28, 2007

By	Somyunguy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai: Arms, Armor, Costume (Hardcover)

This book is decent, if you know what you're getting. It's primarily a picture book, with a wide variety of both military and civilian Japanese dress from various periods (primarily military dress/armor). The pictures are all actual modern color photos of reenactors with blank white background to them, and brief descriptions of the costume and purpose (some of which is actual antique, but most is reproduction).
On the good side, it's a great book for actually seeing what the stuff really looked like on real people. On the downside, there was apparently no editor with English as a first language, so bad sentence structure, grammar and spelling are rampant; but no big deal as it is brief and still gets the point across. You can also see the guys with the distinct samurai hair cuts are wearing obvious rubber bald-caps, and the same few individuals throughout. Also, the author oversteppes the bounds of his knowledge once or twice when attempting to compare things to Western equivalents.

It's worth the money if you know what you're getting.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guy with too much time, May 24, 2003

By A Customer

This is a great book about the history of samurai and there role in shaping Japanese history. It details key eras, and battles thus it also has lots of colored pictures and diagrams of campaigns, and few battle diagrams.

Anyone who is trying to find out more about the armor of the differnt peiods should also check this book out cause it has tons of pictures of armor and names all the parts (note: it doesn't tell you how to make it though)and it explains alot about how the different families in Japan shaped the land. From the rise of the Samurai class to the Edo period and it even has a part about the Sengoku-Jidai or the age of the country at war (basically a huge 100 year long civil war)

A must have for people who prefer the samurai over the knight or if you just like the samurai.