Samurai: An Illustrated History

420 Pages·2002·27.81 MB·English

by  Mitsuo Kure

SAMURAI
An Illustrated History
A Nanbokucho period samurai commander, in this case wearing the oyoroi short.
His utsubo quiver is covered with a white cloth. His helmet has a parasol-like
shikoro, tall kuwagata or horns, and extremely back-folded fukigaeshi.
SAMURAI
An Illustrated History
BY MITSUO KURE
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
Editor’s Note In this text most Japanese nouns have been italicized.
Exceptions are ‘samurai,’ professional warrior; ‘daimyo,’ provincial baron;
‘shogun,’ military dictator; and ‘bakufu,’ the shogun’s government; and proper
names of places, persons and religious movements, which are capitalized. Rather
than constantly repeating e.g.‘the Takeda family (or clan),’ we have often used in
this sense the form ‘the Takeda.’ Japanese names are given throughout in the
traditional form, i.e. family name first and given name second.
The reconciliation of exact dates between the Japanese and modern Western
calendar is notoriously difficult (for instance, according to the Japanese calendar
the month of March 1599 was repeated twice). Many English language
references are unclear as to the sources of dates quoted. Generally this text
follows Japanese sources, e.g. the date of the battle of Sekigahara is given as
September 15, 1600 rather than 21 October.
Illustrations Photographs of various historical reenactments were taken in
many locations in Japan during the 1990s. Uncredited photographs are © the
author; photographs from other sources are individually credited. The detailed
line drawings of costume, armor, etc., which appear throughout the book and are
credited (SY), are by Dr Sasama Yoshihiko, and are reproduced by courtesy of
the Kashiba Shobo Publishing Company.
This Edition published in 2002 by Tuttle Publishing,an imprint of Periplus
Editions (HK) Ltd.,
with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, VT 05759-
9436 USA
Copyright © 2001 Mitsuo Kure
This edition licensed by Greene Media Ltd
ISBN: 978-0-8048-3287-8
ISBN: 978-4-8053-1344-2 (for Japan only)
ISBN 978-1-4629-1490-6 (ebook)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by
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any information storage
and retrieval system, without prior written permission from Tuttle Publishing.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2001094950
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Contents
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
PART 1: The Centuries of the Samurai
CHAPTER 1: The Rise of the Warrior Class
CHAPTER 2: The Prosperity of the Heishi
CHAPTER 3: The Struggle between the Genji and Heishi
CHAPTER 4: The Hojo Regency
CHAPTER 5: The Mongol Invasions
CHAPTER 6: The Fall of the Kamakura Bakufu and the Revival of Imperial
Government
CHAPTER 7: The Muromachi Bakufu
CHAPTER 8: The Onin War and the Beginnings of Gekokujo
CHAPTER 9: The Age of Battles—Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi
Hideyoshi
CHAPTER 10: The Reign of Hideyoshi
CHAPTER 11: Sekigahara—A Decisive Battle?
CHAPTER 12: The Osaka Campaign
CHAPTER 13: The Christian Rebellion in Shimabara
CHAPTER 14: The Tokugawa Bakufu
CHAPTER 15: Dragon Horse, A Pioneer of Modern Japan
PART 2: The Age of the Country at War—Representative Campaigns and
Families
The Battle of Okehazama, 1560
The Bears of Kyushu from the 8th to the 16th Centuries AD
The Arrows of Chugoku, 1498–1571
Uesugi Kenshin & Takeda Shingen mid–16th Century AD