What are people reading, have read on \"our favorite period\"

[candidgamera]

Self just got, am reading:
Dr. Stephen Turnbull's-Samurai Warfare &
George Sansom's, History of Japan, volume 2,
1334-1615.

[FwSeal]

The last thing I've read (that is, cover to cover) was Mass and Hauser's 'The Bakufu in Japanese History'. Just about anything published through Stanford on this period is worth reading. The writings of Hall, Mass, and Elison might not have the 'guts and glory' of Turnbull's books, but they are far more well-rounded (and exacting).

[Ronin]

Right now i´m reading Nagashino 1575 by Stephen Turnbull, very nice battle description!
I also ordered his book on Ninja has any body read it?

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"yama yama tani tani"- Oda Nobunaga.
on every montain and in every valley!

[solypsist]

right now at this very minute I am reading the menu for Sushi-Zamei and getting ready to call in an order.
Japan never tasted so good! (ack! I can't believe I actually said that :O)

[Matsudaira Motoyasu]

I've read Sekigahara 1600 by Anthony Bryant (the events before the battle and the battle itself are very well written and very intriging) and now I'm reading The Samurai Sourcebook, by Stephen Turnbull, which is an excelente enciclopaedia about the samurai, with sections about heraldry, weapons and armour, battles and life of the samurai during wartime.

[Minagawa Daimon]

Im currently reading "Samurai Sketches" by Romulus Hillsborough, its a compilation of short stories about the samurai class during the last years of the tokugawa shogunate.

[Zen Blade]

One note candid,
be careful with books like Sansom's history. These books (that do a survey) often misrepresent things. I can't remember specifically if Sansom's did, but it might have. They will sometimes mis dates, or might use sources that originate from the Christian's in Japan (who tend to have a slight bent in how they write their history).

-Zen Blade

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Zen Blade Asai
Red Devil
Last of the RSG

[Jpf]

Hey Ronin,
I have read 'Dr.Turnbulls' Ninja book.
It is a very interesting read, you will not be disappointed. I'm re-reading it to find evidence of the infamous 'Battlefield Ninja'.........
http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[The Black Ship]

Some 18 years ago I read a book called Jinja, author's name long since forgotten http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif The reason I bring it up is it was set at the time of the Expansion pac- the Mongol invasions! Really it was nothing more than historic fiction, but it was entertaining none the less.

I have read several Turnbull tomes also, Taiko, the Musashi series, Clavell's novels, one about a christain samurai sword master (forgot name http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif), and numerous library books from the history section. Frankly other than Medievel Japan and WWII I'm somewhat disinterested...other than Geisha http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by The Black Ship (edited 01-31-2001).]

[CEWest]

I'm reading a historical fiction on Mori Motonari from the 'Hi no Tori' series of kids books in Japanese, It's interesting but fairly shallow due to the 4th grade reading level (which at least means I don't have to bother with a dictionary), however the book I'm dying to get my hands on is a historical fiction that came out last year or the year before called "Nobunaga Shisezu" which is a 'what if' fiction about what if Nobunaga had not been killed at Honnouji. It takes about 4 - 6 weeks to get the book, since my local Kinokuniya bookstore has to send for it from Japan. Can't wait!

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[Anssi Hakkinen]

You people should be really happy to have bookstores specializing on Japanese books. Really. Savor it. I sometimes think Yoshikawa's Musashi is the only Japanese book anyone knows around here. (Well, actually I've found even a complete Finnish translation of the Genji Monogatari - it's the military history stuff that's sparse. I guess people here think our own military history is educational enough.)

However, I did manage to find an original Finnish book named The Dragon and the Chrysanthemum(sp?), which I'm in the process of reading now. It's a collection of essays detailing and comparing Chinese, Korean and Japanese culture. The chapter on samurai culture is expertly written, even though it's more philosophical than historical stuff.

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"Go to the battlefield firmly confident of victory, and you will come home with no wounds whatsoever. Engage in combat fully determined to die and you will be alive; wish to survive in the battle and you will surely meet death."
- Uesugi Kenshin

[candidgamera]

Hej san Anssi (Hope the Swedish is not insulting to a Finn):

Have been curious about how you navigate your
way to information on the subject living in Finland-judging from some of your posts quite successfully. But, judging from your above post not easy-eh?

Kietos for your contributions.

regards,
candidgamera

[Saruji]

To The Black Ship: I wonder if the books you are referring to are "Time of the Dragons" and "Last of the Zinja", by Robert Shea. They are set at the time of the Mongol Invasions of the late 13th century and tell the story of a young warrior monk. I bought them about 12 or 13 years ago and can highly recommend them. I preferred these books to the work of Clavell and Yoshikawa.

Echoing a few other comments, I`d also recommend Turnbull`s work, especially "The Samurai: A Military History."

As this is my first post, I`d also like to congratulate whoever is responsible for this excellent site.

[Shogun of all Dallas]

Hey has any body read A History of japan From Stone Age to Superpower by Kenneth G. Henshall. I just bought. Ill let you know if it is anygood. For a 250 page paperback that cost $20 it better be. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[Contubernalis]

I'm in the midst of reading on the development of the Japanese sword arts, specifically Iaido.
I also read Suzuki's _Zen and the Japanese Culture_; liked it but have since heard that he's not reliable. I've also heard the same thing about Sansom, like Zen said.
I read Yoshikawa--I liked him (stayed up all night to finish Musashi and missed class!)
Does anyone else feel that Turnbull's tone seems sort of superficial? Not so much the sourcebook as the other stuff? Like something you'd find in the Jr. High library? Though every field needs intros to suck us in...

I just bought Lafcadio Hearn's _Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan_ originally published in 1894! Should be interesting (I hope--it was $20US!).

Happy Reading All!! http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[Ii Naomasa]

Although its not about the Sengoku period, I picked up a copy of the fairly recent Genpei by Kara Dalkey this weekend. It's a fictional account (but then again, there are very few 100% historically accurate accounts) of the Genpei (also spelled Gempei) War of the 12th century. Although called 'a fantasy', Ms.Dalkey has done her research and I've been quite happy with her general portrayal. Even if I don't necessarily agree with some of her conclusions, she gives very plausible motivations for why events took place. The emphasis on the books seems to be on the Taira side of the conflict, but she does a good job of not vilifying anyone...in fact, people feel very realistic, despite the inclusion of demons and other fantastical stuff.

I'll let you all know how good it is once I get far enough into it to make a more valid judgement. I've been splitting my time between it and Onimusha, the PS2 game, which is quite fun and features some cool historical elements, even if its a full-fledged fantasy/horror game. I'll post my full review of Onimusha under my Red Devil Review Thread (http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/Forum6/HTML/000250.html) in a day or two.

[FwSeal]

Say, Ii, have you ever read Yoshikawa's 'Tale of the Heike'? Its been out of print for quite some time, but it's worth tracking down (if you haven't already).

[Choco]

I just read Dr. Stephen Turnbull's-Samurai Warfare too. Excellent book!

I am also collecting the overexpensive books published by Osprey Military http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif

[Ii Naomasa]

Seal-san, yes, I've read McCullough's translation, but thank you for the suggestion nonetheless, as the Tale of Heike is probably THE work to have on the subject. As you have pointed out before, there is precious little translated material on the time period...and less from that period. Speaking of which, do you know if there's a not too obscure translation of the Azuma Kagami available? I've seen snippets here and there, but never the whole thing. It would be nice to have a text written close to the time of the actual events (and...in theory...therefore be more reliable).

What I should probably do is take a stroll to the UoM campus...there's supposedly a good Asian history/culture library. Maybe I can dig up some more stuff beyond the exhausted resources of the common booksellers.

Genpei so far reads like a home-grown version of the Tale of the Heike. It has the same tone, but is much simpler and flows better. I still haven't had a chance to read enough to make a complete opinion, but so far it's a good book for those interested in events that would shape the world of the samurai in the Sengoku period. It's more accessible than the Tale of the Heike (both in terms of finding a copy and in the easier for reading for those who get bored with too many names and such).

[FwSeal]

Oops, I meant to say, Eiji Yoshikawa's 'The Heike Story', which was a novel published into english during the 1950's. Its probably Yoshikawa's most obscure work in the west, but, as far as I can recall, it was actually more recent then Taiko or Musashi. I've seen quite a few used copies for sale on line, especially through Barnes and Noble.
I'm pretty sure it was Varley who translated the 'Azuma Kagami' into english as 'Mirror of the East' about 20 or so years ago. I've been on the look-out for a copy myself, but without luck.

[Yoshitsune]

Some of my favourites:
'Warriors of Japan as Portrayed in the War Tales' (Paul Varley) - Varley also does THE book in English on the Onin War but I prefer this. Good analysis of the early samurai as seen in the Heike Monogatari and Taiheiki with some illustrated portions of early scrolls.

'Heavenly Warriors' - William Wayne Farris

'Hired Swords' - Karl Friday

'Cultural Atlas of Japan' (Collcutt, Jansen and Kumakura) - mainly for three excellent maps dealing with 12th Century Japan showing the major shoen ('private' land), dozens of samurai clans at the time of Gempei and the course of the Gempei war with forts, army routes etc. Since most info we have is about the Sengoku period it was refreshing to find this (its a wargamers dream).

Have both McCullough's translations of the Heike Monogatari and the first 12 books of the Taiheiki as well the the 2 vol translation of the HM by Kitagawa and Tsuchida (which complements McCullough's nicely).

Yoshikawa's 'The Heike Story' translation is interesting in that it only seems to be the first part of the whole series? It only deals with the pre-Gempei period. Kenji Mizoguchi made a movie in 1955 based around part of Yoshikawa's novel called 'Shin Heike Monogatari' (New Tales of the Taira Clan) it was recently re-released by the British Film Institute as 'Tales of the Taira Clan'. Opening in 1137, it only deals with Taira Kiyomori's early life. It culminates in the famous exploit when he set out with only two retainers and fired an arrow at a portable shrine carried by an angry mob of warrior monks, causing them to flee back to Mount Hiei! So much for the invincible sohei in STW...

I've also got Turnbull's Ninja book out from the library. From what I can see he dispels a few myths - they were only depicted wearing black in popular prints from the 1780's onwards - more a metaphor for invisibility than anything. He also exposes the 'Ninja Industry' which has grown up over the last few decades and has been actively encouraged in Japan once the tourist possibilities were realised. However I can't help thinking Turnbull himself is jumping on this bandwagon himself somewhat. For evidence of ninja he resorts to attributing 'ninja' qualities to samurai such as Kusunoki Masashige and Minamoto Yoshitsune. The main crux of the 'battlefield ninja' thing seems to centre around Oda Nobunaga's campaigns in Iga in 1579 and 1581. This was conducted against the samurai of the province although there were apparently mercenaries aiding them who were adept at espionage, night raids etc known by various names including 'ninja', 'kancho', 'shinobi' etc. If encountered on the battlefield they would have only fought as ordinary samurai/ronin however.

[Ii Naomasa]

Seal-san, between your recommendations (I can't believe I haven't read Yoshikawa's work, as I have enjoyed his other works), and those of Yoshitsune (another fan of 12th century Japanese history, it appears http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif ), I now have a listing of some rare books to find. The Cultural Atlas of Japan sounds interesting if solely for the listing of the various active clans at the time. You don't get to hear about too many families outside of the Minamoto and Taira from that period (I've read a little on the Satake family...and I even think they were the same family line that was around in the 16th century (unlike the 16th century Hojo)).

Work and life has kept me from finishing Genpei, but I'm about 3/4ths of the way and its not bad. It's something that those new to Japanese culture and the 12th century would probably enjoy more than those who have read the Heike Monogatari. It's light, but obviously not so because the author lacked the knowledge. I'm still not entirely happy with some portrayals, but that's a personal thing.

If you get the chance to spot it in a book store, Samurai in Colour Photographs, by Mitsuo Kure & Ghislaine Kruit (Europa Militari Special #14) is a neat book, visually. It's a collection of photographs, mostly from re-enactments and is probably the most color photographs of real/looks-real armor in one book. I personally had to buy it for the full page picture from a re-enactment of Ii Naomasa leading his men in a charge. http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/wink.gif Actually, the fact that they cover armor from 8th century up impressed me, as too many books are dedicated to the 16th. They spend a good chunk of time with 12th century outfits, including pictures of samurai shooting from horseback (if I ever earn enough to get a place that has room for horses, I've vowed to learn horse archery, as I love horseback riding and normal, tradtional archery).

Now I'm rambling, even for me.

[War Writer]

At the moment I'm reading Fredrick Forsyth's "Day of the Jackel" and Robert Harris' "Fatherland". Sorry nothing got to do with Japanese history at all. Damn. Hell.

[FwSeal]

No problem, War Writer http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif I enjoyed both those books myself. The 'Odessa File' is also very good.

Paul Varley is one of the best western authors on Japanese history. As I've said elsewhere, my personal favorite is John W. Hall.

Its really a shame that nothing approaching Gakken's Rekishi Genzo series has ever been put into english. Each book is a treasure trove of maps, charts, illustrations, and informative articles. In fact, whether one can read Japanese or not, I'd suggest trying to find a few (not many are in print these days, sadly). For example, the 'Oda Nobunaga' title contains a map of Japan that displays the estimated 'GNP' of Japan circa 1598, broken down by the koku values of each province. A wall map included with one of the Takeda Shingen titles displays the entire domain of the Takeda, all of the notable castles, where his chief retainers were based, his enemies, ect... (there are such maps included in many of the RG books, including 'Mori Motonari' and 'Uesugi Kenshin'.)
The battle maps are also very useful, if often somewhat vauge (probably given the source material) and rarely as good as one is likely to find in an 'Ospery' military title. More then a few just show roughly where the armies were on a given day, with arrows going every which way (with little explanation). But the geographical info is great, and overall they would of great use to the wargamer - especially those interested in more obscure fights).
I'd like to post some of this stuff here, if I could ever get the html to work right with my posts http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/frown.gif




[This message has been edited by FwSeal (edited 04-06-2001).]

[Hosakawa Tito]

I just ordered,Taiko:An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan by Eiji Yoshikawa should be in by next week.Has anyone read it yet?
Tito

[FwSeal]

Taiko is a great book - and, in my opinion, one of the best works of historical fiction regarding the samurai.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Thanks Seal.BTW I also ordered the book,"The Bakufu in Japanese History" by Mass and Hauser on your recomendation in an earlier post.Would you say that the Bakufu is more historically accurate than Taiko?Also what does Bakufu mean?
Tito

[Ii Naomasa]

If Seal-san will allow me the honor, I will field this one.

'Bakufu' has come to represent the various Shogunates in Japanese history. Literally meaning 'tent government', it was the term applied to the seat of power that Minamoto Yoritomo established in Kamakura in the late 12th century. The term contrasted his 'war camp' center of power from the highly structured (both in terms of actual buildings and established ranks and roles) government in Kyoto. While sometimes villified because of tales of he and his brothers, Yoritomo should be recognized for his ability to (to use a trite term) 'think outside of the box' and establish power in his own right. Even Taira Kiyomori, who was the most powerful military-based man in Japan a decade or two earlier sought power through the Emperor and the established social and politcal ladders of the capital.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Thank you Ii Naomasa for that excellent explanation.I can't wait to get my hands on these books.
Tito

[Yoshitsune]

Yes, Ii Naomasa, I am a big fan of the 'Way of Horse and Bow' period http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif Thanks for the heads up about that 'Genpei' novel - it sounds right up my street.

Another book that came as a pleasant surprise was 'Legends of the Samurai' by Hiroaki Sato which someone gave me as a birthday present couple of years back. Didn't expect much on seeing the cover but was amazed to find it had translated extracts from various war chronicles - not only the Heiki Monogatari and Taiheiki but other less well known tales such as the Konjaku Monogatari Shu, Uji Shui Monogatari, Mutsu Waki and Azuma Kagami. The translation sometimes takes a little getting used to - the dialogue is modern US slang! Obviously an attemt to make it more accessible but there is some good stuff there on early samurai warfare including the use of large crossbow artillery that could throw either stones or arrows during the 'Former Nine Years War' (11th Cent).

I think the book The Black Ship is speaking of is one Robert Shea's 'Shike' series - 'The Last of the Zinja' and 'Time of the Dragons'. On first sight they seem pure pulp but I actually really enjoyed them http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif They fictionalize and compress the whole early period so that the Mongol Invasions occur immediately after the Genpei War, for instance. The characters' names are all fictional too but based on clearly identifiable historical people - the hero is a giant warrior monk (with ninja overtones) who becomes the devoted retainer to a young samurai lord from one of the two rival clans of the time. The guy knows his Turnbull and there's even a Sei Shonagon type in there who writes in her 'pillow book' every night...

One last historical novel worth mentioning - Lynn Guest's 'Sons of Hachiman' dealing with the rivalry between the brothers Minamoto.