A Brief History of the Samurai: Brief Histories

Such a wonderful book! Beautifully written , it tells the stories of the Samurai with a remarkable balance between history and literary fiction( the tales of the Samurai can not be separated from fiction). Highly recommended!

Jonathan Clements author of A Brief History of the Samurai: The Way of Japan's Elite Warriors presents the history of Japan where the Samurai played a vital role with in a concise 300 page, while also avoiding the dry textbook prose. His intimate knowledge of the Japanese language and culture permits him to inquire into substantial detail and degrees of the blemished literature of already existing local recorded history. Clements describes the rise of the Samurai, varying affluence of the elite families, the side-lining of several emperors, the politics of the feudal lords that commanded them, the alliances that were prevalent, conspiracies, the clashes of the clans that took place within the country, as well as the myths surrounding the Samurai and the impacted their history of modern Japan. He gives a new view of the image of the Samurai as it changed and ultimately died out in Japan's history, yet still has an influence in the national soul.This is well written, very clear and appealing and while some sections throughout the book were a hard to get through, but overall this book brings a certain perceptive and interest to this fascinating subject. On a minor note it would have been nice to have some illustrations, like the maps at the beginning but throughout the novel to clarify certain points raised and the last chapter, which links the Samurai to modern Japan. Throughout the entire book Clements managed to contain an unforgivably lewd and outstandingly hilarious double entendre that is itself causing the book to be a refreshing read. The last part was a bit unauthentic and took away from the historical perspective and should have been kept out of the book or placed in a side note and told to the read that way. But by and large this is a fascinating and informative read. This gives enough detail to make you feel informed, whilst not becoming stale or a slog to read and the assorted battles and wars made for gripping and exciting reading.Jonathan Clements is most definitely without a doubt well qualified to both analyze and comment on the history of the Samurai. He is an author of many books on East Asian history, including biographies of the empress and emperor, statesmen, warriors, foreign visitors and outcast rebels. His many works have been translated into over a dozen languages including: French, Spanish, Korean and Dutch, and he even achieved a rare honor of having his book on the First Emperor of China was itself published in Chinese. Even though it is not common Clements included fully sourced with references that helped him compile an index, maps, charts, and even family trees, so that the reader can easily know `Who was Who' and `Where' throughout the novel. The only `thumbs-down point with in this brief history is the poor editing and proofreading that either was or was not done. The author, Clements seemed to be non-bias throughout the book and a steady regular based, and remained objective throughout the entire novel. Clements put both the good and bad, the facts, about the Samurai warriors and remained solely focused on the Samurai and their life style, allowing the reader to get an up close and personal look and learn about the real Samurai and not what pop cultural makes the Samurai warrior out to be, but the factual Samurai. I agree with the conclusion of The Brief History of the Samurai: The Way of Japan's Elite Warriors, especially the way it ties both the Samurai of the 16th and 17th Century with the modern thinking of the 21st century and how people can still see the ties linking the past with the present. I personally think that the linking of past and present is what helps push people toward a better the future.

I can't say I've ever come across a better book to start someone into a subject. As a reader who is very new to the topic of samurai and the study there of, I bought this book hoping it could ease me into the study of these fables warriors.I was not disapointed.The author packs nearly 2000 years of history into 300 pages and manages to make you feel like you are being flown through the history of these warriors from the gritty beggining to the inglorious end. Clements wit, detailed knowledge, and constant commentary make the read both enjoyable and entertaining. His knowledge of both ancient and contemporary Japanese culture is paired wonderfully alongside the facts and mythology of the samurai.He stresses in the end just how much we don't (or cannot) know about these warriors whose histories are part fact, part story and part drama. He presents the information as he sees it and doesn't seem to deviate from the historical record in the slightest.What was most helpful for me was how well sourced the book was and the literal gold mine of sources and reccomended readings his appendix provides! I earnestly reccomend it to those looking for a good primer on the samurai.

I have read Clements' books on the Coxinga and the First Emperor of China so I know and enjoy his style and this book is very much in that style. I enjoyed his easy pace while he still ensured that he passed on key information. Clements started with Japan before there were samurai as we would recognise them and then brings them into the picture for us. He deals extensively with the rise of the samurai as seen with the clash of the Taira and Minamoto clans. This chapter is really the start of the meat of the book that concluded with the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. That however did not conclude the book as Clements looked as to what the samurai came to mean, especially after Japan's defeat in WW2.I thoroughly recommend this book as Clements delivers very well on a brief history of the samurai providing a great starting point for further reading in a very engaging manner.

Great read of history. More of there battles and timelines, not how they lived, or what they believed in. Would definitely suggest it if your interested in timelines of emperors

The author explains history related to the subject from the 6th into the 19th centuries. The material is informative and the author makes it clear what is fact, what is suspected to be fact, and what is likely false or exaggerated. Be prepared to interpret some passages that have incorrect sentences (e.g. Japanese mentioned twice when the author meant Japanese and Korean), some misspellings, and some confusing passages that you may need to read several times.

I'm very happy with this item. Well made and shipped professionally all at a very reasonable price. I do recommend this to others.

Jonathan Clements presents a history of Japan where the Samurai played a pivotal role. His intimate knowledge of the Japanese language allows him to delve into considerable detail and nuances of the mottled literature of existing local recorded history. He describes the varying fortunes of the elite families, the side-lining of emperors, the alliances, intrigues, and the battles that took place within the country. He gives a new view of the image of the Samurai as it changed and ultimately died out in Japan's history, yet still has an influence in the national soul.

Vale muito a pena adquirir novos conhecimentos.

The book encapsulates the history of Japan from the early years of the Yamato state to the end of the Tokugawa era as a result of the Meiji restoration with particular focus on the formation and demise of the Samurai. The author tries to be as objective as possible, with neither the romanticism nor the vilification of the Samurai given full license. As such, it's factually rich, drawing from different sources from different sides of each major conflict. If course, this isn't a comprehensive thesis on Samurai and their ways but it's enough to give you a taste further research. Overall, it's a good introductory book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the Samurai.

Great book, hard to stop reading even if detailed.

This fascinating book is a must-read for everyone interested in the samurai, japanese history or japanese martial arts. Packed with a lot of historical information, well-researched and perfectly edited. Despite the mass of information, data and facts it is very fascinating and captivating to read. Important background information explains the causes and reasons of great events or decisions. Many bad historical books concentrate to much on events: what happened when. A really good historical book must help to understand what happened when and especcially WHY did it happen. This book is doing exactly this - it helps you to understand all aspects of the samurai history.Really a must-read!

I knew almost nothing about the samurai before I read this book apart from having watched a few Japanese films so I cannot comment on the accuracy. However the extensive notes at the end evidence that this is obviously well researched and he supports arguments he makes. Importantly the book is incredibly entertaining and well written. I can't say I want to read another book about the samurai but I think that is largely because this book has satiated my interest in the topic.