Samuri history

[samuriG]

I just discovered this fantastic website. I am new to this and am l ooking for some suggestions. I have been a UY fan for a long time. I just recently ,however, became curiuos about his world. Can anyone send me some suggestions on books( besides the UY graphic novels) that deal with stories and hjistories of the samuri. I found "The Book of the Five Rings". I would appreciate anything , both fiction and non.

[Shishio]

- Lone Wolf and Cub
- Samurai Executioner
- Vagabond
- Hagakure
- The Tale of Genji
- Shogun
- Musashi
- The Heike Story

Also get the Lone Wolf and Cub movies, Zatoichi movies, and anything directed by Akira Kurosawa.

[Steve Hubbell]

The list on this page is far better than I could ever compile...

http://www.home.netspeed.com.au/reguli/japhist.htm

Check it out. It lists fiction set throughout Japans history, not just during the feudal or Tokugawa periods. The majority of the items listed also have descriptive reviews. Very comprehensive list.

[Stan Sakai]

For nonfiction books on the samurai, I would recommend Stephen Turnbull. He has written about three dozen books on the samurai and feudal era. I constantly use his works for reference and inspiration.

[Ma-Ku]

Its rather hit and miss sometimes because there are many stories about Samurai - if you want to know the history then look up a samurai history book.

There are many old films that are worth watching, Seven Samurai been the most prime example. And most recently, The Last Samurai.
Shogun and other books by James Clavells are good although its mainly about Europeans going to Japan in 1600.
Other books he wrote don't have much to do with samurai but the methods of honour are the same.

A great book I have is Hagakure, The book of the Samurai by Yamamoto Tsunetomo [1659 - 1719] - this is the guy who wrote most of the guide lines for all samurai to act and behave - the chapters are kind of like individual stories but they all have different morals for the situations and what should be done if it happens. It describes the Bushido (Way of the Warrior)

[Takeda Shingen]

For nonfiction books on the samurai, I would recommend Stephen Turnbull. He has written about three dozen books on the samurai and feudal era. I constantly use his works for reference and inspiration.

Turnbull's books are great! He actually has three more that were published by Osprey that come out in August. Any of his works are both entertaining and informative.

If you're interested in the Meiji era at all, I'd definitely check out the works of Romulus Hillsborough. His books on Sakamoto Ryoma were outstanding. He has a book coming out next month on the Shinsengumi also.

Marius Jansen is also a great author. The biographies of the three unifiers (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu) are all great starting points.

What I did when I started studying it was to start with the major names and work your way down. The more you learn, the more you'll find your niche' and what interests you the most.. From there it's just finding info on whatever you like.

[samuriG]

When I entered this message I was hoping for a couple of answers . This site not only gave me great answers but I received a message from Stan Sakai himself. It is a pleasure and an honor to receive a response from the creator of my favorite character. I found Usagi many years ago and have enjoyed his storiesand his world. Thankyou again for the suggetions and for most of all the life you gave to such a fantastic character.

[CWmax]

If you are interested in Musashi Miyamoto---Then check out VAGABOND as mentioned above ( I LOVE this comic)...as well as the Novel called "Musashi" upon which the comic is based.

There is also a movie trilogy about Musashi starring Toshiro Mifune...


Lone Wolf and Cub is also great.

Enjoy!

CW


( I also think it's great that Stan Sakai takes the time to send and post responses here - Thanks Again Mr. Sakai!)