The Book of Samurai - Samurai Arms, Armour & the Tactics of Warfare: The Collected Scrolls of Natori-Ryu (Book 2) (for fans of Shogun)

Great book and would recomend to anyone. Fast delivery. Thanks

Antony and Yoshie deliver another fascinating insight into the life and times of an actual samurai. This is real translation, of real writing, by a real samurai tactician of the time. Not opinions, fantasy or legends. This book as an absolute must for martial artists/students/historians/ANYONE interested in the period. The chapters cover all aspects of martial life. Everything from organising armies, storming castles, to what to keep in your sewing kit!! Nicely laid out and easy to read, illustrated well and with an extensive glossary. Most definitely worth a look.

As a translation from the scrolls of a 17th century Samurai school of war, we get a chance to see from as near a source document how the Samurai really went to war. It shows what lengths they would go to and the details on armour, downs to small details that could make a real difference on the battlefield. As Antony Cummins says in the introduction, this book needs to be studied and in doing so, the amount of information for any one interested in the Samurai is fascinating. Highly recommended.

The book is packed with great information you cannot find elsewhere! A great addition to my collection. Antony and Yoshie take you futher into the world of the Samurai. If you are into the Samurai, martial ways, armour, historical miltary and Japan's history, then this book is for you. Highly recommend it to all interested in this subject.

Absolutely awesome book. As a life long martial artist and practitioner of several martial arts it is refreshing to find a book that reveals the truth about the actual martial arts methods practiced by the fabled Samurai of ancient Japan. Easy to read and understand. The Book cuts out a lot of the nonsense found in other romanticised non historically accurate books, giving the reader a direct translation of scrolls written by a genuine Samurai, Natori Sanjuro Masazumi. Many of the lessons found within these scrolls are as practical now as they were when they were written. This book is a must read for anyone who practices a martial art which traces it's lineage to Japan, as well as those wishing to learn how to apply the tactics of the Samurai Warriors of old to take command in their day to day life. I look forward to further books in this series being released.

This fascinating read of a translation from the scrolls of Natori-Ryu is great for anyone interested in the Samurai culture and practice. This book is part of the 'Book of Samurai' series, although it is a stand alone book that can be enjoyed on its own. The focus of this one in the series is arms, armour, battle tactics and warfare with a far amount of the philosophy behind these. If you have an interest in warfare generally, weaponry and armour, even from other other eras and cultures you should get this one for your collection as it helps you fill out the picture of history of weaponry and warfare generally, and it certainly helps with an understanding of how the samurai culture affected later aspects of warfare generally. This is a good introduction to the world of samurai, particularly in battle, but as it is so elaborate, including detailed and extensive illustrations, even an expert will relish having a copy of this. The chapters, text and illustrations are laid out in such a way that makes it easy to navigate the detailed material with a helpful glossary at the back and an extensive index. There are also plentiful footnotes, which really help open up the text. It is a great way in to other books on the same subject and the introduction gives some excellent suggestions for further reading. The introduction also provides some very useful information and background on the translation and help with interpreting and understanding the text from a contextual and technical standpoint. There is discussion of everything you can think of from the detailed parts of a helmet to the personality qualities needed for various roles in warfare, with discussion on places, terrain and the effects of these on strategies and tactics to defending against an enemy while crossing a river. There is much here to cross reference and delve into. You'll come back to this book many times for rereading. A very enjoyable and immersive read into a fascinating period of history and would also make a great gift for anyone interested in samurai and other warfare related areas.

The book covers a subject I find really interesting, the military science of historic Japan (in this case 17th century) going into tactics, organisation and equipment in amazing detail. The amount of information in the book is astonishing with over 500 packed pages, it sheds so much light on how things were done during the period and before it also provides a wealth of information on cultural reasons for details such as colors especially with the Japaneses Armour. Originally written by Natori Sanjuro Masazumi a Samurai tactician from a high ranking family who was clearly highly literate and very knowledgeable, the translation is understandable with Japaneses terms used and explained where appropriate. I cant think of any other book on the subject that has so much in it. I was personally more interested in the first of the two scrolls translated and presented in the book Heieki Yoho Important Ways On Military Duties that deal with theory and organisation for an army but I know anyone with more of an interest in the physical culture of the time will love the second scroll Heigu Yoho Important Ways On Military Tools. The second scroll as the name implies is all about equipment and armor. The presentation of the hardback book is great with a black dust cover and read hardback cover. I couldn't wait to get my copy of the book through the post so I could read it and post a review and I was not disappointed in the least.

My son is a bit of a martial arts nutjob and loves this book. He recommended it highly

The Book of Samurai is now bigger and better as this second volume builds upon the first and we begin to see the 'Book of Samurai Series' emerge! This book continues where the previous volume left off in that it contains genuine samurai teachings written by an actual samurai! Like it's predecessor in this series, volume 2 contains (for the first time in the English language) translations of two scrolls originally written by 17th century samurai and master tactician Natori Sanjuro Masazumi. What better way to learn about the armour and weapons of the samurai than from an actual samurai?!!! But this book does not stop there; while you will find detailed descriptions of not only weapons and armour in this book (right down to the symbolism and significance they held for the samurai of old), but you will also discover pragmatic advice on how armour, weapons, and the very samurai soldiers themselves should effectively be ustilized in wartime operations (of the historical period for which they were written; although unsurprisingly many still hold relevance today!). The wide ranging public interest in the mysterious historical figure of the shinobi will also be sated (or perhaps further whetted) by this book, which introduces (for the first time [chronologically] in the writings of Natori Masazumi) insights into the elusive tradecraft of these ever popular historical figures. While I am of the personal opinion that this book is most cohesive and that a better and more complete umderstanding is gained through studying this volume in tandem with it's predecessor in this series; it is certainly filled with enough richness and clarity of content to stand alone in its own right! This book has many praiseworthy elements from it's sleek aesthetic jacket, and hardbound presentation (a personal preference as a mark of distinction for all good books), to it's historical value in allowing the voice of the samurai of the past to once again find an audience with the world of the present (and future)! In short, whether you are an amatuer, professional, or armchair historian, a fan of samurai history, or of Japanese culture and/or military history, this book is one that no student, scholar, fan, aficionado, or academic should be without!

Great

Great book overall, extremely thorough.

I bought it as a gift and the person receiving it was extremely happy

The Book of Samurai series by Antony Cummins and Yoshie Minami is an essential read for anyone interested in historical samurai and shinobi (ninja). This is not an uninformed book of fantasy or made up "facts" that reimagines the historical methods used by the samurai and ninja. The series of books are English translations of over 10 scrolls written by samurai and shinobi teacher, Natori Masazumi in the 1600s. Natori Masazumi saw the ending of the samurai era and decided to record the teachings from the Natori Ryu, school of samurai and ninja warfare. These are the words that were written down in the 1600s. The first book, The Book of Samurai: Fundamental Teachings (https://www.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2KVQPKQSS2V7N&M=urn:rtn:msg:20181031182427ded7c0df384c43f0b478dee91db0p0na&R=XGHXY0C6UAO6&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fsmile.amazon.com%2FBook-Samurai-One-Fundamental-Teachings%2Fdp%2F1780288883%2Fref%3Dcm_sw_em_r_dp_dz_v_U_ImF2BbC1B6ATJ_tt&H=H9IK4QUL3JIYEKNGXPQUZD4XJLOA) covers the basic teachings a samurai needs to know as an individual. This first book includes the scrolls Heika Jodan no Maki and Ippei Yoko. Heika Jodan teaches you about everyday life of the samurai and their family. It includes articles about: - times of peace - houses - travel - nighttime - emergencies - striking - revenge - accusations - strength in war The second scrolls, Ippei Yoko, teaches you about being an independent samurai. It includes articles about: - types of samurai - weapons - equipment - servants - how a samurai gets paid (don't lose your head over this section) - castle design - military terms - mysticism - armor - horses - food - water - shelter - how to attack - military travel. Book One really should be your starting point in learning what the samurai were taught. Book Two, The Book of Samurai: Samurai Arms, Armor, and the Tactics of Warfare, covers information on how the samurai and shinobi fit into an army. Book Two lends itself to having diagrams illustrating details about samurai armor, weapons, equipment, and strategy. It also is composed of two scrolls, Heigu Yoho and Heieki Yoho Heieki Yoho teaches you about your duties in the military and includes articles about: - military leadership - estimating the number of soldiers - troop formations - military attack - use of thieves - castle construction - castle siege - hostages - military structure - military punishment - communications - logistics - military intelligence - battle camps - shinobi (ninja) - doctors Heigu Yoho teaches you about military tools and includes articles about: - armor - military tools - weapons - war banners Both book one and book two are valuable assets to anyone interested in learning what the samurai and ninja were trained, directly from the words of their teachers. The Book of Samurai series will continue to grow as more and more scrolls get translated. In the end, this series will be a complete collection of samurai and ninja school. Another scroll in this series, not yet included under the title of The Book of Samurai is the Shoninki. The Shoninki scroll by Natori Masazumi is dedicated to the tools and skills of the ninja and has also been translated by Antony Cummins and Yoshie Minami, under the title True Path of the Ninja (https://www.amazon.com/gp/f.html?C=2KVQPKQSS2V7N&M=urn:rtn:msg:201810311946193b35f2544173444a93742f370480p0na&R=2FRCIJBV2NCO9&T=C&U=https%3A%2F%2Fsmile.amazon.com%2FTrue-Path-Ninja-Definitive-Translation-ebook%2Fdp%2FB005CVV1Q4%2Fref%3Dcm_sw_em_r_dp_dz_v_U_zzG2BbX9MEV0X_tt&H=1WZB2ZHI2ZZJTJJSO4OVK3YZMEQA). I highly recommend getting the True Path of the Ninja, along with the two Books of Samurai in order to help complete your set of all of the Natori Ryu scrolls that have been translated and published thus far.