The Samurai: Swords, Shoguns and Seppuku (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780750955898)

The true nature of the Japanese samurai warrior is an elusive and endlessly fascinating enigma for those in the West. From their inauspicious beginnings as barbarian-subduing soldiers, the samurai lived according to a code known as bushido - or 'way of the warrior'. Bushido- advocated loyalty, honour, pride and fearlessness in combat. Those who broke the code were expected to perform seppuku, or suicide through stomach-cutting. By its very design, seppuku aimed to restore honour to disgraced warriors by ensuring the most painful of deaths. However, the bushido- virtues of loyalty and honour fell into question as the samurai grew powerful enough to wrest control from the emperor himself.Accompanied by vivid colour illustrations, The Samurai offers a complete, concise account of samurai history and culture. It tells the story of the rise of the samurai as a martial elite, the warriors' centuries long struggle for power and their long slide into obsolescence.

Author: Ben Hubbard
ISBN-10: 0750955899
ISBN-13: 9780750955898
Publisher: History Press
Language: English
Published: 06/02/2014
Pages: 160
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.40d