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Known from his collaboration on the Netflix documentary Age of Samurai, historian William de Lange returns to what he does best: highly anecdotal stories from one of the most exciting episodes in Japanese history: the Warring States period.De Lange takes the reader right back to the 16th century's closing decades. In the course of the ensuing journey we witness the major battles fought by the country's three great unifiers: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.Quoting directly and at length from a wide range of contemporary sources, De Lange paints events and figures like no other, 'so richly rendered,' according to one critic, 'that you'd swear De Lange was present at the time, taking notes.'Samurai Battles is an epic account of a dramatic period in Japanese history-a period in which the whole country was consumed by the fire of civil strife that raged hardest on the field of battle.

THE FIRST FULLY ILLUSTRATED BIOGRAPHY OF JAPAN'S GREATEST SWORDSMANMiyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) is the most celebrated swordsman in Japanese history. Yet few of the many works on the enigmatic warrior have hewn to the original sources. Fewer still have explored the emotional turmoil that drove him on to be the very best in his field.A Life in Arms debunks many of the convenient myths, while at the same time uncovering the more controversial aspects that have been left hidden: his deeply troubled relationship with his father, his whereabouts during the battle of Sekigahara, his role in the siege of Osaka castle, and the birth and death of an illegitimate child, an event that deeply influenced his art.It shows how Musashi's path through life was shaped by strong personal traits: a reckless valor in the face of danger, a sensitive intelligence in the fields of art and architecture, a generosity toward peers and pupils, and a defiant stubbornness in old age. The complex yet human portrait that arises is a far cry from the accepted one-dimensional caricatures.Drawing from a wealth of images, maps, photographs, and woodprints, this Illustrated Edition gives the reader an even more authentic and in-depth experience of the life of Japan's greatest swordsman.

Seit die ersten Europäer in der Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts Fuß auf japanischen Boden setzten, haben die Samurai mit ihren heldenhaften Taten unsere Fantasie befeuert. Aber was trieb diese Männer an? Was hatten sie im Bauch bevor sie in den Kampf zogen? Genauer gefragt: Welche Zutaten und Gerichte aßen und mochten die japanischen Krieger im Mittelalter? Welchen Geschmack schätzten sie und was waren ihre kulinarischen Traditionen? Diese Fragen führen uns zum Ursprung der japanischen Küche, die allgemeinhin als eine der ausgefeiltesten in der Welt gilt.Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, taucht "Samurai Kochkunst" ein in die lange Geschichte japanischer Nahrungszubereitung. Es sucht nach dem Ursprung der Zutaten und deren typische Verwendung. Es zeigt die Wichtigkeit von Nahrung (oder deren Abwesenheit) in Zeiten großer Mühsal auf, als auch die zeremonielle Verwendung in Kampfgeschehen, sowohl im Aufbruch zum Sieg, so wie in den Stunden der Niederlage. Das Buch möchte außerdem auf die tiefe Bedeutung des Essens für einen Krieger als Quelle der Nahrung, des Krafterhalts und der Wiederbelebung hinweisen, und daraus resultierend die bedeutende Rolle von Nahrung in einer Gesellschaft, die besessen ist von Prestige und Ehre.In der fortschreitenden Entwicklung der japanischen Rezepturen zeigt sich die angeborene Achtsamkeit des Japaners für Qualität, sowohl in der Frische und der jahreszeitlichen Verfügbarkeit der Zutaten, als auch bei den Geräten, um diese zuzubereiten. Die vielfältigen Traditionen des Servierens runden dieses Bild ab.Dies alles wird mit 30 einfach zu kochenden und schmackhaften historischen Rezepten gekrönt, die mit Fotografien und Schritt-für-Schritt-Erklärungen zum Erfolg führen.Samurai Kochkunst erläutert Japans faszinierende, traditionelle Kriegerküche und präsentiert Ihnen leckere und schmackhafte Rezepte, für die ein Samurai seinerzeit kurzerhand getötet hätte.

Samurai have fired our imagination with their fighting spirit and heroic deeds ever since Europeans set foot on Japanese shores during the middle of the 16th century. But what was the fuel on which these men ran? What was in their stomachs as they rode into battle? More widely, what kind of ingredients and dishes did the medieval Japanese eat and cherish? What were their tastes and culinary traditions? These questions point to the wellsprings of Japanese cuisine, widely considered one of the most sophisticated in the world.To answer these questions, Samurai Dishes delves into the long history of Japanese cooking. It traces the origins and use of typically Japanese ingredients. It shows the importance of food (or lack of it) in times of trouble and its ceremonial role in battle, both on the eve of victory and in the wake of defeat. And it reveals the deep symbolism of food to the warrior as a source of nourishment and revival. What emerges is the important role of food in a society obsessed with prestige and pride. Moving toward the present, Samurai Dishes highlights the innate Japanese attention to quality, freshness, and seasonality of ingredients, the tools with which to prepare them, and the various traditions according to which they are served. To top it all, it presents thirty easy-to-make and mouthwatering historical Japanese dishes, each with photographs and step-by-step explanations. Samurai Dishes is a fascinating window into Japan's martial culinary tradition and a source of some really tasty recipes for which a samurai would have killed in an instant.

Known from his collaboration on the Netflix documentary Age of Samurai, historian William de Lange returns to what he does best: highly anecdotal stories from one of the most exciting episodes in Japanese history: the Warring States period.De Lange takes the reader right back to the 16th century's closing decades. In the course of the ensuing journey, we witness the major sieges fought by the country's three great unifiers: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.Quoting directly and at length from a wide range of contemporary sources, De Lange paints events and figures like no other, 'so richly rendered,' according to one critic, 'that you'd swear he was present at the time, taking notes.'Samurai Sieges is an epic account of a dramatic period in Japanese history-a period in which the whole country was consumed by the fire of civil strife that raged hardest on the field of battle.

The history of Japanese Journalism, though relatively short, is marked by periods of great upheaval and radical change. It began during the two centuries of seclusion, when Dutch traders confined to the port of Nagasaki, through a small army of Japanese hereditary interpreters, conveyed information to the bakufu authorities about the outside world. All that changed during the bakufu's final years, when foreign entrepreneurs in Japan's treaty ports laid the building blocks for an indigenous press. Then came the Meiji era, when the press grew on a wave of rapid modernization, followed by the Taish¿ era, when it matured amid the volatile stand-off between a budding civil rights movement and an increasingly reactionary government. The darkest days came during the pre-war decade, when the military authorities curtailed the free press and turned it into a propaganda machine. The great revival came during the post-war Occupation, when the Allied authorities liberalized the press and enshrined its rights in the Peace Constitution.Throughout all these years, one aspect of Japanese journalism has remained virtually unchanged, the kisha kurabu, the 'press clubs,' an institution through which the Japanese authorities exert a measure of control over the flow of news that is unparalleled in any other democratic society.

Sugawara no Takasue no Musume (1008-59), a lady-in-waiting to Princess Sukeko, is a typical exponent of Heian court culture-her sharp awareness of beauty only checked by her keen sense of its transitory nature.Inspired by Murasaki Shikibu's then already famous Genji monogatari, the author seeks to achieve the same romantic fulfillment of that work's hero and commits her thoughts, emotions, and experiences to a memoir she named the Sarashina nikki in an allusion to a much-loved poem from the Kokin wakash¿.Perhaps the most evocative part of the Sarashina nikki is her three-month journey to the capital following her father's recall from his governorship of Kazusa, which offers rare descriptions of the more remote regions of Heian Japan-its blinding white beaches, its majestic mountains, its dark forests.Above all, the Sarashina nikki is a poignant record of a woman's deep romantic yearning.

Izumi Shikibu (978-??), author, femme fatale, and prominent member of the Heian court, was first and foremost a poet-the greatest of her time, perhaps the greatest her country has ever known. Incorporated in numerous imperial anthologies, Izumi Shikibu's work has been admired through the ages.In this richly poetic diary Izumi Shikibu shares with us each and every turn in her tempestuous relationship with Prince Atsumichi, a relationship that began with the casual exchange of poems, deepened in the course of numerous setbacks, and culminated in her joining the prince at the imperial court.The Izumi Shikibu nikki is not only a literary giant's account of her most intimate thoughts; it is an unforgettable glimpse into an utterly enchanting word-a world 'dowered with a rare and exquisite taste,' a world filled with color and fragrance, but above all a word in which 'everywhere, everywhere, there is poetry.'

To any student of the Japanese language, the staggering number of onomatopoeia seems so daunting that one simply does not know where to begin. What, for instance, to make of karakara, karikari, kurikuri, or korikori? They may sound pretty similar, but they carry a wealth of information, modulated by emphasis, context, and grammatical function. Thus karakara alone can be used to describe someone laughing loudly, a vehicle rattling along, being parched with thirst, or being out of money.This is the first comprehensive dictionary of Japanese onomato­poeia. Multiple English sample sentences highlight every meaning and nuance of expressions used by Japanese speakers of all walks of life-from hip youths in Roppongi to erudite professors at university.

What student of Japanese has not grappled with the amazing diversity and tantalizingly elusive nuances of its idioms? One certainly would not want to confuse, for example, ki ga mawaru (to be considerate) with ki o mawasu (to be suspicious). And it would be useful to know whether your boss is hara ga tatsu (angry) or merely ki ga tatsu (upset). Indeed, even a single idiom can have a bewildering number of meanings depending on context; te o ireru, for instance, can mean tidying up (as a room), sounding out someone, or making a raid.This dictionary offers the most comprehensive compilation and English translation of those idiomatic expressions that so enrich the Japanese language but fail to find their way into conventional dictionaries. It presents more than 10000 idiomatic phrases under 1000 main entries, including several thousands of idioms never presented and explained in English before. Multiple sample sentences are given for each entry, and furigana allows even beginning students to pronounce correctly and to use the expressions immediately. A thumb index and two-color printing, with all kanji and kana in red, make entries exceptionally easy to access.

"Finally the treatment these true classics deserve: thoroughly re-edited and modernized texts, with glossary, index...and beautiful layout to boot."Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), the son of an Irish Surgeon-Major and a Greek woman of noble lineage, who settled in Japan after a checkered career in journalism in Cincinnati and New Orleans, is still considered by many the most astute interpreter of the country and its people.In the second part of this series, we join Hearn in Matsue in Izumo province, the place to which his name has become so inextricably linked. We are introduced to his samurai dwelling (yashiki) and its three gardens with exotic flowers, birds, and insects. And we meet his fellow teachers and eager students at the two schools at which he takes up his new position of teacher, a role in which he would support his new Japanese family for the rest of his life.We join him on yet more excursions, to the neighboring province of Hoki (Tottori), and by ferry to the Oki archipelago to visit and explore its many varied islands and communities. There, far away from 'the far-reaching influences of high-pressure civilization,' he learns more about the Japanese soul, about ghosts and goblins, and about the enigmatic Japanese smile, which seems always on display, even in the most wretched of times.Led, introduced, and informed by guides and friends, with each experience, Hearn's love for the Japanese grows, his understanding for their ways deepens. And it is this pairing of love and insight that make his Writings From a Mystical Country so compelling and enchanting-even now, more than a century after his death.

"Finally the treatment these true classics deserve: thoroughly re-edited and modernized texts, with glossary, index...and beautiful layout to boot."Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), the son of an Irish Surgeon-Major and a Greek woman of noble lineage, who settled in Japan after a checkered career in journalism in Cincinnati and New Orleans, is still considered by many the most astute interpreter of the country and its people.In the first part of this series, we follow Hearn as he arrives in Yokohama in the spring of 1880 and is immediately taken with its 'sun-steeped ways,' the ubiquitous kuruma with their oddly gesticulating runners, the narrow streets with their 'profusion of Chinese and Japanese characters in white, black, blue, or gold decorating everything'-all to Hearn is 'unspeakably pleasurable and new.'His unquenchable curiosity leads him outside the town's European quarter. Starting with local temples and shrines, he soon wanders farther afield, to Kamakura, home of the famous Engaku-ji, Kench¿-ji, Hasedera, and the great Daibutsu statue. From there, he visits the island of Enoshima and its Dragon Cavern. Then to Yokohama again to visit a Bonichi, attend a Bon Matsuri, observe a Bon Odori. And then to Matsue, the place to which his name has become so inextricably linked.Led, introduced, and informed by guides and friends, with each experience, Hearn's love for the Japanese grows, his understanding for their ways deepens. And it is this pairing of love and insight that make his Writings From a Mystical Country so compelling and enchanting-even now, more than a century after his death.

The Warring States period (1467-1568) was the most destructive in Japan's long history of civil strife. It began when the dearly won supremacy of the Ashikaga clan was squandered by a weak and indecisive ruler, allowing the jealous rivalry between local warlords to spiral irrevocably out of control. It was a time when thousands upon thousands of warriors either perished on the battlefield or persevered simply on the strength of their martial skill. At the end of the day, only those with superior skill remained standing to survey the carnage and count the severed heads of their fallen foes. In spite of all the mayhem and bloodshed, they were also men with an inextinguishable moral core, who adhered with almost religious devotion to the bushidô dictates of duty, fidelity, decorum, indeed, even of benevolence.Two such men were Iizasa Ch¿isai Ienao and Kami Izumi Nobutsuna. Both not only witnessed but actively participated in the dramatic events of the period at hand. Thus, Ienao served on the Shogunal guard when, following the outbreak of the ¿nin War in 1467, the capital Kyoto was reduced to ashes in a decade of trench warfare. And thus Nobutsuna had to witness how, in the terrible wave of anarchy that followed in its wake, all that his ancestors had toiled for was lost. Their story, told against the greater historical backdrop of ruthless political intrigue and vast military campaigns, is a story of the tragedy of civil war experienced at the personal level-it is a story of sacrifice, of blind devotion, of seemingly insurmountable setbacks. Yet it is at the same time a testimony to the kind of perseverance that can have no equal in times of peace.

The Two Courts Period (1333-92) was a turning point in Japan's medieval era-a time when an unbridgeable rift appeared in the fragile fabric of Japanese feudal society. On each side stood a separate imperial court, each with its own army and its own agenda. As the schism deepened and the positions hardened, one by one clans and domains were rent asunder until each and every man faced the terrible choice between loyalty and friendship.Two such men were Nennami Okuyama Jion and Ch¿j¿ Hy¿go no Kami Nagahide, who faced each other from across the dazzling divide. Jion, an impoverished warrior monk who had lost his father through the treachery of a Bakufu official, joined the side of the loyalists, the forces fighting on behalf of the Southern Court. Nagahide, whose ancestors had stood at the cradle of feudal society and had risen to high rank within the Bakufu, was bound by duty to the Northern Court.Their stories, set against the greater historical backdrop of ruthless political intrigue and vast military campaigns, describe the tragedy of civil war experienced at the personal level; they tell of loyalty, of betrayal, and of seemingly insurmountable setbacks. Yet the friendship between these two so disparate men, founded on their mutual love of swordsmanship and forged in the midst of a chaotic world, stands as moving testimony to the kind of courage that can have no equal in times of peace.

The Two Courts Period (1333-92) was a turning point in Japan's medieval era-a time when an unbridgeable rift appeared in the fragile fabric of Japanese feudal society. On each side stood a separate imperial court, each with its own army and its own agenda. As the schism deepened and the positions hardened, one by one clans and domains were rent asunder until each and every man faced the terrible choice between loyalty and friendship.Two such men were Nennami Okuyama Jion and Ch¿j¿ Hy¿go no Kami Nagahide, who faced each other from across the dazzling divide. Jion, an impoverished warrior monk who had lost his father through the treachery of a Bakufu official, joined the side of the loyalists, the forces fighting on behalf of the Southern Court. Nagahide, whose ancestors had stood at the cradle of feudal society and had risen to high rank within the Bakufu, was bound by duty to the Northern Court. Their stories, set against the greater historical backdrop of ruthless political intrigue and vast military campaigns, describe the tragedy of civil war experienced at the personal level; they tell of loyalty, of betrayal, and of seemingly insurmountable setbacks. Yet the friendship between these two so disparate men, founded on their mutual love of swordsmanship and forged in the midst of a chaotic world, stands as moving testimony to courage that can have no equal in times of peace.