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Author: Chris Glenn
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1399096613
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
When the samurai warlord and respected castle architect Todo Takatora died in 1630, the funeral attendants responsible for preparing his body were shocked to note that there was not a single part of his body not scarred or disfigured by sword, spear, glaive or matchlock gun wound. Todo Takatora lived a life that unfolds like a drama. Born to a small landholding samurai family, the maverick youth worked his way to the top, becoming one of the most successful of daimyo warlords. He had served on the front lines of some of the most violent of battles, turning points that forged the nation. In a land and time in which loyalty was held dear, he changed his allegiances a record seven times, serving a record ten lords, more than any other samurai in history. Because of this, he has long been held in contempt by the Japanese. Standing 6 feet tall in a time when the average Japanese man stood between 5 and 5 1/2 feet, Todo Takatora was a giant among men. He died aged 74, when the normal life span was around 50. He was also the finest, most innovative of castle architects, responsible for the design and construction of over 30 of the strongest, most innovative Japanese castles and structures, and influencing samurai castle construction across Japan. In explaining his life, his reasons for having served so many lords, his achievements in battle and in castle design, his political and personal ideals and how these attributes were shaped during the course of his adventurous life, this book will reveal the man, and show why Takatora deserves the epithet of National Hero. In this fascinating biography, the first ever published in the English language, Chris Glenn explores Todo Takatora’s remarkable, and influential, life, the battles he fought in, the political intrigues he was part of, as well as detailing the magnificent castles he built.
Author: Chris Glenn
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1399096613
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
When the samurai warlord and respected castle architect Todo Takatora died in 1630, the funeral attendants responsible for preparing his body were shocked to note that there was not a single part of his body not scarred or disfigured by sword, spear, glaive or matchlock gun wound. Todo Takatora lived a life that unfolds like a drama. Born to a small landholding samurai family, the maverick youth worked his way to the top, becoming one of the most successful of daimyo warlords. He had served on the front lines of some of the most violent of battles, turning points that forged the nation. In a land and time in which loyalty was held dear, he changed his allegiances a record seven times, serving a record ten lords, more than any other samurai in history. Because of this, he has long been held in contempt by the Japanese. Standing 6 feet tall in a time when the average Japanese man stood between 5 and 5 1/2 feet, Todo Takatora was a giant among men. He died aged 74, when the normal life span was around 50. He was also the finest, most innovative of castle architects, responsible for the design and construction of over 30 of the strongest, most innovative Japanese castles and structures, and influencing samurai castle construction across Japan. In explaining his life, his reasons for having served so many lords, his achievements in battle and in castle design, his political and personal ideals and how these attributes were shaped during the course of his adventurous life, this book will reveal the man, and show why Takatora deserves the epithet of National Hero. In this fascinating biography, the first ever published in the English language, Chris Glenn explores Todo Takatora’s remarkable, and influential, life, the battles he fought in, the political intrigues he was part of, as well as detailing the magnificent castles he built.
Author: Jennifer Mitchelhill
Publisher: Kodansha International
ISBN: 9784770029546
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 118
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Book Description
The castles of Japan are a product of the country's long history of civil warnd samurai rule from the Middle Ages to mid-19th century. They functionedoth as military fortresses as well as symbols of authority. Theyncorporated powerful mechanisms for warding off attackers, yet as symbolshey were possessed of immense beauty and grace.;This study is divided intoour parts: the first examines who built these castles and why, with anncisive look at Japanese history and the internecine fighting betweenamurai clans; the second part discusses the castle as a fortress - themportance of its location, its layout, stone walls and moats, towers, gates,hooting holes, and stone drops; the third part covers the beauty of theastle as a symbol, covering the intricate craftsmanship seen in structuraletail and the aesthetics of the samurai class itself; and the fourth partontains practical information on visiting castles and gleaning the most from first-hand view.
Author: Jennifer Mitchelhill
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
ISBN: 1462920373
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 330
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Book Description
Samurai Castles features hundreds of stunning color photographs and little-known details about the most important and well-preserved Samurai castles in Japan, including their history, design and military features. Japan's ancient castles provide profound insights into the country's compelling military history. Discover the secrets of Japan's feudal past by exploring the most famous castles of the Samurai era. The enormous stone walls, multi-level towers, and sophisticated defense systems are not merely impressive fortresses, but spectacular works of Japanese architecture, constructed without the use of steel or modern equipment. These monumental structures fulfilled a need for protection without sacrificing aesthetic values. Understanding the cultural contexts of these Samurai castles helps create a better understanding of Japanese culture today. In this fascinating Japanese castle book, you will discover the rich history and creators of famous castles such as Himeji, Osaka, and Nijo that you would otherwise need to travel to Japan to experience in person. Chronicling the story of each building conveys a greater understanding of how and why they were built, and identifies their unique features for historians, architecture aficionados, world travelers, and Japanophiles alike. With over two hundred color images, numerous diagrams, maps, and detailed descriptions, Samurai Castles is the most comprehensive Japanese history book on this intriguing topic.
Author: Erik Christian Haugaard
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780618615124
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 260
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Book Description
When the powerful Lord Takeda's soldiers sweep across the countryside, killing and plundering, they spare the boy Taro's life and take him along with them. Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro's life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Publisher: Turtleback Books
ISBN: 9780613337311
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Eleven adventure stories set in the exciting and fascinating period of ancient Japan
Author: Neal Dunnigan
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1411620410
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 137
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Book Description
Intriguing encounters between Zen practitioners and samurai warriors are recaptured in this breviloquent collection of short stories drawn from the literature of feudal Japan. These encounters deal with the nature of immediacy and its role in understanding the essence of human existence. For the martial artist faced with a conflict, the Zen state of mind, without distractions and illusions, can determine the difference between life and death. The warrior experience, as revealed in these traditional stories, is retold in a style that is relevant and graspable to the contemporary American martial artist. No particular religious background is required to appreciate these stories, but rather a curiosity about what allows people to achieve extraordinary performance when faced with life and death circumstances. Zen ink paintings by John Hrabushi offer a meditative and intellectual cross training throughout the collection. Foreword by noted Aikido Shihan Lorraine DiAnne.
Author: Rei Kimura
Publisher: Riverdale Avenue Books LLC
ISBN: 1626016747
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177
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Book Description
Can a Japanese samurai of impeccable lineage in Edo period Japan get away with being gay? Can he break all the rules of society and get away with it? It all started when an aging samurai took an eccentric interest in a teenage peasant boy who had the unusual gift of writing. One day he brought his son, Lord Okimoto to the peasant’s house. Immediately when their gazes met, the samurai’s son and the teenage peasant, a forbidden love affair formed, an affair which broke all the rules of Japan’s Edo period society and a feudal class so sharply defined that it could cut like a knife. Four centuries later, an ancestor of Lord Okimoto finds a diary written by his peasant lover unfolding the anguished tale of a forbidden life went wrong, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts, shattered dreams and destroyed lives. The tale of the gay samurai who put duty and obligations above his poignant love travels one whole circle to arrive to the 21st century in a final twist to this intriguing story of how two young men dared to break all the rules in conservative unforgiving 18th century Japan.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : East Asia
Languages : en
Pages : 668
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Book Description
Author: Kunisada Utagawa
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781840683158
Category : Akō Vendetta, Japan, 1703
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
This Ukiyo-e Master Special edition of Kunisada's 47 Ronin contains not only Kunisada's complete set of 48 samurai prints, reproduced in full-size and full-colour, but also reference prints from Kuniyoshi's classic series of 1847, complimenting each image. The book also features A.B. Mitford's definitive Legend of the 47 Ronin, the first English-languge version of the story from 1871. This text is illustrated with 47 Ronin prints by varoius other classic ukiyo-e artists, including Yoshitora, Yoshitoshi, and Kunichika, bringing the total number of colour prints in the book to over 100.
Author:
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824863348
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 186
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Book Description
Of the many eccentric figures in Japanese Zen, the Soto Zen master Tosui Unkei (d. 1683) is surely among the most colorful and extreme. Variously compared to Ryokan and Francis of Assisi, Tosui has been called "the original hippie." After many grueling years of Zen study and the sanction of a distinguished teacher, Tosui abandoned the religious establishment and became a drifter. The arresting details of Tosui's life were recorded in the Tribute (Tosui osho densan), a lively and colloquial account written by the celebrated scholar and Soto Zen master Menzan Zuiho. Menzan concentrates on Tosui's years as a beggar and laborer, recounting episodes from an unorthodox life while at the same time opening a new window on seventeenth-century Japan. The Tribute is translated here for the first time, accompanied by woodblock prints commissioned for the original 1768 edition. Peter Haskel's introduction places Tosui in the context of the Japanese Zen of his period--a time when the identities of early modern Zen schools were still being formed and a period of spiritual crisis for many distinguished monks who believed that the authentic Zen transmission had long ceased to exist. A biographical addendum offers a detailed overview of Tosui's life in light of surviving premodern sources.
