A Samurai Castle

"A Samurai Castle" looks at the history of the samurai castles of medieval Japan, not only in terms of diagramming the layout of these castles but also in terms of the examining the role of samurai, the shogun, and women in feudal Japanese society. Fiona MacDonald looks at everything that made up this society, from the religious beliefs to the arms and armor of the period. In the late Sixties I visited just such a castle in Tokyo, but of course I had no appreciation for it beyond noticing that they are built up on tall stone foundations (which had aesthetic and symbolic significance). This book begins with the idea of how sites where selected for building these castles along with how they were designed and constructed. The book is illustrated by David Antram and John James, with pictures not only of these castles but the people that worked and lived inside them in feudal Japan. Actually, this book places as much emphasis on the samurai as it does on their castle, covering how they trained, their arms and armor, and what they did during a normal day of service to their lord. The roles of women and what these people did for entertainment are covered as well. Consequently, I was a bit disappointed that there were not more details on the actual castles, although there was a section near the end on how the samurai laid siege to these castles. But this is rather consistent with the format of this series. "A Samurai Castle" is one of over a dozen books from the Inside Story series that diagram ancient structures such as an Egyptian Pyramid, a Roman Fort, and a Medieval Cathedral to more recent structures such as a frontier fort on the Oregon Trail and a World War II submarine. Obviously what is nice about these volumes is that they present young readers with the idea of form and function in a way that is both creative and educational.

This is a great book for kids and adults alike. It has wonderful artwork that depicts periond clothing and settings.Even some good general information. If my children were interested in samurai's, I'd buy it for them.