Japanese Fortified Temples and Monasteries AD 710-1602

A good book. Short and to the point.(I felt as though it should have been a LITTLE longer.) If you also get the book on Japanese warrior monks it should be fine. Great illustrations & photos. (some of which are available as paintings or posters). Very informative for such a thin book.

I found this book to be an excellent companion book to Turnbull's earlier Osprey Fortress series book on Japanese castles. Although the title read "AD 710 to 1602", most of the core coverage of this book lies with Sen-joku period of Japan, basically between 1540 to 1600. A short book of 64 pages, the book divides itself into three basic parts. First part dealt with the basic history of these warrior monks whose European counterparts might be the Knight Templars or Hussites depending on how you looked at it. Second part dealt with the designs and concepts of these fortified temples and monasteries. Finally, the third part dealt with military history behind these fortified locations. The book proves to be well written, researched and well illustrated. The three map illustrations of the major fortified religious centers during the Sen-joku period can be compared with the one built prior to it. These illustrations proves to be very handy and useful in giving a great overall understanding to the subject at hand. This book will be a welcomed addition to any library whose reader got a great interest in Japanese samurai history. For a book so short, its proves to be highly informative.