Samurai: Arms, Armor, Costume

The pictures and documentation on the Samurai in ths book are great. It is a gerat coffee table book and is really a great find.

This book covers the Samurai pretty well. Unlike alot of the other books I've seen, this book covers all samurai periods from the earliest to the latest. If goes fairly in depth with armor and weapons giving accurate dates to everything. Loads of colour photos and drawings.This should be the first book you buy on Samurai, even though it may not be you're last. Will impress non-beginers as well.

This is a great book about the history of samurai and there role in shaping Japanese history. It details key eras, and battles thus it also has lots of colored pictures and diagrams of campaigns, and few battle diagrams.Anyone who is trying to find out more about the armor of the differnt peiods should also check this book out cause it has tons of pictures of armor and names all the parts (note: it doesn't tell you how to make it though)and it explains alot about how the different families in Japan shaped the land. From the rise of the Samurai class to the Edo period and it even has a part about the Sengoku-Jidai or the age of the country at war (basically a huge 100 year long civil war) A must have for people who prefer the samurai over the knight or if you just like the samurai.

This book is an excellent summary of samurai history, equipment and tactics. Of the Samurai books I've read, this is the best overall treatment. The author covers each major period with a general description of the history of the period. He then provides profuse illustrations, battle maps, photos of reenactors and surviving artifacts. It has the clear and easy to understand description and drawings of samurai armor. The photos of reenactors are really great. They really bring the subject to life.The historical narative is brief and covers just the basics of the complex maneuvering, diplomacy and warfare that was characteristic for this period. Hard core researchers will probably find this thin,. But for a reader interested in a solid overview of the period, this book is great.

While it could be a little bigger, this book exactly what I was looking for. Nintey six pages filled with gorgeous photos of samurai and other troops from the various martial eras of Japanese history. Appearently like our Civil War reenacters the Japanese like to "hang out" and dress up all anachronistic. Which is just fine because this is the only book I've ever seen of actual people donning "tosei gusoku," an' taking action in them. If you are an illustrator or just a fan of samurai this book IS FOR YOU!!!