Few elements of military historyi capture the imagination mre than that of the samurai period. Colourful and dramatic uniform, unique combat skill s and battlefield strtegies, loyalities nd ruthlessness unmatched in the Western world, charismatic warlords and lone warriors of distinction, codes of chivalry and dominant ideals-ingredients whch bred a very special tradition.

Dr. Stephen Turnbull has been at forefront of explaining the intricacies of the samurai world to the inquisitive, but previously ignorant, Western reader. It has been his books, each internaitonally successful, which have fuelled the ever gratre quest for understanding and appreciation of this diverse subject.

In Samurai Warfare he examines the reality of the battlefield tactics, personalities and practices. dispelling some of the myths surrounding the subject, we are shown that their broad strategies were unspectacular; we read of cavalry men and archers, of castles and sieges, of naval blockades and bombardments, of the routines of warfare which would be seen in the study of any medieval conflicts. The final part of the book feaures a selectoin of case studies for the eentury from 1560 which will take the reader into the action and advance even the most estabished knowledge of samurai warfare.

The illustrative content of the book features colour artwork by Richard Hook-specially commissioned for the project and a host of other unpublised material.

Contents

Preface
Part One: The development of samurai warfare
1 Early samurai warfare
The ancestors of the samurai
The conscript armies
The rise of the mounted warrior
The first samurai
Early samurai battles
2 Military gentlemen
The way of horse and bow
The archery duel
Single combat and he samurai sword
Single combat and the dagger
The samurai in group combat
3 The warrior monks
The Sohei of Kyoto and Nara
Sohei and samurai
The Sohei in the Gempei War
The revival of the Sohei
4 Samurai warfare in transition
The Kamakura Period and the Mongol invasions
Samurai as guerrilla
Development in arms and armour
The rise of the Sengoku daimyo
Part Two: The techniques of samurai warfare
5 Samurai warfare in the Sengoku Period
From mounted archer to mounted spearman
The role and status of the Ashigaru
The compositonof samurai armies
Organixation and communication on the battlefield
The Sengoku Battle
6 Specialised units in the Sengoku Army
Archers and spearmen
The introduction of firearms
From Naashima to Nagashino
Cannon in samurai warfare
7 The castle in samurai warfare
The early castles
Castles in the Nambokucho Wars
Castles in the Sengoku Period
The introduction of stone
Methods of attack
8 Samurai naval warfare
Early naval warfare
The Battle of dan no Ura
The Mongol invasions
Naval warfare in the Sengoku Period
The Battles of Miyajima and Kizugawaguchi
Part Three: The application of samurai warfare
9 Case stud 1: The army
The Takeda at Mikata-ga-hara, 1572
The organisation of the Matsuura Army
The Matsuura Kakemono
10 Case study 2: The battle
The shimazu tactical system
The Battle of Anegawa
11 Case study 3: The siege
Osaka: the winter campaign
Osaka: The summer campaign
12 Case study 4: The campaign
The revival of the monk-soldiers
The Mikawa Monto
Oda Nobunaga and the Ikko-ikki
The defence of Nagashima
The fall of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji
Epilogue
Index and glossary