The Samurai
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
Few figures in world history command as much enduring fascination as the Japanese samurai — warriors whose lives were governed by a rigid code of honour, martial excellence, and absolute loyalty. The Samurai by H. Paul Varley, with contributions from Ivan and Nobuko Morris, presents a rigorous and illuminating account of this legendary warrior class, tracing their origins from the early Heian period through to the final twilight of the feudal age in nineteenth-century Japan. Drawing on a rich array of historical sources, the work chronicles the samurai's evolution from mounted provincial fighters into the dominant political and cultural force that shaped Japanese civilization for over a millennium. The authors detail the complex interplay between Bushido — the warrior's way — and the broader social, religious, and artistic traditions of Japan, illustrating how the sword and the brush were never truly separate pursuits. Varley's scholarship is precise yet deeply readable, situating the samurai within the grand sweep of Japanese history without sacrificing the vivid human drama that makes their story so compelling. The collaboration with Ivan and Nobuko Morris brings an additional depth of literary and cultural sensitivity, enriching the historical narrative with nuanced insight into the psychological and philosophical world of the warrior. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not merely how the samurai fought, but how they thought, believed, and ultimately defined what it meant to live — and die — with honour. What truly made a samurai invincible: the blade at his side, or the conviction in his heart?
Author: H. Paul Varley, With Ivan And Nobuko Morris
Format: Paperback
Genre: Asian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: No dust jacket
Pages: Good
Condition remarks: Condition as shown in image
Few figures in world history command as much enduring fascination as the Japanese samurai — warriors whose lives were governed by a rigid code of honour, martial excellence, and absolute loyalty. The Samurai by H. Paul Varley, with contributions from Ivan and Nobuko Morris, presents a rigorous and illuminating account of this legendary warrior class, tracing their origins from the early Heian period through to the final twilight of the feudal age in nineteenth-century Japan. Drawing on a rich array of historical sources, the work chronicles the samurai's evolution from mounted provincial fighters into the dominant political and cultural force that shaped Japanese civilization for over a millennium. The authors detail the complex interplay between Bushido — the warrior's way — and the broader social, religious, and artistic traditions of Japan, illustrating how the sword and the brush were never truly separate pursuits. Varley's scholarship is precise yet deeply readable, situating the samurai within the grand sweep of Japanese history without sacrificing the vivid human drama that makes their story so compelling. The collaboration with Ivan and Nobuko Morris brings an additional depth of literary and cultural sensitivity, enriching the historical narrative with nuanced insight into the psychological and philosophical world of the warrior. This is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not merely how the samurai fought, but how they thought, believed, and ultimately defined what it meant to live — and die — with honour. What truly made a samurai invincible: the blade at his side, or the conviction in his heart?