Publisher's Synopsis
This book provides an overview of the traditional weapons used by the Samurai of Japan - on the battlefield and in their role as bodyguards.
Throughout the hundreds of years of history that the Samurai class was active in Japan, the Samurai became synonymous with the ideal of the honorable warrior. It is the closeness by which the individual Samurai came to such an ideal, that their appeal to the imagination still lives today.
We are fascinated with Samurai as well as their cousins, the Ninjas, and the Knights of old. So it is not surprising that the legends of the Samurai have had strong effect on our popular culture.
The book also takes note of other icons of Japanese cultural. Through articles, images and poetry, the story is told.
Carl Scott Harker is the author of twelve books of poetry, books on the paintings of Gustav Klimt and Vincent Van Gogh and other works.
