The Shoguns (9784805320556)

Japan's Shogun era comes vibrantly to life with bloody battles, samurai sieges and sacked castles.

Samurai-for-hire eventually rose through the ranks to become the legendary Shoguns, amassing more power than the nobles they worked for. Jonathan Clements introduces you to this array of upstart warlords whose iron fists secured seven centuries of military government:

• Minamoto no Yoritomo: The OG Shogun, he revived the title in 1192 and pushed the puppet emperor into the wings.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu: His victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 ushers in the blood-soaked era fictionalized in the Clavell novel and the acclaimed series.
• Hojo Masako: The "Nun Shogun," she was the wife of one shogun, the mother of two others, and one of the most powerful women of her time.

Color illustrations and photos bring the action vividly to life. Family trees keep all the connections and shifting rivalrie clearly in front of you. The Battle of Sekigahara. The Siege of Osaka Castle. The Shoguns places all the palace intrigue and epic clashes center stage in this definitive portrait of a feudal society defined by strict warrior loyalty and the bushido code.


About the Author:
Jonathan Clements is the author of many books about Japanese and Chinese history, including A Brief History of the Samurai, Japan at War in the Pacific, accounts of the Shimabara Rebellion and Japan's negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference, a biography of Admiral Togo, a history of the martial arts and a new translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War. For National Geographic Asia, he has presented several seasons of Route Awakening, a TV series investigating icons of history and culture.