Samurai: An Illustrated History brings the violent; tumultuous; and; at the same time; elegant world of the medieval Japanese samurai to life.This book of Japanese history traces the story of a unique historical phenomenon: a period of 700 yearsmdash;equivalent to the entire stretch of Western history between the reigns of the Crusader king Richard the Lionhearted and of Queen Victoria at the height of the British Empiremdash;during which an enclosed civilization was dominated by a single warrior caste.The historical narrative of samurai history is supported by explanations of samurai armor; weapons; fortifications; tactics; and customs; and illustrated with nearly 800 fascinating color photographs; maps; and sketches; including ancient scroll paintings and surviving suits of armor preserved for centuries in Japanese shrines.From the 12th to the 19th centuries the history of Japan was effectively the history of the samuraimdash;the class of professional fighting men. At first they were no more than lowly soldiery employed by the court aristocracy of Kyoto; but the growing power of the provincial warrior clans soon enabled them to brush aside the executive power of the imperial court and to form their own parallel military government. Though individual dynasties came and went in cycles of vigor and decadence; the dominance of the samurai as a class proved uniquely resilient.
#481941 in eBooks 2015-02-16 2015-02-16File Name: B00PSSBEWW
Review
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful. Creative ideas with quality constructionBy EatwellThis book offers lots of creative ideas; with bag ideas plus an "extra" that matches each bag. Each bag and its "extra" are well designed and crafted; with easy to read and understand directions for creating a really unique; useful quality product. Some of her "extras" would make great gifts!! As usual; Susan Briscoe has maintained her outstanding design standard and combined it with clear instructions and quality photography to help inspire and guide the reader to a successful result.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I liked this bookletBy Susie MainsThis is a great product for the advanced sewer. I found the instructions a bit hard to understand; although the pictures seemed to help on deciphering what the written instruction were describing. I liked the many patterns found within the booklet; and I think this was a great purchase.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fabulous fat quarter bagsBy ozmaggieReally worthy of more stars as the content is excellent. Instructions for making the bags is quite detailed and easy to follow. I think it would be worth buying the book to gain the maximum benefits; however I will be using my kindle to make some of the bags over Winter; which is coming up fast in Australia as I write. Good projects and not too hard to do.
