Wholesale Samurai: The Japanese Warrior's Manual

Now available in paperback, Samurai combines the latest research with descriptions of contemporary lives and historical reconstructions to provide a dramatic picture of what it was like to be an elite Japanese warrior. It is 1615, and the samurai, Japan’s elite fighting class, are at the zenith of their powers. Trained in every manner of combat, from sword-fighting and archery to karate and jujitsu, the samurai warrior is the emperor’s last line of defense against the barbarians of Japan and beyond. Learn how to master the "Way of the Warrior," know whom you should kill, and what to do with their heads afterward. Discover what the cultured samurai does between battles, how to storm or lay siege to a castle, and how to conduct a tea ceremony with Zen-like composure. With this handy guide you will never be at a loss should you need to command and maintain an army—you will even know how to prepare for entry into the White Jade Pavilion after your death. Now available in a new paperback edition, this handy manual explains everything you need to know about maintaining the honor of the samurai class both on and off the battlefield.